First Brewday...

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Sutpen

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Jul 11, 2007
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Charlottesville, VA
So...it's now 11:29 PM. My housemates have gone to bed. I'm boiling my wort on the stove (definitely springing for a propane burner) and I don't have a top, so I'm using tin foil. Haha, it's a little thrown-together, but I've been pretty diligent with the sanitation, so hopefully things'll pan out well. Uggh, wish me luck, I'll be adding hops in the next five minutes or so...:rockin:
 
Good luck. Just take your time and make notes on what it is that do.

*raises a glass* - metaphorically - 1336pm here!
 
Hey, I have a quick question if anybody's around. My stove/tin foil apparatus can get the wort up to just about 212, but i'm not getting any foam. In other words, there is definitely no risk of boiling over although the liquid is most definitely boiling. It's been almost twenty minutes since I added hops-- here's my 2-part question: Is it possible (probable at this point?) that I will not experience a hot break? And if so, will that "ruin" the beer?
 
Hey first Brewday buddy. I just finished starting to ferment a few hours ago! I also did not have a very large boil up and was wondering if this was bad haha. It would be great to know.
 
when using extract i have noticed that i get little if any hot-break other than right after the hops go in. oh yeah you don't want to cover beer w a lid while boiling. there are some off gases that can spoil the taste if they are not released.

good luck rdwhahb
happy brewing:rockin:
 
Personally, i don't know HOW you even CAN over the pot while boiling, won't that for sure make it boil over?? One would think.....
 
yep, you want the wort to boil down, losing some to evaporation, because what's evaporating are nasty tasting compounds that'll give funny taste to the beer, and make it lose long term stability (i.e. it'll skunk in the bottle sooner, rather than later)
 
Thanks for the advice, all. I'd read that the wort shouldn't be kept covered during the boil, and I did keep a space open for some evaporation to take place, but my stove couldn't get the wort hot enough to get much of a boil going unless I covered most of it. I'm not expecting this batch to be mind-blowing or anything-- it was more of an experience to inform my later batches, and I've already got a list of things to do differently next time, haha. First on list: get a propane burner...
 
Don't cover your kettle, not even a little:
http://www.homebrewzone.com/dimethyl-sulfide.htm

Covering your kettle causes the Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) to not be evaporated fully, (even if you leave a space for ventilation). It will cause a cooked corn or vegetable flavor in your beer which in certain brews isn't an all bad thing but you don't want it in most beers.

Cheers
 
Sutpen said:
Thanks for the advice, all. I'd read that the wort shouldn't be kept covered during the boil, and I did keep a space open for some evaporation to take place, but my stove couldn't get the wort hot enough to get much of a boil going unless I covered most of it. I'm not expecting this batch to be mind-blowing or anything-- it was more of an experience to inform my later batches, and I've already got a list of things to do differently next time, haha. First on list: get a propane burner...

I definitely recommend that you get a propane burner. I bought the cheap one at home depot for $45 and it cut my brewing time in half. Ceramic cooktops are definitely not for brewing beer. It took over an hour to get 2 gallons up to a boil on the stove and it was less than 15 min with the propane burner. Plus it's nice to brew out on the patio during the summer (I might change my mind once the Minnesota winter rolls around).
 
Sutpen said:
Thanks for the advice, all. I'd read that the wort shouldn't be kept covered during the boil, and I did keep a space open for some evaporation to take place, but my stove couldn't get the wort hot enough to get much of a boil going unless I covered most of it. I'm not expecting this batch to be mind-blowing or anything-- it was more of an experience to inform my later batches, and I've already got a list of things to do differently next time, haha. First on list: get a propane burner...

You can get a turkey fryer that comes with a propane burner for about 30 bucks. That way, you have your burner AND a pot that will allow you to do a full 5 gallon boil.

I do this out in my garage and couldn't imagine doing it any other way.

Some people hate using aluminum vs. stainless steel though...
 
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