Brew Pot

[BreadMurderer]

So.... first query post! There will be more...

Planning on starting my home brewing and reading up on this quite a bit (just now the howtobrew website - it's good) my first question is:

I do do not have a 20/30l brew pot, that's massive. I do have access to two 7l pots (14l total). So my first batch will be smaller but my question is, is it an issue to split the wort making process over two brew pots?

Cheers,
Dan

 

[markpeace]

For my first extract brew, I just did it in a gallon pan and watered down in the fermenter. You'll want to get yourself to full volume boils pretty quickly, but it'll work for a first go.

 

[calumscott]

Jumping straight in with Extract brewing?

If you are boiling in smaller volumes your hop utilisation will be sub-optimal so you'll want to crank up the early bittering additions a good bit.

Your 7l pans won't give you a 14l boil. Well, you could start with 14l but you'll have a helluva sticky cooker!!! I'd suggest 5l in each giving 10l of wort. Make that twice as strong as you need and dilute down should be fine.

You really will need to up the hops though.

30 litre pots aren't that dear from our friends in germany, have a search for bergland and cateringportal on this site and it'll turn up their email address, drop them a line. :thumb:

 

[BreadMurderer]

Thanks for the replies folks.

Jumping straight in with Extract brewing?

Yes!

I wanted to start small but the more I read about it the more I want to get involved in the process, and this seems like a good start for that. I understand about the volumes so yes my thoughts exactly that I would put about 5/6l in each pot. So if I was to use 10l of wort say, what would the compensation be of water in the fermentation bucket? Will this affect it greatly, I dont like the sound of "diluting"?

(Oh and I'll check out your Germany friends soon enough, just want to take wee steps for now - cheers!)

Cheers!
Dan

 

[calumscott]

You could do worse than to just brew just 5l batches and ferment in demijohns. That way you would be using the exact process you eventually use with full length brews.

That way you have no worries with trying to work out the oddities of hop utilisation - just actually plan a 5l brew. If you have recipes to follow, stick them in some brew software and let it scale them down for you - it should get the hops right.

:thumb:

 

[BreadMurderer]

Cheers! :thumb:

After looking at the Germany company on eBay though I might just have to buy a bigger pot! Cheap, cheap.

 

[joe1002]

I would certainly e-mail them: [email protected] you will get a better price.
I ordered a thermopot from them Monday lunchtime and it arrived yesterday moring :thumb:

 

[BreadMurderer]

Happy days!

 

[calumscott]

You're going to go all grain in the end...

...go at least 50l!! :thumb:

 

[BreadMurderer]

Well in the space of an hour or two I ordered a 21L pot (£35 and that INCLUDES delivery!) from those fine people in Germany - I must say their speed in replying and setting up the order was FANtastic! Thanks for the tip - maybe a 50+L next time eh? :thumb:

 

[lukehgriffiths]

I went straight to extract and after 1 went AG. Kits just didn't inspire me the same way.
I have a huge plastic animal feed tub with heating elements fitted but am thinking of getting something more elegent. I know some people use burco style tea urns and you can fetch a 30 litre one off ebay for 75 notes. This gives access to temperature control for mashing or steeping etc

 

[BreadMurderer]

A tea urn sounds like a fairly spot on idea actually - heating and pot all in one. Top tip there and it has been duly noted.

 

[jonnymorris]

Off topic: What have you got against bread?

 

[mereside]

I have really got the bug for this but funds are tight and have been looking at shiney but i then found these and i think this is my way forward on a budget and it will get me into a decent size full ag brew and i think being fairly thick will last a long time ,atb wayne
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280959101750? ... 1423.l2649

 

[calumscott]

Off topic: What have you got against bread?

:rofl:

 

[BreadMurderer]

Pot arrived today! Fantastic service from them I must say, cheap as chips and the pot looks of good quality. :thumb:

And I don't want to get into my problem with Bread... happened a long time ago.... brings back... painful memories...

:party: