dumb question of the day: How long do you boil?

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So after I add my extract (only my second brew) it takes like 30 minutes to get it back to a rolling boil. So the question is:

If the recipie calls for one hour boiling, do I consider 200 like close enough, or wait till I have a full rolling boil before I start the timer?


The reason I'm asking is that my wort winds up on the stove for like 3 hours!!

EDIT: I like to do a full boil as I see brewing beer "similar" to brewing coffee, you wouldnt add water to your coffee to fill up your cup cause that would change the way it tastes and dillute it. So why would you do it to your brew? just my 2 cents on full boil vs partial.
 
So after I add my extract (only my second brew) it takes like 30 minutes to get it back to a rolling boil. So the question is:

If the recipie calls for one hour boiling, do I consider 200 like close enough, or wait till I have a full rolling boil before I start the timer?


The reason I'm asking is that my wort winds up on the stove for like 3 hours!!

You start your timer when you add the 60 minute hops, at a full rolling boil. If you're taking that long to get up to a boil, you could try adding the bulk of the extract at flame out and/or reducing the size of the boil so that you get a nice rolling boil.
 
I don't have an answer but as a beginner brewer myself, I don't find that a dumb question at all. I'll check back when one of the pros gives an actual answer because I've wondered this too.
 
I start my timer once I add the hops... So I let the water get up to a boil, I turn off the stove/burner, and add my DME/LME. Then I get it all mixed in there good and put it back on the burner and mix it while it gets up to a boil to prevent scorching(this mostly only with LME). Once it starts boiling again I add in my 60 minute hops, and that's when I start the timer.
 
Start the timer when you add your hops at 60 minutes and the wort is at full boil (around 212 degrees). Boiling longer isn't going to negatively affect you outside of evaporation.
 
add your extract before it gets boiling so you don't have to repeat heating process twice. there is no reason it needs to be boiling first.
 
When I did extract I added the extract in right before it was ready to boil. I never killed the heat this way it didn't take to long to get back to a boil. I also used a propane cooker which works fast. It took too long on my stove and only did that once.
 
Boiling longer isn't going to negatively affect you outside of evaporation.

Longer boils can cause carmelization. This can change the color and final gravity.

Sometimes a longer boil is in order. In light styles that use pilsner, a longer boil will evaporate more DMS. Longer boils can benefit Barleywines by getting that carmelization.

You should have a good rolling boil, but it doesn't have to be so violent that wort is splashing everywhere.
 
I am with Yooper, just add the bulk (say 75%) of the extract after your 60 minute boil...at flameout. No reason to boil all that extract for 60 minutes.
 
EDIT: I like to do a full boil as I see brewing beer "similar" to brewing coffee, you wouldnt add water to your coffee to fill up your cup cause that would change the way it tastes and dillute it. So why would you do it to your brew? just my 2 cents on full boil vs partial.

Well, if it takes three hours to get to a boil and get finished, all the great things about a full boil are negated, and maillard reactions would be an issue (like caramelization). I'd rather go with a smaller boil that can be done in a reasonable time, but add the bulk of the extract late to avoid the maillard reactions that cause a "cooked extract" taste. There is no reason at all that extract needs to be boiled- it's been processed once already. Boiling it again, and then taking a long time to do it, would cause more flavor issues than doing a partial boil and late extract addition.

Try it and see. If you don't like the results, you can always go back to full barely boiling boils. It's really all about the flavor of the final product, after all.
 
So why does the recipie call for the extract to be boiled for an hour? shouldnt it come in two seperate bags like your bittering hops if thats the case?

Not trying to argue BTW, legitimately curious.
 
Instructions assume you don't know anything, and don't know about HBT. They are written to the lowest common denominator, the totally clueless. You on the other hand have HBT, and people that have years of experience behind them. Are we blessed or what?
 
I'd rather go with a smaller boil that can be done in a reasonable time, but add the bulk of the extract late to avoid the maillard reactions that cause a "cooked extract" taste. There is no reason at all that extract needs to be boiled- it's been processed once already. Boiling it again, and then taking a long time to do it, would cause more flavor issues than doing a partial boil and late extract addition.

Try it and see. If you don't like the results, you can always go back to full barely boiling boils. It's really all about the flavor of the final product, after all.

I recently made a partial mash version of Jamil's Cream Ale. I had a bottle of it left from the time I made it with extract only. When I made the extract recipe, I added half at the beginning and half at the end. When I do partial mashes, the extract goes in near the end. Side-by-side, these beers looked completely different. The extract brew was a deep orange and the partial mash brew was pale straw. Also, the extract brew had a much thicker body, despite finishing at 1.010 or 1.012. The partial mash brew came in at 1.006. The taste was different as well, there was hardly any malt character in the partial mash beer (as expected), but there was a lot of caramel taste in the extract beer.

These differences make a good example of what you're talking about.
 
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