Max batch size on a gas stove?

[tegan]

I'm not sure I'm ready to take the plunge to buying a propane burner for my first attempts at brewing. Assuming I can physically fit the kettle on my stove, how large of a batch could I make on a 17,000 BTU burner?

 

[ChelisHubby]

You won't know till you try, that is the real answer. Just because it it advertised as 17000 btu does not mean you have it at your pressure. I would buy the kettle and start putting water in it. this is assuming it will fit.

 

[Sadu]

I don't know how many BTUs my stove is but I have a fairly new gas stove with 4 burners.
It can do a 5 gallon brew if I position the kettle over 2 burners. This heats up in an acceptable timeframe but I wouldn't try a bigger batch size.
If your kettle is small and only covers one burner that would limit things further.

My understanding from reading around is that not everyone can do 5 gallons full boil on their kitchen stove. If you buy a 10 gallon kettle and you find the stove is no good for 5 gallons you can use the same kettle for a 3 gallon brew, no money wasted.

Some people also use an electric heat stick to supplement the stove power.

 

[catdaddy66]

Don't know about gas but my electric stove can boil 7 gal of wort in about 30-40 minutes with a mild to moderate boil.

17K btu would be pretty strong, I would think.

 

[MrBJones]

My stove has an 18,000 btu burner. Takes longer than I'd like to get five gallons to a boil, and I wouldn't mind it being a more vigorous boil...but it does the job. I don't think I'd ever try a larger batch with it.

But as has already been said, you won't know till you try.

 

[z-bob]

I do 4 gallon batches on a gas stove. (just over 4.5 gallons) It's a pretty anemic boil even on the high-output burner. An electric stove would probably do better because less heat is lost going up and around the sides of the pot.

I use an electric bucket to heat the mash water and sparge water. It will boil 4 gallons of water in just a few minutes; really speeds up the process.

 

[tegan]

Thanks for the advice! I have a 4 gallon pot, but it sounds like it would be worth a try to invest in a bigger one so I can follow 5 gallon recipes.

 

[z-bob]

Thanks for the advice! I have a 4 gallon pot, but it sounds like it would be worth a try to invest in a bigger one so I can follow 5 gallon recipes.

I would start with a 3 gallon recipe in your 4 gallon pot. (you can scale a 5 gallon recipe to fit) If your stove boils it with ease, then you can think about stepping up.