pot size

[mbeattie]

I have been using a 20 quart enamel pot. So I have been unable to do a boil of the full volume. I am looking to upgrade to a pot that can do the full volume. Would you recommend going the whole 9 yards and getting like a 60 quart pot so that I might be able to do 10 gallon batches in the future? Is it possible to use a 60 quart pot doing maybe 5-6 gallon boils on a stove or do I need a propane burner for that?

 

[El Pistolero]

To answer your last question first...I found it very difficult to maintain a rolling boil with any more than three gallons on my kitchen range...I would think it would be near impossible boiling the 7 gallons or so that you need for a 5 gallon batch. Propane is really the only way to go for full wort boils.

As far as going the whole nine yards...might just as well, IMHO. I went for a keggle.

 

[Truble]

I think that with anything over 3 gal or so, it makes sense to get a propane burner. I do 3Gal boils in my 16qt pot, and it gets rolling in less than 1/2the time that it takes on the stove. I have already bought a keg, though, and am making a keggle, so my 16qt will be retiring soon.

El P- your avatar namesake, the infamous Don Knotts, has passed away.

 

[El Pistolero]

El P- your avatar namesake, the infamous Don Knotts, has passed away.

Yeah, a couple others have pointed that out to me, and now I don't know what to do. One part of me says I should keep the avatar for some extended period of time, in tribute, but a second part of me says no, get rid of that pic as quickly as possible. A third part says "it's just an avatar, what difference does it make", but I pay little attention to that third part, as it's clearly irrepairably sober.

I have already bought a keg, though, and am making a keggle, so my 16qt will be retiring soon.

Not retiring...just entering a second career as a chili pot.

 

[davy]

IMHO you should definitely upgrade to propane burner the cost is significantly less compared to electricity. I just made my third batch from the same propane tank last night and i still have propane in it. This is the same tank that I use for my grill also and have made many tasty meal. The biggest cost is buying the first tank $50 after that you can do an exchange for about $17. I would bet that I would spend more than $17 using an electric stove to boil 3 batches. Also all my batches were AG mash and sparge water all heated on propane burner.

Also if you bump up to bigger pot that can be very expensive up to $70 for anything good or more depending on material and size. However it is well worth it. Or get a used keg either way you should look into a ball valve assembly also.

 

[ajf]

The biggest cost is buying the first tank $50 after that you can do an exchange for about $17.

I dunno how much an empty tank cost, but $50 seems rather high.

Exchange cylinders locally, cost $18. Getting my own tank refilled only cost $12

-a.

 

[mbeattie]

Is it bad to do a smaller batch in a larger pot? Like 5 gallons in a 60 quart pot?

 

[Lounge Lizard]

I dunno how much an empty tank cost, but $50 seems rather high.

Exchange cylinders locally, cost $18. Getting my own tank refilled only cost $12

-a.

I didn't have an exchange, and got the tank for around 36 dollars from Academy Sports. It came filled with propane. Convenience stores and gas stations do want 50 dollars for the things here. No way was I going to pay that.

Like someone in another thread suggested, garage sales are good places to look for empty tanks that you can exchange.

 

[Lounge Lizard]

Is it bad to do a smaller batch in a larger pot? Like 5 gallons in a 60 quart pot?

I don't see why that wouldn't work. Lots of people do five gallon batches in 15.5 gallon sanke kegs. That's a 62 quart pot. They start off with like 7.5 gallons and boil down to 5 or 5 and a half.

 

[DAAB]

Most of the proteins that precipitate out of the wort are contained within the first few gallons of the run off. Boiling 3 gallons through the hot break with the required hop schedule and cooling as quickly as possible will still produce great beer, the remainder of the wort needs only top be boiled for 10 mins to steralise before adding to the fermenter. There will be little if any difference between a beer produced with that method than a beer thathas had a full boil.