10 gal batch frequency

I brew 10 gallons around once a month. Three times a year I'll do five gallons of a big beer.

 

This ole cowboy got tired of lifting 5 g. so I bought a 15 g with a sanitary welded valve. Glad I did. Now I have the option of 5 to 10 g or anything in between. I have 5 and 3 gal cornies so sometimes 8 gal batches are in order. Split the batch and use two different yeasts etc.

 

Definitely get a bigger pot, 15 gallons if you ever think you might want to do 10 - 12 gallon batches.

I have 3 small kids, my brewing time is limited. I mostly do 10 gallon batches and will use two different yeasts or dryhop with different hops for each keg or 5 gallons gets brett and the other 5 is left plain.

If you have any friends who like beer, it is very easy to kill a 5 gallon keg in one small party, especially if you brew lower gravity beers.

I don't really see the point in having a thermometer mounted on my pot. I have a thermapen that works for brewing beer and I also use it for cooking/bbq. I would rather spend money on something that can be used multiple ways.

 

Heck...I would advise a 20 gallon for 10-12 gallon batches...15 gal pot gets really tight when you initially come to a boil.

Pros for a thermometer on your brew kettle...1) judging how far off you are from a boil at a quick glance and 2) if you use an immersion chiller or if you care about whirlpool temps without having to remove the lid. Neither are deal breakers by any stretch of the imagination, like the need for a spigot if brewing 10 g batches...but both are a matter of convenience for me.

 

Ever since I got a 5 gallon pot I brew 10 gallons more often then not. The way I see it is that it takes me an extra hour and I end up with twice as much beer. I also brew sours mostly so it's nice to be able to get a clean beer and a sour beer out of the same batch.

 

I bought a 15 gallon kettle a year ago and did my first 10 gallon batch in late spring. I split the batch between wit and kolsch yeasts and I dryhopped the kolsch. I like having two pale, low-gravity beers for the summertime on my two tap kegerator, but I'm ready for something new. Ten gallons of beer is a lot of beer if you are the primary consumer. I typically brew about 30-35 gallons annually.

Summertime is my off-season so I wanted to ensure that I had enough beer to get through the summer. In September, I'll start brewing 5 gallon batches again and start drinking the RIS I brewed in March.

 

For the amount that I drink (and give away), 5 gallon batches seem to be the right size most of the time, with the occasional 3G batch for experiments. I wouldn't want to brew 10 gallons until I had a recipe that I was completely confident in, 'cause that's a heck of a lot of one beer. And since I drink IPAs more than anything else, there's no point in building up a 6-month supply when it will just lose freshness over time.

I got a 10 gallon pot and I'm very happy with the size. I can do BIAB 5-gallon batches in it, which wouldn't be possible if I had gotten an 8G pot. Really glad I listened to everyone's suggestions and bought something a little larger than I thought I needed! If you're considering doing 10 gallon batches some day, then you should probably go straight to a 15G kettle...but only if you have a powerful burner to put it on. I'd definitely recommend a ball valve in that case, because lifting 10 gallons of boiling wort sounds like a really dangerous thing to do. I move my kettle to the basement for chilling after the boil is finished, and with 5-6 gallons of wort in it that can be pretty challenging.

 

From a hip shot it sounds like you need a 15 gal kettle. Decide if you want to spend the extra buck for a spigot and a false bottom and spigot. Most people do. (I don't and can help with ways around it, if cost is an issue). You have plenty of boil space, even for 10 gal batches. You can top off quite a bit for long boils and you can do what you need this way. I brew plenty of 5 gal batches in a 15 gal kettle and I'm happy to have the extra space. I've never wanted to do anything any bigger than 10 gal. I don't work with a brew stand, and never plan to. I keg my beers, and wouldn't dream of bottling more than 10 gal at a time. I brew a 5 gal batch every 6 weeks or so, and I've been doing more split batches/10 gal batches recently. It makes a 4 hour and some change brew day <---5 gals, go to a 6 hour brew day. It's worth it sometimes.

On a sidenote, if you need to go bigger, you'll probably still put an old 15 gal kettle to use as a hot liquor tank or a mash tun when you DIY insulate it and buy a $300 marsh pump. If you're going bigger than a 15 gal kettle you'll need a stand and some serious coin to follow what is now a brewing obsession. I've seen plenty of guys rock a 5 gal batch on systems like these too.

Another sidenote, brewing gear stacks quite well into kettles. I had to do that when I lived in an apartment. Fermenters, brewing tools, and hoses will all fit into a kettle for decent storage. Just make sure they are dry before you store them, or be ready to clean before you use again.

 

12 gallons is the absolute max for a 15 gallon pot and I have to watch it like a hawk to avoid a boilover, never had a problem with 10 gallon batches.

When I whirlpool/chill, I leave the lid of usually. It is not a problem to squirt the thermometer with starsan and check a temp. I could absolutely appreciate a in pot thermometer, but I would rather have a 15 gallon pot without one then a 10 gallon pot with one, and I think that is the decision that @corbmoster is wrestling with.

 

I enjoy way too many styles to justify going to 10+ gallon brew days. I have the equipment to do 12 gallon batches but don't see me doing so unless it's to get a lot of volume fast for a special occasion.

 

Reinheitsgebot be damned. I'll add Fermcap, yeast nutrient, and Whilfloc to just about every batch I brew. Fermcap does a great job of preventing boil overs. I go just past a simmer on my boils. Nothing too aggressive.

 

I do mostly 5 gallon batches, and don't really forsee ever doing a 10 gallon on my own. I've done a few smaller batches over the years, but 5 seems to be the spot where I can drink what I make (my wife only will have a couple ounces at a time) without feeling like I wasted time.

 

Guess you never read my BYO article...

 

I use FermcapS on all batches

 

Unfortunately no. Are they on brewing big batches and then splitting that batch into multiple batches?

 

I keep meaning to get some Fermcap to avoid boilovers in yeast starters. It could do double duty when I do a big batch of beer as well.

 

Yep.

That article isn't on the BYO site, but my original thoughts are here.