[flick23]

I'm hoping to try brewing my first "non brew-kit" batch soon and read an article in "Brew Your Own" about trying an American Pale Ale as a beginner because it doesn't require extra attention during or after fermentation like lagers and doesn't require extended aging or unique spicing additions.

I found this recipe: http://beerrecipes.org/showrecipe.php?recipeid=110#sthash.Yrhxpb2f.dpbs and have the malt extract, hops and yeast suggested by the recipe. I also have basic equipment including a 32-gallon stock pot, fermentation and bottling buckets, auto siphon, etc.

My question is this: In the beginners section of this website, the video series done on brewing shows the AHA Director only creating 1 gallon of wort, if I recall, and then adding several additional gallons of water after the fact. Other things that I have read suggest putting all your water in the wort initially (and I have a big enough stock pot to do that). For a recipe like this, what should I be doing? Any other good advice for a beginner making an American Pale Ale?

[klickitat jim]

Greetings and welcome!

I like the full volume boil method if you've got the room!

[HoosierBrew]

You can create a smaller volume of wort and dilute later to get your volume as you mention. But since your pot is plenty big enough to accomodate the full batch, there are advantages to a full volume boil. First, your hop utilization goes down when you have to dilute with large volumes of water, and secondly your beer can be darker than intended by concentrating the sugars. You'll get a better overall product by boiling the entire volume. Now you need to figure out your boiloff rate for your pot. Add 2 or 3 gallons of water ( be accurate whichever you choose) to your pot and boil it for 60 minutes. Now measure what's left. The amount that evaporated is your boiloff rate/60 minutes.

Steep the grain in 155F water for 30 minutes and strain, leaving all the grain husk behind. Add the liquid to your pot along with enough water to hit 5 gallons + the amount of water that boiled off in an hour (often 1-1.5 gallons) . Bring to a near boil, turn off the heat, and add your malt extraxct. Stir thoroughly to dissolve then bring to a boil for 60 minutes. Add hops as directed, then cool to 65F if possible and add your yeast. 

And welcome !

[klickitat jim]

You can create a smaller volume of wort and dilute later to get your volume as you mention. But since your pot is plenty big enough to accomodate the full batch, there are advantages to a full volume boil. First, your hop utilization goes down when you have to dilute with large volumes of water, and secondly your beer can be darker than intended by concentrating the sugars. You'll get a better overall product by boiling the entire volume. Now you need to figure out your boiloff rate for your pot. Add 2 or 3 gallons of water ( be accurate whichever you choose) to your pot and boil it for 60 minutes. Now measure what's left. The amount that evaporated is your boiloff rate/60 minutes.

Steep the grain in 155F water for 30 minutes and strain, leaving all the grain husk behind. Add the liquid to your pot along with enough water to hit 5 gallons + the amount of water that boiled off in an hour (often 1-1.5 gallons) . Bring to a near boil, turn off the heat, and add your malt extraxct. Stir thoroughly to dissolve then bring to a boil for 60 minutes. Add hops as directed, then cool to 65F if possible and add your yeast. 

And welcome !

This post plus a couple lines about cleaning and sanitation, couple lines about yeast starters, couple lines about temp control, couple lines about bottling... you are way way ahead of the typical first batch, kit recipe follower!

[pete b]

You can create a smaller volume of wort and dilute later to get your volume as you mention. But since your pot is plenty big enough to accomodate the full batch, there are advantages to a full volume boil. First, your hop utilization goes down when you have to dilute with large volumes of water, and secondly your beer can be darker than intended by concentrating the sugars. You'll get a better overall product by boiling the entire volume. Now you need to figure out your boiloff rate for your pot. Add 2 or 3 gallons of water ( be accurate whichever you choose) to your pot and boil it for 60 minutes. Now measure what's left. The amount that evaporated is your boiloff rate/60 minutes.

Steep the grain in 155F water for 30 minutes and strain, leaving all the grain husk behind. Add the liquid to your pot along with enough water to hit 5 gallons + the amount of water that boiled off in an hour (often 1-1.5 gallons) . Bring to a near boil, turn off the heat, and add your malt extraxct. Stir thoroughly to dissolve then bring to a boil for 60 minutes. Add hops as directed, then cool to 65F if possible and add your yeast. 

And welcome !

Jon, whenever I have gotten a new pot I have assumed 1 gallon per hour and then kept track of the actual loss during the first few brews to get more accurate. The reason I bring this up is that if someone is boiling just water they will crank the burner up to high to boil water but when boiling wort adjust the burner down to a boil that won't boil over, no?
FWIW I have used different 5 gallon pots on the stove and boil off is very close to 1 gal/ he and my 15 gal I use on the propane burner outside is about 1.5/her. The big one has more surface area and I CA really let it rip because of plenty of head space.

[HoosierBrew]

You can create a smaller volume of wort and dilute later to get your volume as you mention. But since your pot is plenty big enough to accomodate the full batch, there are advantages to a full volume boil. First, your hop utilization goes down when you have to dilute with large volumes of water, and secondly your beer can be darker than intended by concentrating the sugars. You'll get a better overall product by boiling the entire volume. Now you need to figure out your boiloff rate for your pot. Add 2 or 3 gallons of water ( be accurate whichever you choose) to your pot and boil it for 60 minutes. Now measure what's left. The amount that evaporated is your boiloff rate/60 minutes.

Steep the grain in 155F water for 30 minutes and strain, leaving all the grain husk behind. Add the liquid to your pot along with enough water to hit 5 gallons + the amount of water that boiled off in an hour (often 1-1.5 gallons) . Bring to a near boil, turn off the heat, and add your malt extraxct. Stir thoroughly to dissolve then bring to a boil for 60 minutes. Add hops as directed, then cool to 65F if possible and add your yeast. 

And welcome !

Jon, whenever I have gotten a new pot I have assumed 1 gallon per hour and then kept track of the actual loss during the first few brews to get more accurate. The reason I bring this up is that if someone is boiling just water they will crank the burner up to high to boil water but when boiling wort adjust the burner down to a boil that won't boil over, no?
FWIW I have used different 5 gallon pots on the stove and boil off is very close to 1 gal/ he and my 15 gal I use on the propane burner outside is about 1.5/her. The big one has more surface area and I CA really let it rip because of plenty of head space.

Yeah, I adjust mine down fairly low, too. But it runs the gamut with brewers. I've seen guys with the high powered burners boil way higher. I figured just boiling for an hour would get him in the ballpark and he could adjust after. But boiling @ the same rate as wort would definitely be a little more accurate. OP - I adjust to boil off ~ 1.2 gal/hour.