mattxhand
Member
I am getting ready to brew a 5 gallon batch and was wordering how small the partial boil could be. My stove can't provide enough energy to boil much water.
Thanks
Thanks
mattxhand said:My only option is going to my parents' house about 15 minutes away and transporting from there.
I guess my question now is if I do a five gallon batch there, could I transport the wort in my car from their house to mine and then pitch the yeast when I get home?
mattxhand said:Is it okay to agitate it that much with the yeast pitched?
The late extract approach is your best bet. But better than adding the extra extract to the main pot at the end (becuase it will kill your boil and take a long time to get back up to boil) is to use a second pot for doing a short boil on the extract. Chill that seperately and it will also allow you to get everything cooled quicker. This approach works great for me.Thinking...what about a late extract addition with a small volume boil, let's say 1.25 gallons. Use enough extract to get you to around (ballpark) your target gravity in that 1.25 gallons. Do your hop additions and boil as usual. At the end of the boil, add another gallon or so of water--so now about 2 gallons--and the remainder of your extract. Bring up to pasteurization temp (if it's not already there--I've heard 140 degrees) hold that temp for 10 mins let's say, then chill to desired temp. Add to your fermenter, top up to your final volume, aerate and pitch yeast?
Never done it that way myself, just trying to come up with a workable method.
My only option is going to my parents' house about 15 minutes away and transporting from there.
I guess my question now is if I do a five gallon batch there, could I transport the wort in my car from their house to mine and then pitch the yeast when I get home?
nanofreak said:I have pitched yeast, put on an airlock, buckled in my carboy and driven home.
The late extract approach is your best bet. But better than adding the extra extract to the main pot at the end (becuase it will kill your boil and take a long time to get back up to boil) is to use a second pot for doing a short boil on the extract. Chill that seperately and it will also allow you to get everything cooled quicker. This approach works great for me.
Having read this, perhaps I wasn't clear with my description. My method was suggesting adding additional water at flameout, and then the remainder of the extract. There was no need to bring it back up to a boil, just get the additional extract dissolved and, if above 140F hold it there for 10 mins or so to pasteurize. If the temp did go below 140F, add some heat to get it there and again, hold at 140F for 10 mins. Extract does not necessarily need to be boiled, only pasteurized, and that's really the key here.
Aidan's method works, with all due respect I was trying to avoid using a 2nd pot on a stove that is not very effective.
(I am a fan of Aidan's blog, btw)
Is pitching and then driving unnecessarily risking adding oxygen, especially if there are any/many bumps along the way, not to mention picking up the thing and carrying it to its final spot?
No, at that point in the process (prior to fermentation) adding oxygen would not be bad. I'm assuming you're not transporting it days later and not driving it for days. Never assume right? I'd be more concerned about the carboy tipping over; that would be a mess.
Doesn't fermentation begin as soon as you pitch the yeast, even if it can take a day or longer for visible signs of fermentation?
A very good question, honestly I would defer on answering that as I'm not sure. If the yeast were pitched, let's say, I strapped the carboy into the car, drove 15 mins, took it out and brought it inside I would think it would be safe. Maybe someone else could answer; I am curious now myself. I suppose you could drive your wort home and then pitch to be absolutely safe, in this situation.
That's what I was thinking -- I'm still a bit of an amateur. I did a batch recently I had to carry down 3 flights of stairs from my kitchen to my basement, and I didn't pitch until I made it all the way down just out of caution.
I'd imagine given the infancy of the fermentation that even while some oxidation might occur, it also might not be enough to be worried about... but better than safe than sorry, maybe.
Why not split all the ingredients in half and do two 1/2 boils. That is what I have been doing now for almost a year.
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