Brew Pot Size

Hi Gang:

I just saw a post on Facebook for Home Brewing Blog (http://www.homebrewingblog.com/) which said: "If your not doing a full batch boil you're missing out! Boiling all of your wort will greatly benefit your beer. Switching to a 7-10 gallon pot and an outdoor burner is a great next step for any homebrewer."

My question is: What difference does it make? I use a 3 gallon brew pot, would it make any difference if I 'upgraded' to a 5 gallon brew pot? If so, why?

Thanks,
Otis

Heavily depends on your batch size. If your doing 3 gallon batches, you could do a full boil in a 5 gallon pot. If your doing 5 gallon batches then a 5 gallon kettle eouldnt really get you anywhere as you would still need to top off

Guess I should have given more data. I, so far, make 5 gallon batches. I brew 3 gallons and top off to 5 gallons in a 6.5 gallon fermenter. The initial post suggested that a 5 gallon boil would be better. I was just seeking whether it makes a difference.

swackattack said:

Heavily depends on your batch size. If your doing 3 gallon batches, you could do a full boil in a 5 gallon pot. If your doing 5 gallon batches then a 5 gallon kettle eouldnt really get you anywhere as you would still need to top off

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I agree. I started with 5 gallon extract kits in a 5 gallon pot. So I was boiling 2.5 - 3 gallons and topping up. I still had to watch for boil overs. I then did the 7.5 gallon turkey fryer route. Starting with almost 7 gallons in the pot made the start of the boil very exciting. I boiled over almost every time. I now use a 10 gallon pot with 7 gallons for a 5 gallon batch and still have experienced boil overs.

So pot size does two things. 1) bigger allows for larger batches. 2) bigger lessens risk of messy boil overs.

If your question is: "why boil the full volume, rather than making a concentrated wort and topping off," I believe the answer is that a) you'll get better utilization of your hops, and b) you should get better flavor overall from your malt.

ong said:

If your question is: "why boil the full volume, rather than making a concentrated wort and topping off," I believe the answer is that a) you'll get better utilization of your hops, and b) you should get better flavor overall from your malt.

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So, by your post, when 'topping off' it dilutes the flavor. Is that correct?

I've read that doing partial boils for extract can affect the flavor since you are boiling a concentrated wort, which leads to more scorching, etc, when compared to full boil volume with the same amount of extract.

For a 5 gallon batch, a 10 gallon kettle is definitely ideal. I currently use a 7.5 gallon pot and boil 6.5 gallons down to 5, but I have to watch it like a hawk to prevent boil overs.

hunter_la5 said:

I've read that doing partial boils for extract can affect the flavor since you are boiling a concentrated wort, which leads to more scorching, etc, when compared to full boil volume with the same amount of extract.

For a 5 gallon batch, a 10 gallon kettle is definitely ideal. I currently use a 7.5 gallon pot and boil 6.5 gallons down to 5, but I have to watch it like a hawk to prevent boil overs.

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Thanks. I didn't want to go thru the expense of purchasing, nor, the problem of location, if it would not improve my brew. Guess I will do some price hunting and then figure out the brew location issue.

OtisLamb said:

Thanks. I didn't want to go thru the expense of purchasing, nor, the problem of location, if it would not improve my brew. Guess I will do some price hunting and then figure out the brew location issue.

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If you do make the jump go with a 15gal pot so you'll only be upgrading once... also having a spigot on it makes transferring a breeze, also a chiller would definitely be needed trying to ice bath 5gal is no fun

stvo said:

If you do make the jump go with a 15gal pot so you'll only be upgrading once... also having a spigot on it makes transferring a breeze, also a chiller would definitely be needed trying to ice bath 5gal is no fun

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Yes, a wort chiller will be required. Thanks, I had forgotten that one little item.

OtisLamb said:

So, by your post, when 'topping off' it dilutes the flavor. Is that correct?

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When brewing a partial boil kit that requires topping off dilution of the flavor is not quite accurate. You just get better and more predictable results with a full boil. The hop addition amounts and timing will change some.

With a bigger pot you don't need to boil a second time to sanitize your top off water( you are doing this right?) It helps drive off contaminates in the water like chlorine if your on city water.

It helps hop utilization as stated before.

It lets the hot and cold break form and drop as they should.

It lets you expand your brewing into all grain BIAB(brew in a bag) if you want to.

It helps eliminate scorching and caramelizing.

And the best reason.....Big shiny pots look cool!

I started off with a 5 gallon brew pot and did extract/partial mashes... My brews taste much better after I went to an 11 gallon brew pot and cooler mash tun. If you are only doing partial mash/extract brews, then I wouldn't spend the money to upgrade from a 3 gallon to a 5 gallon. Save your money and upgrade to a 8 gallon or larger kettle, then start doing full boil brews. Even if you are still doing extract or partial mash, you will see better results. Plus you can start doing Brew In A Bag (closest thing to All Grain, without the added equipment).

Mouse

Just an update, I have upgraded to a 10 gal/40 qt pot and it was the correct move. Thanks for the input.

Good topic.

I have a 15 gallon pot I brew in (20$ off craigslist).

I haven't even experienced a boil over before.


How much does the flavor deviate from different hop usage and malt scorching when doing partial boils?