boiling speed??

Does it make much of a difference if you bring your wort to a boil quickly over high heat as opposed to slowly over medium/medium-high? Probably a stupid question but I've got my first batch on the stove right now and I'm just curious...

Bring it to a boil as fast as you can without scorching the brew. A good hard boil is what you want......The faster you get it boiling the quicker you will be through brewing, but you dont want to burn anything in the bottom of the pot.(I think thats the biggest concern) I just recently started brewing in a 15gal keg. Its nice and thick on the bottom so I just crank my heat up as high as I can and stir it just a bit until it starts boiling. Will it make better beer bringing to a boil quickly or slowly...I just dont know.

It is possible to heat the wort too fast, but no way that would be an issue with brewing on a stovetop (only if you ever invest in uber-high BTU propane burners). Trust me, on the stove it's a bigger issue getting and maintaining the boil, not doing it too fast.

the_bird said:

Trust me, on the stove it's a bigger issue getting and maintaining the boil, not doing it too fast.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm realizing that now.... Good thing I'm also working on my increasing my bottle stockpile tonight

What you want it a rolling boil. I set my heat so most of the surface is covered with foam, except for the area where the vapor bubbles are coming up. The bubble stream should be strong enough to raise the area into a slight mound. This puts one close to a boil-over, so it needs watching. The pros aim for 4-8% volume reduction per hour.