i need a SS brew pot

deepsouth · April 2009

i'm looking for a stainless steel pot to brew beer in. i'd like it to be at least a 5 gallon capicity.

anyone know where i can get a good deal on one?

thanks in advance.

peace
j

AZRP · April 2009

If you are going to do 5 gallon batches get at least a ten gallon pot. At the beginning of the boil there is what's known as the hop break where you get a serious boil over foaming that can make a serious mess. I found out the hard way. :( -RP

fishlessman · April 2009

this one looks pretty cheap but i would look for a better one with a basket to do boils in as well.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/kettles.html

deepsouth · April 2009

AZRP wrote:

If you are going to do 5 gallon batches get at least a ten gallon pot. At the beginning of the boil there is what's known as the hop break where you get a serious boil over foaming that can make a serious mess. I found out the hard way. :( -RP

i'll be brewing extract indoors. is it possible to do a full wort boil indoors on a regular gas stove?

i was thinking more like a 2 1/2 gallon boil in a 5 gallon pot.

deepsouth · April 2009

fishlessman wrote:

this one looks pretty cheap but i would look for a better one with a basket to do boils in as well.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/kettles.html

i saw that one. i was wondering if it would be sturdy enough given the price.

fishlessman · April 2009

best to brew outdoors, i remember the first batch in moms kitchen. :laugh: i thought it smelled nice for the next week or so. another alternative thats cheaper is aluminum pots. no problems brewing with aluminum

fishlessman · April 2009

for what your doing it will be fine, brewing is as simple as cooking a porkbutt, just pay close attention to cleanlyness

AZRP · April 2009

My first batch was on the kitchen stove and that was the last time I brewed indoors. I use a turkey fryer burner out in the garage, wasn't worth the week of cleaning up the boiled over wort from the stove. 2 1/2 gallons isn't much beer, if you're going to go through the whole long process, go for 5 gallons. -RP

deepsouth · April 2009

it's my understanding that you do a partial wort boil and then add to water in the carboy (oversimplfying it, i know)... thus the smaller pot to make a 5 gallon batch.

at the present time, i'm really not set up to brew outdoors and i'm pretty sure i can keep the smell to a miniumum with proper ventilation and air flow, hopefully.

AZRP · April 2009

You can do it either way, but to do a full boil you really need a chiller. I used to boil 2 gallons and have 3 gallons of water in the freezer just beginning to form ice, when the wort was done boiling I could mix in the ice cold water and pitch the yeast right away. -RP

deepsouth · April 2009

AZRP wrote:

You can do it either way, but to do a full boil you really need a chiller. I used to boil 2 gallons and have 3 gallons of water in the freezer just beginning to form ice, when the wort was done boiling I could mix in the ice cold water and pitch the yeast right away. -RP

right... i don't plan on using a chiller for the time being. i have an 18 inch deep kitchen sink, so i was just going to put the partial wort into an ice bath for about ten minutes...

here is my plan (i got from a brewing buddy of mine)......

Use bottled spring water. Buy 5 one gallon jugs. Buy 2 bags of ice. Put 3 of the gallons of water into the refrigerator so that they will be cold by the end of the brew day.

Bring 2 gallons of water to 170 degrees.
Turn off burner.
Add specialty grains in muslin bag (tie it loose).
Let the grains steep for about 30 minutes.
Remove grains - let drain into the pot, but do not squeeze the bag.
Turn on burner. Bring to a boil.
Turn off burner.
Add Malt Extract - Stirring to keep it from sticking to the bottom.
Bring to a boil. (Now you have wort).
Add hops at appropriate times.

At end of boil, cover pot with sanitized lid and place pot into an icebath in the sink.
Add 1/2 gallon of the cold water directly into the wort – while it is in the sink..
From this point on, everything that touches the wort needs to be sanitized.
Leave in ice bath for 10 minutes.

Add 1 gallon of cold water into the fermentor.
Add the wort on top of this water (it will have been cooling for 10 minutes).

Fill to the 5 gallon mark with the remaining cold water.
You should be right at your target temps.

Add yeast to the fermentor when temperature is below 75 degrees.

I’m assuming you are using a bucket. At this point, seal the bucket and add the airlock. Be careful not to push the O-ring down into the bucket. Fill the airlock with bottled water or vodka (preferred).

Hints.
Shake the cold water as you pour it - this will introduce oxygen. Do not shake any hot water!

When you transfer the wort into the fermentor, strain it through a mesh strainer. This may take some time and manipulation.

