potential half mash problem...

Well, I just brewed my second batch. It was a half mash that used 13 oz of specialty grains with 2 lbs DME and 3.3 lbs LME. Also, bittering/finishing hops.

I was brewing at a friends house, and we use a butane stove. The grain was put in, temperature brought to 165 and maintained for 20 minutes. The water was then brought to a full boil, and the DME and LME was added. Once the water had returned to a boil, bittering hops were added.

All was going well until forty minutes in...fifteen minutes before we would add the finishing hops. Butane ran out, and it was our last can. So we used a portable electric element stove, which was capable of keeping the wort very hot but *not* actually boiling it. So, we waited twenty minutes for it to heat (it was at the stage just before a weak boil)...then added finishing hops. We left the finishing hops in for ten minutes rather than five, since it was a lower temperature.

What can we expect? It shouldn't be *that* far off, right? RIGHT!?

You should be fine. Looks like you got a good 40 minute boil, so your hop utilization will be a bit lower than that of a 60 minute boil. Bitterness will be slightly less, but I see no worries. FWIW I have three 20# LP tanks and I always make sure that two of them are full the day prior to brew day.
Jeff

pariah said:

Well, I just brewed my second batch. It was a half mash that used 13 oz of specialty grains with 2 lbs DME and 3.3 lbs LME. Also, bittering/finishing hops.

Click to expand...

You may cause a civil war by calling this process a "half mash." What you actually did is called "steeping."
If you're truly interested in doing a half mash do a search for "partial mash." Lots of good stuff has been discussed in the last month or so. I highly recommend it, you're beers will love you for it.
Jeff

I've experienced brewious interruptus myself & it hasn't caused any problems. A little less bitter, but that's all. Maintaining a boil for the finishing hops isn't necessary.