First Timer- What to do, can't boil.

How long did you wait before you determined your stove couldn't boil 2.5 gallons of thin wort?

 

If you're looking for cheap I would suggest going to Wal-Mart and picking up a turkey fryer. Should be <$60 and you'll get a big ass aluminum pot with it that will get you close to a full boil (But now you're going to need a wort chiller).

 

I've never used one but you could get a heat stick if you'd like to keep using your stove. Also heads up with you pretty much destroy the burner you use if you use it a lot to brew.

 

Is your boil kettle large enough that you might be able to straddle two of the coils?

Otherwise, turkey fryer/ Bayou Classic.

 

If you have the option to move outside with a propane or NG burner, I highly recommend that you go for it. Two best reasons:
(1) larger heating rate, and
(2) much less wear and tear on your stove.

 

Does your burner wear out, or is it the metal stove top get damaged? I've put my 15 gal pot on top between two burners before and the worst thing that happened to me was that the white metal surface got charred and I had to scrub like hell to get it back to white.

 

An outdoor propane burner is the way to go, if you have the space. They're not very expensive, really (I think I got mine for about $40) and you'll be damn glad you're outdoors the first time you have a boil over.

If that's not an option, I would seriously consider smaller batches. There are lots of people who do one, two, or three gallon batches rather than the standard five.

 

This. And this.

The pot should accommodate a full boil, but wort chiller needed. Plus side is better beer tho.

 

Both lol. I brewed on an electric apartment stove for a few years and while the coil didn't go out it was super charred and groady by the time I moved. I have heard a few stories about the actual element going out from extended use.

 

When I got started I did partial boils on a coil-type electric range. I used a canning burner (sits higher than regular burner), but after a number of boils I had to replace the wiring to the burner. It got so hot underneath the metal top that the insulation around the wires degraded to the point of being a hazard.

 

Tis better to split a boil between two pots than to try and boil too much on a single burner (and probably better than trying to straddle two burners with one pot). Split the hops proportionately if you do this.

 

I started out doing split boils, like ACJ suggests above. I still do it, but on a gas stove.

 

I've used several pots to get the wort up to boiling temperature with some success. I think if I had to do a full boil on the range again I'd do it that way and adjust for boil off rates. I'd expect them to change and make adjustments by the time I threw my bittering hops in. (Have a dip stick, OP that tells you how many gallons you have in your main kettle).

 

Use a lid until the boil starts. Helps hold in energy while coming to temp. But you'll have to keep an eye on it or a massive boil over could ensue.

 

You could always try insulating the sides of the with aluminum foil.

 

If you have about 40-60 lbs of ice, maybe, which is probably what you'll need for five gallons of boiling wort. Otherwise you'll find yourself wanting a wort chiller very quickly. Like after the first time you try to use ice and find it rather difficult.

For comparison, it takes me the whole ice maker plus a ten pound bag of ice, plus two 16oz frozen water bottles plus a frozen 32oz gatorade bottle to cool TWO gallons* of boiling wort in any kind of reasonable time.

*I make experimental 2 gallon batches of extract brews at home, and full batches of all grain at my brother's