curious about carmelizing

monstersandpie · 12-05-2007, 09:38 PM

hi all,
i'm going to be brewing my first batch this weekend - a scottish 80/- because i became addicted to tennents ember in st.andrews and have missed it since i got home.
anyhow, i've seen instructions for carmelizing part of the wort for a richer flavor and would like to have a go at that. most of the instructions i've seen involve removing a gallon or so of the 'first runnings', boiling them down by half (or more in some cases) and then returning them to the boil.
i'm assuming that first runnings means the wort at the beginning of the boil, after the specialty grains have been removed and the malt / boiling hops are in. is this correct or do i pull the gallon off at some other point?
i also figure that the rest of the boil keeps going as normal while the carmelized portion is reducing at a more aggressive boil. the boil of the main wort shouldn't go on for longer than an hour, so the carmelized portion gets added back in near the end of the hour even if it hasn't reduced by as much as was hoped for. or is the main wort taken off the heat while the reduction is taking place?
any other tips on this process are welcome.
thanks all.

Funkenjaeger · 12-06-2007, 12:47 AM

"first runnings" is an all-grain term, it's the wort you get when first draining the mash, so it's the most concentrated. If you're doing extract with grains then the term has no real meaning. In your case, you might want to take out a gallon or so of your wort after adding your grains, and add a disproportionate amount of your total extract to it so it's quite concentrated and will caramelize more easily... maybe 2 pounds? maybe more?

Zymurgrafi · 12-06-2007, 01:17 AM

Also consider that using extract and doing a partial boil is already carmelizing your wort somewhat. You could also do a longer boil overall.

I have done carmelizing with my all grain 80-/ ale and unfortunately I cannot say whether I like it or not. There is something off about it and it could be that or it could be an ingredient. Supposedly kettle caramelization can be perceived as diacytal (buttery) but I don't really taste that.

monstersandpie · 12-06-2007, 02:34 AM

thanks for the replies.

well, it seems that, whether doing extract or all grain, the process becomes pretty much the same after sparging - and that is when the wort qualifies as 'first runnings' for the all grain brewer. im thinking of steeping the grains, then boiling with the hops and extract, and then keeping some of the wort back when i pour into the primary fermenter, and reducing what's left over for the carmelized effect. leaving this out of the fermenter will make for a bit more airspace, but not too much, and only for a short time. i can pitch while the last bit is still boiling off and then cool the carmelized portion before pouring it into the fermenter. let me know what you think...
also, do you think i should pour the last bit off to separated it from the rest of the trub before carmelizing?