First Brewday... - Page 2

WOP31 · 08-29-2007, 02:12 AM

Don't cover your kettle, not even a little:
http://www.homebrewzone.com/dimethyl-sulfide.htm

Covering your kettle causes the Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) to not be evaporated fully, (even if you leave a space for ventilation). It will cause a cooked corn or vegetable flavor in your beer which in certain brews isn't an all bad thing but you don't want it in most beers.

Cheers

drunkatuw · 08-29-2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sutpen

Thanks for the advice, all. I'd read that the wort shouldn't be kept covered during the boil, and I did keep a space open for some evaporation to take place, but my stove couldn't get the wort hot enough to get much of a boil going unless I covered most of it. I'm not expecting this batch to be mind-blowing or anything-- it was more of an experience to inform my later batches, and I've already got a list of things to do differently next time, haha. First on list: get a propane burner...

I definitely recommend that you get a propane burner. I bought the cheap one at home depot for $45 and it cut my brewing time in half. Ceramic cooktops are definitely not for brewing beer. It took over an hour to get 2 gallons up to a boil on the stove and it was less than 15 min with the propane burner. Plus it's nice to brew out on the patio during the summer (I might change my mind once the Minnesota winter rolls around).

heertsy · 08-30-2007, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sutpen

Thanks for the advice, all. I'd read that the wort shouldn't be kept covered during the boil, and I did keep a space open for some evaporation to take place, but my stove couldn't get the wort hot enough to get much of a boil going unless I covered most of it. I'm not expecting this batch to be mind-blowing or anything-- it was more of an experience to inform my later batches, and I've already got a list of things to do differently next time, haha. First on list: get a propane burner...

You can get a turkey fryer that comes with a propane burner for about 30 bucks. That way, you have your burner AND a pot that will allow you to do a full 5 gallon boil.

I do this out in my garage and couldn't imagine doing it any other way.

Some people hate using aluminum vs. stainless steel though...