Thinking of going to AG; a few questions

[TheJadedDog]

Just a few quick questions about switching to AG.

I do not really have access to an outdoor area for brewing so I am limited to my kitchen. My biggest question is this: can a regular gas stove handle a full boil? (Also, what's the smallest pot size I can get away with?)

My other concern is around how much I really need to know about mash pH and the like. Any advice on what the minimum amount of chemistry knowledge might be?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

[jezter6]

I don't give a crap about chemistry, and my beers turn out fine. If you look to brew exactly to style, you may want to.

To do a 5 gallon full boil, you need to handle about 6-6.5 gallons of wort without boilover. So you'd really need at least a 8 gallon pot. I know my electric can't handle a full boil, I don't know about gas, but it probably will be able to.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

I just started AG, I have two batches over 2 weeks in the fermenters and the smaples are tasting great. I have not got my turkey fryer in the mail yet, so I have boild my wort in 3 batches of 2.25 gallons. I split my hops up 3 ways and this has worked fine. Also, never checked my ph before, and my beer still seems to taste great.

Its not as hard as some folks want to make it. Just do it with what you have, and most likely you will really enjoy it.

 

[BierMuncher]

Agree with Seefresh.

No chemistry needed. Split your wort into your two largest pots and do a full boil (in two halves) that way.

Cool and then remix them back into your fermentor. Make sure to COOL them first. You don't want a lot of aeration in your hot wort.

 

[the_bird]

Get some 5.2PH Buffer. Big tub for $8 or $10. Add some to the mash, no other worries if you're batch sparging.

 

[joshpooh]

Two split boils is the way to go in my opinion, I do AG this way on a gas stove so I know it can handle it. It might be able to handle one big boil because I never leave the gas all the way on high to get the desired boil, but I doubt it could handle a full boil in one pot I wouldn't risk it. Your pots should have at least a 4 gallon capacity though because it is good to start with 6 gallons to end up with something close to 5. Meaning Two 3 gallon boils and just split hops right down the middle. I just weigh out what to put in the whole batch at each point in the boil and eyeball what goes in each pot and it has worked well, but you could measure exact for each pot if it makes you feel better. A full boil will really steam up your house so if you don't like the smell beware, but I can't imagine not liking the smell of beer brewing.

 

[tdavisii]

Turkey fryer at wally world for 37 bucks with a 30qt kettle. easy as pie!!!

 

[TheJadedDog]

Thanks for the advice guys, think I'll be trying this sooner rather than later.

 

[BierMuncher]

Thanks for the advice guys, think I'll be trying this sooner rather than later.

All it will cost you is a few pics of your success. Oh...and a home brew.

 

[EdWort]

I do everything inside except the boil & chill. You just need a spot near the front door or back deck. A turkey fryer with a 7 or 8 gallon pot will make a big difference.