Doing full boil, how much water for boil off.

[Mike-H]

Sorry guys, its been a while since i've done this. My recipe calls for 5.25 gallons of wort. I am doing a full biol in a turkey fryer outside with the temp being about 55 degrees. The recipe includes 7 lbs extract + 1lb light DME. I will of course boil with the lid off during the full 60 minute boil. Any guesses on what my starting water should be? I used to have this down but have forgotten so much! I'm thinking 6 gallons?

 

[Joker]

Typical boil off is 1 to 1.5 gallons

 

[Mike-H]

Typical boil off is 1 to 1.5 gallons

Ok, does that take into consideration the 7lb's extract & 1lb DME (which if I remember equals 3/4 gallon)?

 

[Joker]

I never made adjustments for what I was going to be adding to the boil. I would just fill up to 6 gallons with a little extra and call it good.

 

[rocketman768]

You just have to get close, so figure 1 gallon for evaporation loss. Have another gallon of water boiling on your stove by flameout. You can add this water to the wort at flameout before you hit it with the chiller if you boiled off more than the 1 gallon you accounted for.

 

[Gussymo]

It depends on your pot and how vigorous your boil is. A tall skinny pot will boil off less than a short fat pot. I use a 10 gallon megapot and routinely boil off more than 2 gallons.

 

[bull8042]

I boil off about 1.5g per hour in a keggle. If I crank the heat, I can get 2 gallons out of there in a hour if need be.

 

[keelanfish]

During my typical 60 minute boil I boil off around 2 gallons, but I have a short and wide pot with a diameter of 18". A typical turkey fryer has a much smaller diameter, so on this first batch if I were you, I'd assume a boil off of 1 gallon and shoot for a starting volume of 6.25 gallons. Check at 30 minutes into the boil and see where you are. If you assumed you are going to boil off 1 gallon in 60 minutes, then at 30 minutes you should have boiled off 1/2 gallon, if you have boiled off more than that, make adjustments like turning your flame down a little or even topping off with a little water. Remember, you can stay on your hop schedule and add water, but you can't stay on the hop schedule and boil longer.

Once you've done it a few times this won't be an issue. I know temperature, humidity, intensity of boil and the wort composition all have an effect, but I stick with 2 gallons at this point and don't have problems anymore. Good luck!

 

[Boondoggie]

Ok, does that take into consideration the 7lb's extract & 1lb DME (which if I remember equals 3/4 gallon)?

No. I made that mistake once... added an extra 1.5gal, and then another .75 of LME.... yeah that was like a 90min boil to get it down.

 

[Grinder12000]

My last 2 full boils it was about 1 gallon but this includes 3-4 pounds of LME so that that into account.

 

[Mike-H]

During my typical 60 minute boil I boil off around 2 gallons, but I have a short and wide pot with a diameter of 18". A typical turkey fryer has a much smaller diameter, so on this first batch if I were you, I'd assume a boil off of 1 gallon and shoot for a starting volume of 6.25 gallons. Check at 30 minutes into the boil and see where you are. If you assumed you are going to boil off 1 gallon in 60 minutes, then at 30 minutes you should have boiled off 1/2 gallon, if you have boiled off more than that, make adjustments like turning your flame down a little or even topping off with a little water. Remember, you can stay on your hop schedule and add water, but you can't stay on the hop scnkshedule and boil longer.

Once you've done it a few times this won't be an issue. I know temperature, humidity, intensity of boil and the wort composition all have an effect, but I stick with 2 gallons at this point and don't have problems anymore. Good luck!

This would have been perfect except I already brewed I used 6 gallons and was 1/4 gallon short so I boiled it and added after. Gravity was spot on. Thanks all for the replies.