Help!!! Stove Can't Reach Boil

So I recently moved and I am brewing for the first time on my new stove. I am now realizing that I should have tested its boiling capacity before brewing. Now I realize I need to get a turkey fryer or a heating element.

It seems to have plateaued around 200 degrees and can't get to a boil. The first solution that comes to mind is just adding the extract and then extending the hop time a bit to try to get their full potential. Thoughts?

Take some water out, or position the pot across two burners.

I only have 2.5 gallons in there, but I'll try straddling burners.

2 burners, 2 pots or both

good luck!!

Straddling two burners worked!!! Thank you thank you thank you! This has been a frustrating couple hours.

steady as she goes, lad

pour yourself a cold one and enjoy the bubbles

I've been there before. Glad it worked out for you!

I would recommend getting a burner outside later on. One thing I've noticed is that even with an exhaust hood, enough water vapor in the kitchen will leave tan drippings on the walls, cabinets, etc. I'm in the process of getting one myself to save my kitchen, and they look like they reach a boil much faster as well.

Because of the move I've completely demolished the sad little pipeline I had managed to put together... Just cracked my last beer.

Any instant fermentation techniques? :cross:

Prime said:

Any instant fermentation techniques? :cross:

Click to expand...

Go to the market and buy some tequila.

Perhaps that's not instant fermentation per se, but hell, it gets the job done.

Definitely go get a propane burner. I did after just one attempt on my stove. Yeah, I reached a boil by straddling two burners, but it took 2.5 hrs. to do so. With my Blichmann burner (now converted to NG), I reached a boil in about 20 minutes.

Prime said:

Because of the move I've completely demolished the sad little pipeline I had managed to put together... Just cracked my last beer.

Any instant fermentation techniques? :cross:

Click to expand...

Wasn't there some thing recently that you could pour into a bottle of soda and turn it into alcohol.

Yeah, just buy like 50 of those and drink up!

If your thinking of going propane outdoors, now is a good time. Costco has their tanks on closeout. As i bought a 20lb tank yesterday that has the gauge showing how full the tank is for 20 dollars. A steal i thought.

Prime said:

Any instant fermentation techniques? :cross:

Click to expand...

There are products they sell that cut down on brewing time. The grain is pre-mashed, the wort is already boiled and hopped, it's been fermented, carbonated and conditioned for you. You can even choose to buy them one at a time or in groups of 6 or 12!

But what's the fun in that?

Is there really going to be a big difference in the quality of your beer between 200F and 212F??

It is pretty important to actually reach a boil for the sulfur compounds to evolve and boil off. If they aren't removed during the boil, they can form dimethyl sulfide, which contributes a cooked cabbage or corn-like flavor to the beer.

Water boils at 210-212 degrees, depending on your altitude. 212 at sea level and 210 around 1,000 ft. elevation. So unless you are over 7000 ft. elevation, 200 deg. won't get you there.

Naked_Eskimo said:

Is there really going to be a big difference in the quality of your beer between 200F and 212F??

Click to expand...

You also need the evaporation to get down to the batch size/OG that you want.

do you have a glass-top stove? They limit the amount of heat the burner can produce, so they don't crack the surface.

I have no problems boiling 5 gallons on a single old-fashioned coil burner

prosper said:

do you have a glass-top stove? They limit the amount of heat the burner can produce, so they don't crack the surface.

I have no problems boiling 5 gallons on a single old-fashioned coil burner

Click to expand...

I have a glass top stove and really struggled to reach a boil. That's why I bought a burner and couldn't be happier.

I also have a (I guess glass top?) stove. It's just flat and has some red circles that glow under it. It boils water pretty fast but I don't like all of the vapors in my kitchen. It kills my AC unit too because it raises my temp by like 5 degrees in the house. I'm looking forward to buying a burner and doing some outdoor brews this fall/winter in the cold! Maybe even use a snow pile as a wort chiller

I have only ever used crappy college stoves and basic coil electric stoves and I have always been able to boil at least 5 gallons pretty easily.

devilishprune said:

Wasn't there some thing recently that you could pour into a bottle of soda and turn it into alcohol.

Yeah, just buy like 50 of those and drink up!

Click to expand...

It's called rum or whiskey.

Waunabeer said:

I have a glass top stove and really struggled to reach a boil. That's why I bought a burner and couldn't be happier.

Click to expand...

Same here.

Don't people insulate their brewpots sometimes, to get it warmer faster? Can't you wrap it in aluminum foil and that supposedly helps?

Anybody tried it and noticed a difference?

I made a wrapper for my BK with automotive firewall insulation. It helps a lot, as a matter of fact.

I had this problem when I moved too (though I'm doing full ~8 gallon boils). The old stove used to be able to handle it, but the new one has a much smaller coil. I bought a turkey friar on sale at ace, and it's been great brewing on my tiny balcony.

You should grab some heavy duty tin foil and wrap the bottom of the pot. I like to make a kind of loose 'tent' with it that keeps more heat close to the pot. Should work well for ~2 gallons.

What I have done in the past is put the lid on until it begins to boil, then once I get a good boil, I place the lid where is is half over the pot and half off... It helps hold the heat in, but still allows for evaporation.

mmurray said:

What I have done in the past is put the lid on until it begins to boil, then once I get a good boil, I place the lid where is is half over the pot and half off... It helps hold the heat in, but still allows for evaporation.

Click to expand...

So you don't get any "cabbage" flavor in your beer this way? That's what I'd worry about with a covered boil...

No... that's why I don't cover during the boil... just fully cover to retain heat to get the water to a rolling boil. Then by having the lid half way on it helps reflect/contain the heat enough to keep it at a light rolling boil, but the nasties can still evaporate out.