Watch the pot as the wort nears boil. Boilovers are no fun. Simply lift the pot as it is about to overflow and it will immediately subside. This is called a hotbreak and is a good thing, but you'll need to watch it. (It may tend to happen more when hops are added).

When using liquid malt extract (LME), place the unopened container into a sink of hot water about 15 minutes before it needs to be poured. This will make it easier to pour.

Do not use chlorine as a sanitizer!

deepsouth · April 2009

i have a refrigerator in the garage that i have bought a temperature kit from the brew store to ferment at the specific desired temperature. i figure that sanitization and temp are the two most important things.

AZRP · April 2009

Just be ready with pot holders or gloves to get it off the burner if it looks like its going to boil over, just turning off the burner won't cut it, good luck. -RP

deepsouth · April 2009

AZRP wrote:

Just be ready with pot holders or gloves to get it off the burner if it looks like its going to boil over, just turning off the burner won't cut it, good luck. -RP

can a thremapen be steralized in a manner that i can use it to check my temps in my brew pot?

AZRP · April 2009

Sure, just dunk the probe into your sanitizer. -RP

deepsouth · April 2009

AZRP wrote:

Sure, just dunk the probe into your sanitizer. -RP

very nice. i wasn't sure if the tip would hold in the fats from the meats.

Unknown · April 2009

It has been a while since I brewed, but if I remember correctly you want to steep the grains @ 155 degrees otherwise they get bitter.
Wayne

gtalvola · April 2009

i'll be brewing extract indoors. is it possible to do a full wort boil indoors on a regular gas stove?

Yes, just split the wort into two pots. I've done many full wort boils this way.

You do need a chiller of some kind, like a copper coil that you can run cold water through.

fiver29 · April 2009

I usually buy 1 gallon jugs of distilled water. I pour 2 gallons in the brewpot. Reason to use distilled water is because you when you dissolve your extract if you use tap it would be like adding brewing salts to your wort. Minerals are already there from the extract. Sometimes Spring Water has minerals, too. They may be unwanted in your finished product.

I like to add only 1/3 of the malt extract for the boil. Its easy to burn or scorch your malt on the stovetop. I can monitor the boil better with less and prevent burning the extract that way. I add the other 2/3 at the end. If you do that you have to take into account the gravity of your boil for your hop additions.

Here are a couple sites I have found in the past for pots. You have to use stainless steel. Don't use aluminum. I also use recipator to figure out my hop additions using less extract in the boil.

Good luck and have fun!

http://hbd.org/recipator/

http://www.ablekitchen.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=WI-SST-40

http://www.kitchenfantasy.com/shopping_cart/stockpots.html

deepsouth · April 2009

fiver29 wrote:

I usually buy 1 gallon jugs of distilled water. I pour 2 gallons in the brewpot. Reason to use distilled water is because you when you dissolve your extract if you use tap it would be like adding brewing salts to your wort. Minerals are already there from the extract. Sometimes Spring Water has minerals, too. They may be unwanted in your finished product.

I like to add only 1/3 of the malt extract for the boil. Its easy to burn or scorch your malt on the stovetop. I can monitor the boil better with less and prevent burning the extract that way. I add the other 2/3 at the end. If you do that you have to take into account the gravity of your boil for your hop additions.

Here are a couple sites I have found in the past for pots. You have to use stainless steel. Don't use aluminum. I also use recipator to figure out my hop additions using less extract in the boil.

Good luck and have fun!

http://hbd.org/recipator/

http://www.ablekitchen.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=WI-SST-40

http://www.kitchenfantasy.com/shopping_cart/stockpots.html

that first link is full of WIN and AWESOME

PineyWoodsBrewer · April 2009

The Mega Pots are the very best going. I have a 15 gallon one with the temp probe and drain valve.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/kettles.html

deepsouth · April 2009

PineyWoodsBrewer wrote:

The Mega Pots are the very best going. I have a 15 gallon one with the temp probe and drain valve.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/kettles.html

i saw those. do you have to use the false bottom? what does the false bottom do?

fiver29 · April 2009

You use that if doing all grain. You don't need that if you are extract brewing.

deepsouth · April 2009

fiver29 wrote:

You use that if doing all grain. You don't need that if you are extract brewing.

i think that megapot may be too big to brew indoors as well. i looked at my gas stove and i think the diameter is too wide. dunno. i guess i'll scale back a bit.

fiver29 · April 2009

Yeah, that's the problem with extract brewing. The bigger the pot and more liquid you have the greater chance you won't get it to boil. That's why you have to have a burner outside for all grain. You can't get the volume to boil on a stovetop.

