Stove Boil

I'm doing extract brews 2.5g boils on my gas stove top. The things is I have never really gotten a rolling boil, but I can get the temp to 170. Is this a problem?

I just wanted to make sure this was ok, I mean I can't even get close to a boil over if I tried.

Your stove wont boil 2.5 gallons of water? Wow, I thought mine was bad. I can barely get 3.5 gallons to boil on mine, so thats about what I use. Can you put the pot over 2 burners?

Are there any techniques to maximise the heat in the pot e.g. wrapping it in aluminium foil ?

The good news is you'll never have to worry about overheating your steeping grains.

I can't imagine a gas stove can't bring 2.5g above 170 degrees. Maybe there's something wrong with it.

The biggest issue you're going to run in to at 170 degrees is underutilization of your hops. Hop oils, which you're hoping to infuse in to your wort as they provide the alpha acid that you're looking to bitter your beer with, are only slightly soluble in water. However, when you boil your wort, those alpha acids are isomerized and the resulting iso-alpha acids are more soluble. So, in short, you want to be able to boil that wort to utilize those hops if you're not using a pre-hoped extract.

Read: Homebrew and Chemistry: Hop chemistry

Diablo said:

Are there any techniques to maximise the heat in the pot e.g. wrapping it in aluminium foil ?

Click to expand...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/improved-boiling-stovetop-53683/

I'm assuming you live in an apartment. I'd have management replace that range. I once had the same problem. It was a pain to get 3 gallons to boil.

Have you tried putting the lid on? Sounds basic but it will help the boil come on.

All is not lost. While boiling the hops is the way to go, you should still get hop flavor and aroma. There is a simple "advanced" technique called "first wort hopping" which is basically steeping hops before the boil. Basically this is what you'd be doing with your 170 temp range though 180 would be better.

Steeping hops in 180 wort for 30 minutes post-boil is a method many use for IPA's but no reason why it wouldn't help in your situation.

Good luck!

If the stove is a bust then investigate making "heat-sticks" that will help boil your wort.

Clonefarmer said:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/improved-boiling-stovetop-53683/

Click to expand...

Thanks. Will try it.

So by the responses it seems like I should be able to get this thing to a rolling boil ha?

Well I found a propane burner for 20 bucks on craigslist, I think I might go pick it up.

+ 1 on the burner

Do it. 170 will not sufficiently isomerize hops, denature enzymes, remove DMS, hit a hot break, modify PH, or most of the other reasons we boil in the first place. Propane burners are a godsend for us stove-top people.

i would deffinitly get the burner. Besides being easier and actually being able to reach boil- its portable Makes brewing other places possible also if your freinds ever wanna join in. Or for bigbrew

I ok I'm sold on getting the burner...is 20 bucks a good deal?

Also, would a turkey fryer pot be a good idea to get as well?

By the way, my last brew a beve hefe turned out a bit watery or had a bit of a lack of flavor. Could the lack of a boil be the cause? I've beent trying to figure this out...

20 bucks is a fantastic deal! And a turkey fryer pot would be handy for something I'm sure. The one that came with my burner was aluminum, so I just use it to heat water.

Brews in the garage are so much more fun, too

Man, I can get 3 gallons boiling on my ELECTRIC stove! Get the burner!

daveooph131 said:

I ok I'm sold on getting the burner...is 20 bucks a good deal?

Also, would a turkey fryer pot be a good idea to get as well?

By the way, my last brew a beve hefe turned out a bit watery or had a bit of a lack of flavor. Could the lack of a boil be the cause? I've beent trying to figure this out...

Click to expand...

20 is a great deal. I paid 40 for a pot and burner. There has been a longstanding debate on aluminum vs stainless but i used one for a long time with no problems. Your choice but its a cheap solution that works...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/faq-aluminum-pots-boil-kettles-49449/

scinerd3000 said:

20 is a great deal. I paid 40 for a pot and burner. There has been a longstanding debate on aluminum vs stainless but i used one for a long time with no problems. Your choice but its a cheap solution that works...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/faq-aluminum-pots-boil-kettles-49449/

Click to expand...

I was just looking at that debate....I don't see any reason why aluminium would be a problem. I'm not even sure what my pot is now, I'll have to ask my girlfriend since it is hers.

How many btu's does the burner provide? There might be a reason for it being so cheap.

daveooph131 said:

I was just looking at that debate....I don't see any reason why aluminium would be a problem. I'm not even sure what my pot is now, I'll have to ask my girlfriend since it is hers.

Click to expand...

just make sure you season the aluminum pot. You can either put it in the oven to bake for a bit or boil water in it for a little bit until you get an oxide coating...

As for BTU's, some burners are more than others but generally they are made to bring a vat of oil up to heat successfully so if your buying a burner with a pot, assume its enough heat to bring to a boil.

You'll probably be fine as the above poster states but really it is risky to assume anything- especially in brewing.

Murphy's law is the law of the land in Brew-topia.

I love brewing outside on a burner! It's fun to bring friends over, have some brews, and cook up a batch of beer on a nice day.