Why a 60 minute boil?

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MSKBeerfan

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Why do we generally do a 60 minute boil of the wort?
what would be the positive / negative effects if we did a 45 minute boil?
my my mindset, the SG would be higher, you may have a thinner beer... but would that still not be long enough to kill off any bacteria?

just curious, your thoughts?
 
So if I was going for a very low hop flavor... light beer, lager etc... shortening the boil would have no adverse effects?
 
For extract beers, the only reason to boil is for hops utilization, as the extract has been processed already.

For all-grain beers, besides hops utilization, the boil provides the release of volatile compounds (like DMS precursors), concentration of the wort to increase the gravity and reduce volume, as well as killing bacteria in the wort.

A shorter boil is usually fine, but I wouldn't go under a 30 minute boil for AG beers.
 
So if I was going for a very low hop flavor... light beer, lager etc... shortening the boil would have no adverse effects?

Shortening the boil would tend to increase hop flavor, because the flavor/aroma compounds are driven off by boiling. More boiling, more compounds driven off. That said, I don't think most hops have much hop flavor left by 45 minutes...
 
Bitterness is lessened by the shorter boil. But I've done 45 minute extract brews when I had more than enough bittering hops and didn't feel like saving small amounts.
 
MSKBeerfan said:
So if I was going for a very low hop flavor... light beer, lager etc... shortening the boil would have no adverse effects?

Except that you would be using pilsner malt which has a higher level of DMS precursors (like Yooper mentioned) than other malts because of the low level of kilning. Some people advocate a 90 minute boil for pilsner beers for that very reason.
 
It is recomment that a minimum boil of 60 minutes is done (90 minutes when using Pilener malt) for the reasons already listed and to promote a health protein coagulation and stability of the wort.
 
Everything's pretty much already been covered, but I'll add that I did an extract brew (AHS Anniversary Wit) that only needed a 30 min boil due to the low bitterness of the style. However, if I did an AG version I would go at least 60 to minimize DMS as has been mentioned.
 
If there were 36 hours in a day, each 40 minutes long, we would boil for 40 minutes. Hop utilization drops off pretty steeply after 45 minutes, so that's usually how long I boil.
 
This is partly why once in a while I like doing an extract beer with only a 20 minute boil and hop bursting. All the extract in at full volume, boil for 20 with all the additions as the timer goes and before you know it, the wort is chilling and in the fermenter super quick. But for AG, I wouldn't go south of 60 min. Maillard reactions, precursor drive off etc.
 
1. Extracts, isomerizes, and dissolves hop a-acids.
2. Stops enzymatic activity from the mash.
3. Sanitizes the wort (kill bacteria, fungi, and wild yeast).
4. Clarifies the wort by coagulating undesired proteins and polyphenols (incl tannins) in the hot break.
5. Evaporates undesirable harsh hop oils, sulfur compounds (e.g. DMS), ketones, and esters.
6. Promotes the formation of melanoidins and caramelize some of the wort sugars (although this is not desirable in all styles).
7. Evaporates water vapor, condensing the wort to the proper volume and gravity (this is not a primary reason, it's a side effect of the process).


I've heard mixed advice on boiling pils malt for 90 minutes. Some say it depends on the amount of pils malt in the grist. For instance, if you're only using 10% of it, then a 60 minute boil should suffice.
 
For Hop Utilization, you reach peak bitterness at around the 60 minute mark. You reach peak Flavor at around the 20 minute mark. You reach peak Aroma at about the 7 minute mark. Hops boiled for 20 minutes yeild max flavor but all the aroma has dissipated. By 40 minutes, all the flavor has disapated. Which helps you understand why some like to add hops in stages typically at 60 / 15 / 5. That way you can get the full bitterness, flavor and aroma from the hops.
 
For Hop Utilization, you reach peak bitterness at around the 60 minute mark. You reach peak Flavor at around the 20 minute mark. You reach peak Aroma at about the 7 minute mark. Hops boiled for 20 minutes yeild max flavor but all the aroma has dissipated. By 40 minutes, all the flavor has disapated. Which helps you understand why some like to add hops in stages typically at 60 / 15 / 5. That way you can get the full bitterness, flavor and aroma from the hops.

Where are you getting this information from about "peaks"?

I don't believe this is accurate. Those charts we see online that break it down for you all nice and neat are not to be trusted. Bittering still occurs well beyond a 60 minute boil. There's really no such thing as a peak flavor time frame. And aroma is at it's peak in the dryhop where there is no heat.
 
Considering the origins of post prohibition homebrewing, I believe the hour boil (and hour mash) have more to do with an episode of Kojak lasting one hour than the more technical reasons. Just so happens, one-hour is a good length of time for both.
 
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