Boil over- Kettle size

I’m pricing out kettles and burners to upgrade from my current demented all grain kitchen setup. I don’t want to get the smallest kettle because the prices aren’t too much different but I don’t see my self ever wanting to do 10 gallon batches, I’m used to brewing 3-4 gallons and enjoy brewing and having a variety of beers.

Would there be any issues with doing a 5 gallon batch in a 10 gallon kettle?

If I got a ten gallon kettle what’s the biggest batch I could do? I think 8 gallons would be a good max size for me because I have several 5 gallon carboys and a lot of recipes for 4 gallons

I use an 8 gallon kettle for five gallon full boils, and if I had it to do over again, I would buy a 10 gallon kettle. I typically start out with around 6 1/2 gallons, which doesn’t leave a lot of room. As a result, I have to be pretty careful during the hot break to avoid boilovers. I would think you might get away with a ten gallon kettle for 8 gallon batches, but you would have to be careful in order to avoid boilover issues like I have. Also, I don’t think you would have any problem using a 10 gallon kettle for a five gallon batch. In fact, I am considering upgrading to a 10 gallon kettle for my five gallon batches.

I use a 10 gallon kettle and do 5G brew in a bag batches, and LOVE it. Sometimes I will do 6 gallon batches to wind up with a full 5 gallons in the keg.

Don’t skimp on the burner. Blichmann. I don’t love all of their products, but I love the floor burner. A lot.

Being able to jump up to 5 gallons easily might be a good thing if your situation changes and you can’t brew as frequently.

+1 for the 10 gallon. If you want to do a 90 minute boil, you will most likely need to start with close to 8 gallons of wort to compensate for boiloff which just wont work in an 8 gallon kettle.

I also strongly advocate the Blichmann floor burner. Be sure to get the leg extensions though or else you won’t be able to drain your kettle from the valve without a pump cause it’s just not high enough without the leg extensions.

[quote=“beerme11”]If I got a ten gallon kettle what’s the biggest batch I could do? I think 8 gallons would be a good max size for me because I have several 5 gallon carboys and a lot of recipes for 4 gallons
[/quote] If you do 3-4 gallon batches and want to do double batches I think a 10 gallon pot would be pushing it. I do 5.5 gallon batches in a 15 gallon pot with ~7.25 pre-boil volume and have had near boil overs on several occasions. If I were to try a double batch with my 15 gallon pot I’d have to start out with nearly 13 gallons, that’s too tight for me, I break out my 30 gallon pot for those.

[quote=“mattnaik”]+1 for the 10 gallon. If you want to do a 90 minute boil, you will most likely need to start with close to 8 gallons of wort to compensate for boiloff which just wont work in an 8 gallon kettle.

I also strongly advocate the Blichmann floor burner. Be sure to get the leg extensions though or else you won’t be able to drain your kettle from the valve without a pump cause it’s just not high enough without the leg extensions.[/quote]
+1 for the 90 minute boil issue.

I did a 120 minute boil for a 5 gallon Wee Heavy a while back, which would have been impossible in anything less than a 10 gallon kettle.

I have a 10gal tall boy kettle and have been very happy with it doing 5-6 gal batches. My brother has the 15gal. We only ever pull that out when were doing a big beer 1.100 or bigger due to the amount we generally need to boil off. I think you’d be very happy with a 10gal. An 8gal likely wont be enough.
If the made a 12gal, I think that would be perfect but the 15 is overkill.

Do not go under a 10 gallon. I have a 10 gallon pot and wish I had a 15 to be honest so I Could do ten gallon batches. (Not much more work and more product for brew days.) I’ll also mirror what others have stated about 90 minute boils and God help your soul if you do that when its 0 degrees outside. I had a 90 minute boil, started with 9 gallons and ended up with 4. Just get the 10 gallon pot. Bigger if you can because boil overs are a pain and you get them in a 10 gallon pot even boiling 6 gallons of wort depending on what it is your brewing…

My system is supposed to be 20 gallon. With 25 gallon pots the best I can hope for is about an 18 gallon yield. The next kettle size up would be getting a little tough to handle and very expensive so I will live with it.

Before going that big I did 10 gallons. I strongly recommend 15.5 gallon converted kegs, obtained legally of course. They are inexpensive, tough and it is hard to boil over a ten gallon batch. Doing a five in it is no problem of course.

That is worth pointing out: there is no problem with using an oversized kettle. The only down side to it is the added expense and that they take up more space to store.

Last Sunday I did a 9-gal boil in a 10-gal kettle and with thermal expansion the wort was about a half-inch below the lip. I used FermCap and a careful eye to keep it from boiling over - a bit nerve-wracking but I wanted 8.5 gallons and didn’t want to set up the 24-gallon kettle.

[quote=“HD4Mark”]My system is supposed to be 20 gallon. With 25 gallon pots the best I can hope for is about an 18 gallon yield. The next kettle size up would be getting a little tough to handle and very expensive so I will live with it.

Before going that big I did 10 gallons. I strongly recommend 15.5 gallon converted kegs, obtained legally of course. They are inexpensive, tough and it is hard to boil over a ten gallon batch. Doing a five in it is no problem of course.[/quote]I Agree I use a keg for my 5 and10 g :cheers: allon batches with very little trouble…best investment I ever made.