My friend used stovetop, although like the sound of a crabcooker! He did not use a chiller! When wort cooled off...he added it to his 6 gallon solid glass clear container which had water already in halfway. When he added more water than a standard 5 gallon plastic bottle, he was able to control or stretch(choice) his wort to create a lighter brew. When bottle cooked down, we added a small dose of sucrose to each sturdy bottle before capping. In the night, you could hear a bottle shatter due to the small amount of healthy yeast continuing the fermentation proccess, with the sugar delivering that extra special kick in alchohol.Waiting that 2 weeks for the treat sometimes was unbearable. After 1 week, wee would do a sample. Ahhhhhhh.......delightful!
Friend had been brewing then around 20 years. Neighbors, friends experimented with double hopping, licorice, etc. Was just one long endless sampling of "Homebrew Heaven"!
BTW, his last name is Brewer!