I brew 5 gallons in an 8 gallon pot, starting with somewhere around 6.5 gallons. I boil as vigorously as possible, so I watch it like a hawk. Then again, why wouldn’t I stand there and watch it? Do I really want to free myself up for other tasks, like folding laundry or washing a dog? You can’t hold a beer in those situations.
I have a 15 gallon stainless pot with a stainless ball valve, for full 5 gallon boils we start with 6 gallons of water and usually end up with 5 gallons of wort (extract brews) so far this has worked great!
I see your point, however I’d rather not stand around watching for a boilover. Instead of doing laundry or washing a dog I’m better served dumping and cleaning my mash tun and setting up the post-boil equipment while the boil gets going.
I’ve spent a lot of money upgrading boilers and I wish I’d bought the 15 gallon pot from the start, even for 5 gallon batches…
