Do I need more pot?

[Krelja]

I've currently brewed 4 extract brews with steeping grains and I hope I'm ready to make the jump to at least partial mash. I made a recipe up in beersmith and was wondering if my 32 quart pot is going to cut it. I've also converted a 5 gallon cooler with a SS braid for my tun but I'm still a little confused about the amount of water. Here is the ingredients:
8.0 oz Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 5.52 %
3 lbs 4.8 oz Wheat Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 36.46 %
2 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 27.62 %
2 lbs 8.0 oz Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 27.62 %
4.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2.76 %
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (60 min) Hops 14.5 IBU
0.75 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.75 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.00 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Belgian Wit Ale (White Labs #WLP400) Yeast-Wheat
Now according to beersmith and everything I've read I need around 6.5 to 7 gallons of water with the grain bill. Now do I also need 6 gallons of sparge water as well? If that is the case then my pot is not going to be up to the task. I think I have the process down so I'm not to worried about that I'm just worried that I need more equipment. The mash part of beersmith stil confuses me but I just think that I need to get going with AG and PM before it makes more sense to me. This makes me believe that I'm going to need about 12 gallons of water I know some is going to be absorbed but I don't think its going to be 5 gallons. And here's what beersmith tells me which to me isn't much
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Total Grain Weight: 5.75 lb
Sparge Water: 5.14 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 7.19 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F
Sorry for the long post but I'm eager to get this batch going it's almost been 3 weeks since I brewed and i'm itching

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

Your 8 gallon pot should be fine. You will likely be using 6.5 to 7.0 gallons of water TOTAL for a five gallon batch. Part of which will be your sparge water. You will lose some to absorption.

Make sure you are reading correctly and not confusing qts with gallons.

 

[macabra11]

What? Did your roomate smoke it all?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Make sure you are reading correctly and not confusing qts with gallons.

or grams for ounces......

 

[Krelja]

Your 8 gallon pot should be fine. You will likely be using 6.5 to 7.0 gallons of water TOTAL for a five gallon batch. Part of which will be your sparge water. You will lose some to absorption.

Make sure you are reading correctly and not confusing qts with gallons.

You are correct I'm just stressing I need to RDWHAHB. Beersmith is saying 60 min Mash In Add 7.19 qt of water, which is less than 2 gallons(1.8 gallons to be exact), and Sparge Water: 5.14 gallons. So that should be fine with around 7 gallons after absorbtion to boil. I'll just have to be careful until I boil it down a little bit. Thanks again for making me look harder maybe I just needed some brain fuel

And hope someone else mixes up grams and ounces

 

[Sean]

You will need to be real careful when that comes close to the boil. It will boil over in a second that close to the top. Make sure you are ready for it. Have something to stir with in your hand when it comes up, and slow the gas as it gets close. Luck!

 

[Krelja]

It's definately not gonna be fun for the first half hour or so it looks like it's probably going to be a 90 minute boil with the heavier rolling boil during the last 40-45 minutes. I think I can handle it I've done 6.5 gallons and was able to keep it going pretty good. I'll update the thread hopefully next weekend cause this weekend is a drinking weekend not a brewing weekend. I get to visit Omegang and Cooperstown Brewing Company to get my growlers filled and cave aged beer mmmmmmmmmmm beer

 

[Rick500]

A spray bottle of water is also good for knocking down the foam if necessary.

 

[Blender]

Keep some extra sparge water handy because you won't know the absobtion rate of the grains until you do a few batches. My grain absorbs at least .13 qts. per pound. After your first running you will be able to calculate how much more water will be needed to get to your target volume. You should have some way to determine how much wort you are collecting so you can determine your water additions. Good Luck

 

[nostalgia]

My first AG full boil was in a 28qt pot. It just barely made it. Thanks to FermcapS foam control drops, I didn't have a massive boilover. I did have some splashing from a vigorous boil though, so keep an eye on it.

The sprayer of water trick works very well for knocking back foam, but FermcapS are the way to go if you have it.

-Joe

 

[wilserbrewer]

Wow, with that whole recipe and long list of ingreidients, sometimes I wonder if going all grain and keeping it simple w/ a recipe like Ed's Haus Ale wouldn't be a more sound approach.

I think Beersmith has you all tied up in knots...this is a partial mash and you are sparging to achieve the full kettle volume.

W/ only 4 lbs of grain, you should be mashing w/ about 5 quarts, and sparging around 2 -3 gallons IMHO.

Where in Jersey are ya?

 

[Krelja]

I guess most partial mashes are done like deathbrewer's method not closer to the all-grain style with a cooler. I got the 5 gallon industrial igloo for free and converted it over very cheaply. I'm really just looking to get rid of the wheat extract I have without just thowing it in the brewpot and letting it sit. beersmith did have me tangled up cause I was mixing up gallons and quarts. I should be using under 7 gallons not counting absorbtion so I should be fine. I think it was just a spaz moment. I just think I have to dive in a do it just so I have a better idea as to what's going on. I'm in northern jersey near morristown. This bug has bitten me and I'm ready to keep moving. 20 gallons of beer in 2 months now and I have the ingredients for 3 batches including this one

 

[EonBlue66]

I use a 7.5 gallon pot for my AG brews. I heat up my mash water in it, add it to the tun then add the sparge to the pot. I use a smaller pot to collect the runnings then add the sparge water. At this point the kettle is available, after adding all of the runnings I have about 1" 1/2 of room from the top. To keep boilover at bay I keep a fan pointed directly at the boil this keeps it from boiling over.

You can use your pot for AG & PM it will just keep you on your toes the first couple of times.

Brew on!

 

[FailureDrill]

I've had good luck with dropping a couple ice cubes in it just as it starts to foam up at the boil.

 

[ecancel]

You can always use more pot

 

[rico567]

I have a 30 qt. pot and it works fine- worked when I did extracts, works now that I do AG. I know, there are brewers that recoil in horror at the thought of boiling 6.5 gal. of wort in a 7.5 gal pot. Supposed to have all this room for boilovers.....but if you're not doing something about the boilovers, even a 10 gallon pot won't prevent it. I made the jump to AG after reading up in this forum, and 10 drops of Fermcap-S in 6.5 gallons of wort = no foam.....no kidding.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Do I need more pot?

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