15 litre pot for extract brew

[jonnymorris]

Is a 15 litre pot going to be big enough for an extract brew? I plan on brewing half in the pot and topping with tap water when finished.

Clearly, bigger is better but it is also more expensive.

 

[RobWalker]

Yep, I do it in a 10. You just need to recalculate your recipe with the new boil volume as hop utilization is lower. It's big enough for partial mashing too, if you ever wanted to try that!

Be careful chucking in speciality grains into the boil itself though, too much along with loads of hops and you can get a pretty big bag full of stuff! I usually have my top up water ready in my FV and pour through a grain bag to catch the grains and hops, you could also boil with the bag in there if you can suspend it enough to stop it scorching. Leave a few litres so you can pour water through the bag to rinse the hops and grains, and dip the grain bag into the water, sort of like teabagging it, to get the most out of your brew.

CaraPils is especially good for increasing head retention with extract as it is entirely usable in an extract boil, no mashing required :

 

[jonnymorris]

Thanks for your response Rob. I think you've just saved me £60 on a boiler - nothing like jumping in at the deep end.

sort of like teabagging it...

Isn't this a euphamism for something other than dipping a teabag into a cup of tea? Works either way I guess.

 

[graysalchemy]

Why don't you make yourself a boiler out of one of these

They are widely available I got 6 x 60l ones of ebay for about £30.

Then all you need is a bit of plumbing and some kettle elements. You will also be able to use them for All grain when you decide to come and play with the big boys :lol:

Much better investment IMHO :thumb:

 

[pittsy]

ive got a recipe book full with extract brews all doing boils at around 10.5 litres so 15 is ideal for extract :thumb:

 

[Laurin]

You can get 19l stainless steel pots on ebay for £24 including delivery.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BUCKINGHAM-ST ... 144wt_1037

 

[pittsy]

dont get 19l if i was you , if you wanted to go big then you may as well go at least 33l for future ag brewing otherwise you'll not have a big enough pot and you'll need to get yet another later on (unless you don't wish to go ag )

 

[jonnymorris]

ive got a recipe book full with extract brews...

I have Graham Wheeler's book on its way in the post as recommended by someone else on here.

Good point about 15 vs 19. I'll aim for 15 as suggested.

Re: AG... I think I need to learn to walk before I run though AG is my aspiration.

Thanks all.

 

[graysalchemy]

You will probably only do a few extracts and then do an AG its not that hard. :thumb:

I only completed 2 then went onto AG in which case you won't have any use for your 15l pot.

 

[Laurin]

Depending on the space and budget you have you can easily do mini mashes or partial mashes with a smaller pot. If you do "brew in a bag" you don't need any other pots or mash tuns. When I looked for a big pot 19l seemed to be the last one which you get kind of cheap (£24) after that its usually £50 and more. Otherwise try Freecycle you might some stuff for free depending a bit on luck and how active the area around you is.

 

[pittsy]

i got mine 33l from german ebay postage was 12.5 euro http://www.ebay.de/itm/Topf-Edelstahlto ... n_Kochen_Töpfe_Pfannen&hash=item58931586d0#ht

 

[Laurin]

They only deliver to Germany and Austria though. Thats at least what they say on the ebay page. The quality look really nice though and they have it on 1 euro starting bid so you might get a real good bargain. I am thinking of biding on one and send it to my parents.

 

[pittsy]

if you contact them by email they will deliver (mine did ) its lovely , mine cost in the end including post £50 english although maybe i should of just kept new bidding you might get em much cheaper than i did

 

[Laurin]

I will definitely bid on this one and just see if I can get a bargain, I am in no hurry to get one because I will move in summer, but I can keep at my parents house in Germany. Cheers for that.

 

[Laurin]

I also just found this insulated thermo pot from the same seller for about £90 plus shipping. It can hold 70l (15 gallons) and has a spigot already build in. Would that not be the ideal mash tun with a little DIY? All stainless and big and shiny.

If you don't understand German feel free to ask me I can translate.

 

[graysalchemy]

They are what most people use for a shiney mash. However they are better without the spigot and putting in your own bottom drain. There is plenty on the forum, about it. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[pittsy]

yes thats on my '' i want but haven't got the spare cash'' list, soon i shall have 1 but prob be the 33l or 50l max 100l too big for my needs , would make a great mash tun :thumb:

 

[graysalchemy]

100l would make great boilers as well :hmm:

 

[Laurin]

The 33l pot from Germany which was mentioned earlier in this thread went for £22 + shipping. Seems to be a Ebay seller to keep your eyes on.