For extract brewing less is more.

deepsouth · April 2009

fiver29 wrote:

Yeah, that's the problem with extract brewing. The bigger the pot and more liquid you have the greater chance you won't get it to boil. That's why you have to have a burner outside for all grain. You can't get the volume to boil on a stovetop.

For extract brewing less is more.

my only concern with brewing such a small amount of wort is getting the proper amount of hops in the beer. i've read alot about the dilution process and it pretty much kills your ibu's on hoppy beers from what i have gathered in my reading.

just got my papazian book in today. reviewing it now. next up john palmer's book. got it today as well.

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead · April 2009

I’ll give that I may be missing something here, but….
I have been brewing since the mid 70’s and I have never used a brew pot larger than 12 qts.
Every recipe (I make 5 gal. batches for my Cornelius kegs) I have starts with only about 1 gal. of water. I use malt extracts and whole / cracked grains and even when sparging my 12 qt. is plenty big.
Sooo…Is there an advantage to boiling a 5 gal. (larger or smaller) batch of wort as opposed to topping the boiled wort with water when I put it into primary?
I have always had excellent brews!

deepsouth · April 2009

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead wrote:

I’ll give that I may be missing something here, but….
I have been brewing since the mid 70’s and I have never used a brew pot larger than 12 qts.
Every recipe (I make 5 gal. batches for my Cornelius kegs) I have starts with only about 1 gal. of water. I use malt extracts and whole / cracked grains and even when sparging my 12 qt. is plenty big.
Sooo…Is there an advantage to boiling a 5 gal. (larger or smaller) batch of wort as opposed to topping the boiled wort with water when I put it into primary?
I have always had excellent brews!

in the hop lover's guide of brew your own magazine this month there was an article about brewing with hops in extract brews....

http://www.byo.com/store?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=98&category_id=19

the solubility of isomerized alpha acids varies with wort density - the denser the wort, the less alpha acids will disolve into it.

the dilution factor. the water added dilutes not only the sugars, but also the hops.

the magazine recommends more water in the boil and also even recommends keeping boiling water on the side to add to the wort every ten minutes to replace the water lost through evaporation.

much more info in the article....

fishlessman · April 2009

which style brew are you going to start with, if your starting with ales or stouts they are alot more forgiving and the procedures are more simple than if your jumping right in with the cleaner lagers. keep things simple for the first few batches. my first batch was toad spit stout, involved enough and pretty foolproof, recipe is on the web

fiver29 · April 2009

Lets see. When it comes to volume of the boil I will do 2 gallons for extract brewing. When you add the extract it pushes it up to 2.5 to 3 gallons for your boil. So I agree. 1 to 2 gallons to start is more than enough.

You are right. The higher the specific gravity of the boil the less alpha acids get released during the boil. That's why I posted the link to the Recipator web site. You can put in you are boiling 2.5 gallons with just 3 lbs of extract. Or whatever you are using. Plug in your hop additions and what time. The recipator will figure out what your IBU and ABV will be. You will have a difference if you boil 3 lbs versus 9 lbs.

For example, if I'm looking to get a 50 IBU and I'm only boiling 3 lbs of extract I may need 2 oz of said hop. 9 lbs of extract and I'll need 5 oz. Both ways get me 50 IBU. I prefer to boil 3 lbs. for several reasons. 1. I use less hops in the boil and it saves me money. 2. Burning the wort on the stovetop is reduced with less sugar in my wort.

This is how I have brewed with extracts for years with great results. I have even boiled in water only and added the malt extract after the boil once. The brew was ok. It lacked boiling with the malt. You have to boil with some malt because there is a reaction that takes place that you don't get otherwise.

However you do it I'm sure it will be great!

deepsouth · April 2009

fishlessman wrote:

which style brew are you going to start with, if your starting with ales or stouts they are alot more forgiving and the procedures are more simple than if your jumping right in with the cleaner lagers. keep things simple for the first few batches. my first batch was toad spit stout, involved enough and pretty foolproof, recipe is on the web

my buddy who has been homebrewing for about 17 years gave me a gabf winning recipe of a scotch ale that has been converted for extract brewing. i actually don't have the recipe in front of me.

for my second beer, i'm going to try an ipa or a dipa.

after that, who knows.

i need a SS brew pot

Comments

Categories