Electric Elements

Do the high density scorch the wort or not? I have read hundreds of threads saying they do but I don't know if these people have tried it or just think it does. Does anyone use them and wish to share. I have two 2000w HD elements but don't know if I should use them or not.

Not in my experience. Never had even a hint of scorching.

I have not seen any scorching. 4500W Low Density Element in the boil kettle.

addis29 said:

Do the high density scorch the wort or not? I have read hundreds of threads saying they do but I don't know if these people have tried it or just think it does. Does anyone use them and wish to share. I have two 2000w HD elements but don't know if I should use them or not.

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Are you talking about an electric stove, or a heatstick or other element that goes inside the kettle?

2000w High density element in the kettle..

I just made an e-kettle with 2 HD 2000w elements. Place them about 90 degrees or slightly more apart in the kettle. No scorching. Highly recommend it.

That's good to know. Why do so many say it will scorch the wort? Thank you

Low density ones will not scorch. 2000w for the high density ones seems to be the limit on scorching for some reason. I'm no expert, but I know my Camco 2000w elements don't scorch.

5500W LD element here - no scorching whatsoever.
I would stick to below 2500W on a HD element.

I dont know why...

But I know a guy that scorched the HECK out of a batch with a HWD 2000W element. SO much so that the element was covered in gooey goodness.

This being said, apparently he is the only guy.

Alright, I guess I'll just try them and see how it turns out. THANKS

I use my 2kw HD stick in every batch. I make some EXTREMELY light beers, and have seen no sign of scorching.

HOWEVER, I once used my stick to step up the temp in my MLT. I did not move it around enough, and malt stuck to stick. That was a dark amber ale, so the scorching did not hurt much.

So, they don't scorch wort, but can scorch the mash.

YMMV

The Pol said:

I dont know why...

But I know a guy that scorched the HECK out of a batch with a HWD 2000W element. SO much so that the element was covered in gooey goodness.

This being said, apparently he is the only guy.

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Was it AG or extract? Again, I claim no expertise in this arena since I just built my e-kettle, but I would have serious reservations about using my e-kettle with an extract recipe. Pouring extract on or near a hot element can't be a good idea. Since I am AG, I have less reservations. I have done some test boils with my system and have not found any scorching.

HarkinBanks said:

Was it AG or extract? Again, I claim no expertise in this arena since I just built my e-kettle, but I would have serious reservations about using my e-kettle with an extract recipe. Pouring extract on or near a hot element can't be a good idea. Since I am AG, I have less reservations. I have done some test boils with my system and have not found any scorching.

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It was AG.............

Just to let anyone who cares know. I installed my two 2000 HWD elements into my kettle. And tested them with a batch yesterday. Absolutely no scorching or burnt wort taste whatsoever. Worked fantastic

Yea I agree, I use 2 @ 2000 watts and have no scorching. Not sure it is a great idea to run the element w/ just the first runnings if your mash was thick?? I have even used my 2000 w heatstick to raise mash temps by stirring w/ the stick...just dont stop stirring!

Who ever said "scorching" was a bad thing, I'm having a nice amber right now that coul use a bit more melanoiden...j/k

I tried a 3800W HD element once and that scorched. Seems like most people report the 2000W elements not though. Somewhere there must be a threshold.