Extra wort

[Abrayton]

I’ve been brewing for about six years and had my system dialed in almost perfectly. A few months ago I bought a new brew kettle (SS Brewtech 15 gal) and I’ve been ending up with an extra gallon of wort after each brewing session. I still use my old kettle for measuring mash and sparge water, so that part should be consistent, but according to the new kettle I’m ending up with a gallon or more extra post sparge and to much to fit into my fermenter post boil. Thoughts?

 

[RM-MN]

I’m ending up with a gallon or more extra post sparge and to much to fit into my fermenter post boil. Thoughts?

You need a bigger fermenter.

You may not be boiling off as much with the new pot. I think that is the only way to end up with more wort than you anticipate.

 

[Abrayton]

I do need a bigger fermenter! The perplexing part is the extra wort pre boil. I’ll recalculate boil off next batch and see where I end up.

 

[VikeMan]

I’ve been brewing for about six years and had my system dialed in almost perfectly. A few months ago I bought a new brew kettle (SS Brewtech 15 gal) and I’ve been ending up with an extra gallon of wort after each brewing session. I still use my old kettle for measuring mash and sparge water, so that part should be consistent, but according to the new kettle I’m ending up with a gallon or more extra post sparge and to much to fit into my fermenter post boil. Thoughts?

Did your old kettle have a deadspace that the new kettle doesn't?
Does the new kettle have a taller profile than the old?

I do need a bigger fermenter! The perplexing part is the extra wort pre boil.

You mean post-boil, right?

 

[Abrayton]

No extra dead space in the new kettle comparatively but it is taller and wider (15 g compared to 10 g) I did mean both pre boil and post boil. Today expect pre boil volume 7.5 gal and I hit 8.5 gal. Extra gallon post boil makes sense with those #’s. I’ll just have to figure this new kettle out I guess...

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

are you using a tried and true recipe?
edit, also is everything else the same. mash tun?

 

[VikeMan]

No extra dead space in the new kettle comparatively but it is taller and wider (15 g compared to 10 g) I did mean both pre boil and post boil. Today expect pre boil volume 7.5 gal and I hit 8.5 gal. Extra gallon post boil makes sense with those #’s. I’ll just have to figure this new kettle out I guess...

Ok... If your pre-boil volume is off by the same amount as post boil volume is off, it has nothing to do with the new kettle, unless you are using the new kettle to do something volume related pre-boil.

 

[Abrayton]

Ok... If your pre-boil volume is off by the same amount as post boil volume is off, it has nothing to do with the new kettle, unless you are using the new kettle to do something volume related pre-boil.

thats exactly what’s confusing about it. I’m using my old equipment to measure, so that variable hasn’t changed.

 

[VikeMan]

thats exactly what’s confusing about it. I’m using my old equipment to measure, so that variable hasn’t changed.

For your water volumes, are you using any brewing software that has your equipment and process dialed in? Or are you applying rules of thumb that seemed to work before but don't anymore (perhaps with different batch sizes and/or grain bill sizes)?

 

[catdaddy66]

I intentionally calculate to get an extra half gallon or so of wort, specifically the sparge. This gives me raw wort that I can boil down and use for my yeast starters. Sometimes my calculations are off but no worries...

 

[Joshua Hughes]

I intentionally calculate to get an extra half gallon or so of wort, specifically the sparge. This gives me raw wort that I can boil down and use for my yeast starters. Sometimes my calculations are off but no worries...

Not attempting to hijack; you save it then when needed you boil to make a starter?

 

[Abrayton]

I think I actually figured it out. My old kettle was 1/2 gallon heavy compared to the more accurate 15 gallon SS Brewtech kettle I recently upgraded to, hence the extra preboil volume. Boil off rate is also lower with the Brewtech kettle, so more wort post boil.