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Author Topic: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches  (Read 27898 times)

Offline BrewArk

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #15 on: October 02, 2012, 09:59:31 am »
Add some hops before the boil to avoid a boilover.  That is a good tip from Greg Noonan's Brewing Lager Beer. 

Has that worked for you?  I've FWH dozens, maybe hundreds, of batches and I've never seen it prevent a boilover.
Are you saying it always boils over when you FWH? ;)
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Offline denny

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #16 on: October 02, 2012, 10:01:24 am »
Add some hops before the boil to avoid a boilover.  That is a good tip from Greg Noonan's Brewing Lager Beer. 

Has that worked for you?  I've FWH dozens, maybe hundreds, of batches and I've never seen it prevent a boilover.
Are you saying it always boils over when you FWH? ;)

Guess it kinda sounded like that, huh?  :)  What I was trying to say is that it doesn't seem to prevent boilovers any more than controlling the flame does.  If I didn't take other steps, I'd have boilovers, even with hops in 7 gal. of wort in a 15 gal. kettle.
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Offline Kaiser

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #17 on: October 02, 2012, 10:10:01 am »
Add some hops before the boil to avoid a boilover.  That is a good tip from Greg Noonan's Brewing Lager Beer. 

Has that worked for you?  I've FWH dozens, maybe hundreds, of batches and I've never seen it prevent a boilover.
Are you saying it always boils over when you FWH? ;)

I noticed that the wort is less prone to boil over when hops are added before the boil starts. It doesn't prevent boil-overs, but it my experience it makes it easier to control them.

Kai

Offline kramerog

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2012, 10:19:13 am »
Add some hops before the boil to avoid a boilover.  That is a good tip from Greg Noonan's Brewing Lager Beer. 

Has that worked for you?  I've FWH dozens, maybe hundreds, of batches and I've never seen it prevent a boilover.
Are you saying it always boils over when you FWH? ;)

I noticed that the wort is less prone to boil over when hops are added before the boil starts. It doesn't prevent boil-overs, but it my experience it makes it easier to control them.

Kai

What he said

Offline Kaiser

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #19 on: October 02, 2012, 10:25:30 am »

What he said

yep. I should read posts more carefully before I post.

Kai

Offline bluesman

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #20 on: October 02, 2012, 10:40:05 am »
I use a 15gal kettle for 10 gallon batches and have to use a spray bottle to keep the hot break from boiling over more often than not, but it does work. A 20gal kettle would be a better choice, but I'm not planning to upgrade anytime soon.  A little spray bottle action does the trick for me.
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Offline majorvices

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Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #21 on: October 02, 2012, 02:01:03 pm »
Wow. You guys must all cook bacon on high, too. ;) No need to have the flame up so high that you need a 20 gallon klettle for a 10 gallon batch. The spray bottle is a good suggestion, though.

Offline davidgzach

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #22 on: October 02, 2012, 02:11:58 pm »
+1 to the spray bottle.....
Dave Zach

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #23 on: October 02, 2012, 02:34:22 pm »
I'm with Keith here, I've got a keggle that I do 10 gallons in all of the time.  I rarely have a boil over, and if I do it is because I am not paying attention.  Fiddle with the burner, use a little fermcap maybe (although not so much lately) and it's really no problem.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #24 on: October 02, 2012, 02:35:53 pm »
+1, I've got a 50 liter kettle and unles I am doing a wheat beer (and I have almost had a boil over with 5 gallon batches of wheat beer, gotta keep your mind focused) I can do a 10 gallon batch without much problem. still have to pay close attention as the hot break happens but with a little stirring or a spritzer bottle and some flame control it's all good.
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Offline jlo

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Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #25 on: October 02, 2012, 02:48:58 pm »
You can still get boil overs with 10 gallon batches in a 20 gallon pot, even with 10 gallon batches.

I have had success with boiling 18+ gallons in a 20 gallon boilermaker using Fermcap-S.

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #26 on: October 02, 2012, 03:17:36 pm »
I'm with Keith here, I've got a keggle that I do 10 gallons in all of the time.  I rarely have a boil over, and if I do it is because I am not paying attention.  Fiddle with the burner, use a little fermcap maybe (although not so much lately) and it's really no problem.

Same here. Don't turn your back on it until it is under control.
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Offline edward

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #27 on: October 02, 2012, 03:52:40 pm »

I have had success with boiling 18+ gallons in a 20 gallon boilermaker using Fermcap-S.

Fermcap rocks!  In the boil and the fermenter!  No boil overs or blowouts.

Offline ynotbrusum

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #28 on: October 03, 2012, 05:17:05 am »
What was the saying...a watched pot never boils and an unwatched pot always boils over.... Oddly, I have a dial thermometer on my keggle pot, so as it approaches a boil I stay attentive to it, often stirring it into the boil stage and that solved my boil over issues (except on those busy double batch days when I have too many things going on at once)!
« Last Edit: October 03, 2012, 05:18:52 am by ynotbrusum »
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Offline PeckerWood

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Re: Best size boil kettle for 10 gallon batches
« Reply #29 on: October 03, 2012, 04:48:21 pm »
I started out with the Blichmann Boilermaker 15 gallon kettle for 5 and 10 gallon batches and got great use out of it.  You just have to be very careful during the hot break.  I now use that as my HLT after upgrading my system to a 3 tier brewstand.  My new boil kettle is a 20 Gallon Blichmann Boilermaker, and all I can say is...IT IS GREAT! No chance of a boilover! So I don't have to be so careful with turning down the flame during the hot break.  Plus, it's only a few dollars more than the 15 gallon kettle.  Blichmann is a bit pricey, but the way I look at it is: I'm going to be doing this for a very long time so I want something that lasts, it has every feature needed like a brewmometer, dip tube, sanitary ball valve, sight glass, lid easily hangs from the handles, can add a false bottom if later in life you want to have a larger heated mash tun,  it's made of a great quality stainless steel, PLUS it looks bad-ass in my brewery.
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