Pot size..........

[Dodgertown]

Plan on starting to do all grain this summer. I'm going to pick up some used equipment today. I was curious the minimum pot size I would need for doing 10 gallon batches. Please advise. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Xalwine]

Well you'll end up with 10 gal of wort. For most beers you'll pull.... 12-14 gal and boil down so equating for boil over you probably don't want anything smaller than a 15 gal or 20 gal. search ebay for aluminum 80 qt pots and you can get one for about 75. Just to be safe.

 

[nefarious_1_]

Absolute mimimum: 15gal.

Ideal: 20gal.

 

[Dodgertown]

Really? That big?? Sheesh.

Hence the keg cutting...........

 

[OLDBREW]

Absolute mimimum: 15gal.

Ideal: 20gal.

+1

if you can get a 20 gal cheap that would be the way to go

 

[wolfman_48442]

+1

if you can get a 20 gal cheap that would be the way to go

+2

The more wort you want to make, the bigger pot you need. The bigger pot normally has a larger diameter, so you're going to boil off more water, etc...
Batch size * 2 is the ideal, as mentioned above.

 

[samc]

Assuming you are not doing big beers you can get away with 15 gallon kettle. I do mostly 11 gallon batches when using keggles and am almost filled to the top, which requires babysitting the kettle and initially keeping the boil slow until some boils off.

As above - 20 gallons makes things much easier.

 

[howabouttheiris]

search ebay for aluminum 40 qt pots .

Think you mean 80 qts.

 

[Xalwine]

Think you mean 80 qts.

Do'h! my maths are not up to par this morning.

 

[Dodgertown]

It's cool, I went to art school anyway, my math sucks, I would have never noticed.

 

[Dodgertown]

Whatcha think of this jammy? Good deal?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...akeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

 

[Xalwine]

wow. that is awesome! I may need to get another... May want to ask for a pic of the handles. make sure they are on there sturdy enough. and maybe a pic of the thickness. or if you order one, grab a caliper and check it for us!

 

[Dodgertown]

I just bought it, $65 shipped. How do you beat that? And it has the strainer and lid.

Maybe I can sell the strainer on eBay.................

 

[Xalwine]

I just bought it, $65 shipped. How do you beat that? And it has the strainer and lid.

Maybe I can sell the strainer on eBay.................

I'd keep the strainer, in case you want to have any larger infusions, peppers, fruit, in the boil. or sell it, you could make some of your money back.

 

[Dodgertown]

Wait a second.....should I have bought 2?

 

[RyanDe680]

OMG, aluminum.

Careful, you'll soon forget what you were doing once you drink the beer from that pot....








I kid, I kid

 

[Dodgertown]

wait.....what?

 

[CidahMastah]

+1 on the 80-100 quarts - don't go smaller.

This will allow you to brew 10 G batches in the future as well. Likely you will end up going from 80qt to 100qt.

I have:
60qt HLT/BK; 60qt Mashtun

Now I am looking for a 100qt dedicated BK, because right now my HLT and BK are the same pot.

oop - just saw you bought.

Great price and great choice!

 

[Dodgertown]

Is there something wrong with aluminum?

 

[CidahMastah]

wait.....what?

just be sure to season the aluminum pot by boiling 60 minutes the first time you use it. Don't clean it with an abrasive pad (steel wool),etc. Aluminum pots work fin but need a little more gentle care than stainless. *I think* you have to be careful with PBW in aluminum too.

 

[brandonhagen1]

dont worry about it alum is fine just build up the oxidation, boil water in it until it turns a darker color on the inside

 

[CidahMastah]

Is there something wrong with aluminum?

Take a read through this for back story:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Is_aluminum_safe_for_brewing?

that said, I went for stainless for some of the feature stainless has that I previously mentioned. My first brew pot was a 23qt aluminum pressure cooker - made great brew.

The wiki is somewhat slanted towards aluminum, but just the same both pots are great for homebrew

 

[Dodgertown]

Sweet, good reads..........

What do you have?

 

[63belair]

Let us all know how the pot is when it arrives!

 

[CidahMastah]

Sweet, good reads..........

What do you have?

I went with an 60 quart stainless Megapot (with an electric element) for my BK/HLT. My buddy bought a 60qt stainless Blingman MT. I wasn't going to fight him on that one

I really wish I had gone 80qt for both. I plan on buying a 100qt megapot dedicated BK soon because the 60 quarts is just cutting it too close on my 10G batches. I can easily get a boil over, especially on my 90 minute boils.

You will be very happy with 80qt, and you will be able to grow into it.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_463&products_id=10463 is the one I am eyeballing

If you start doing 10G bataches I highly recc making a 50 foot 1/2 inch copper immersion chiller. I have one and it chills 11g of brew down to 65 in about 12 minutes!

 

[Vance71975]

Absolute mimimum: 15gal.

Ideal: 20gal.

+1 i have a 20g pot that is used for 5g batches and i wouldn't want anything smaller!