[flbrewer]

I started out (only 1 brew under my belt) with a 10 gallon SS kettle. Seriously considering downsizing for the following reasons.
-it's BIG
-PITA to clean
-PITA to cool wort when I do a full 5 gallon boil
-only doing 5 gallon extract for the foreseeable future
What's a more manageable size kettle that I can boil 2.5-3 gallons of wort in? Will taste be that much different doing a full boil vs topping off?
Thanks everyone.
*I am using a propane burner.

[leejoreilly]

I have some 16 quart stock pots that I use. I prefer to brew in the kitchen and my gas stove burners are set too far apart to span effectively with a bigger pot. At this size, each pot gets its own burner. I use two of them to handle a 5 gallon batch as both HWTs and boil kettles, plus a third to hold some extra sparge and top-off water. The stove is a six-burner so there's plenty of room. They are easier and probably safer to move from stove to mash tun and back than a single larger pot would be (not a big deal if you're doing smaller batches, I guess). I don't chill in them, though - I pour my hot wort into my fermenting pail (through a mesh bag to strain) and chill there, which means I get slightly quicker chill times since I don't have to cool down the hot metal pots. I got mine at my local Meijers store - our Michigan upgrade to WallyWorld or K-Mart - for less than $40. You could also look for a local restaurant supply store; they always have lots of goodies adaptable to brewing.