Is my boil aggressive enough?

Do I need to have an aggressive boil? People talk about boilovers but on my electric stove (extracts) and my propane burner (AG) I've never gotten close to a boilover and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong.

I have a nice gentle rolling boil but nothing that would even remotely look like its going to boil over the pot. I probably have about 3.5" headspace at the top of the pots when I'm doing both boils.

Also, should I be stirring for the hour the wort is boiling or just leave it alone?

Thanks guys, doing my Midwest Irish Stout extract right now.

Tim

Most of the time my beers start to look foamy right before the boil and then they start to grow! Sometimes a foot of headspace is not enough. Watch for it... it will get you!

As long as you're reaching a rolling boil, I'd say you're good. I stay on top of things when the hot break is happening, stirring and keeping the foam from covering all of the surface. Once that subsides I generally stir during other additions including hops, etc. Beyond that however, I may stir it a couple of times for the heck of it, but I mostly let the rolling boil take care of its own stirring.

The only time I've had a boil over was due to operator error, in that I naively put the lid on the pot to help it boil quicker after steeping the specialty grains. And it sure did boil quicker. Heh.

I also have never had a boilover. I get a good, gently rolling boil... then I back off the heat just a bit. My friend (who often has to watch for the boilovers) has said that he thinks they happen when he doesn't stir often enough. So yes, I do stir throughout the boil.

timm747 said:

I've never gotten close to a boilover and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong.

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Are you adding hops? If you want to experience boilover, throw a couple ounces of pellets in just as the wort is starting to boil and the hot break is piling up....

See, that's the thing. I'm not sure I'm seeing a "hot break". The wort is definitely in a rolling boil though.

I stir occassionally throughout the boil. Nothing serious, like every ten minutes. Just a good stir every ten does the trick. Ive never had a boil over, even when I add hops at the 45 min mark. Even tho Im a huge Flyers fan, I have to say I agree with Brewzilla. Get the rolling boil going then back off the heat a bit. Itll keep going. Popane burners are clutch, easy to control the heat.

I just finished, it was a little off. It ended at 1.039 and it was supposed to be 1.042-1.046. Will this effect the flavor profile??? What could I have done to bring it up higher, added DME? How do you know how much to add if you have a slightly low SG?

Thanks!

T

I never understood the aggressive boil. Your wort isn't getting any hotter than 212F. You are just wasting gas.

it wont really affect the flavor. only the abv of the finished product. i made and IPA today that was supposed to be 1.059 and it ended up 1.049. just wont be as strong. unless youre way off the OG mark it wont change the flavor. if youre way off then of course it will be different. like drinkin a whisky thats only 10% instead of 40%. just wont taste right

timm747 said:

I've never gotten close to a boilover and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong.

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No, you're doing something right. Boilovers are nasty. You're not missing anything. I'm still cleaning up residue from my boilover on Wednesday night.

Chudz said:

The only time I've had a boil over was due to operator error...

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Same here. Just when you're convinced "it won't happen to me" is just when it boils over and leaves you with an intensely nasty mess. Be thankful it hasn't happened to you and keep doing whatever you're doing. It's working.

From what i've read, you might not get a hot break using extracts, it's been debated before. In theory, i would think the hot break happened when the extract was made. Did they not boil the mash before condensing it? I'm sure they must have, and would have experinced the hot break already.

doctorRobert said:

From what i've read, you might not get a hot break using extracts, it's been debated before. In theory, i would think the hot break happened when the extract was made. Did they not boil the mash before condensing it? I'm sure they must have, and would have experinced the hot break already.

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They don't boil the mash runnings to make DME. They spray it as a fine mist into the top of a tall heated chamber and it dries into a powder as it falls to the bottom. I think LME may be different, and probably goes through a hot break during processing. I know I got a good hot break both of the times I brewed an extract batch, but I've never used LME. I've also added DME at the end of a boil to up the SG of a couple of brews, and saw a good hot break then too.

JuanMoore said:

They don't boil the mash runnings to make DME. They spray it as a fine mist into the top of a tall heated chamber and it dries into a powder as it falls to the bottom. I think LME may be different, and probably goes through a hot break during processing. I know I got a good hot break both of the times I brewed an extract batch, but I've never used LME. I've also added DME at the end of a boil to up the SG of a couple of brews, and saw a good hot break then too.

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Yes I know it's sprayed into a mist a silo to make DME, that doesnt mean it was never boiled. So that doesnt mean anything. That beings said, I usually use LME, because it's better *if fresh!*, i've used dme before, and now that i think of it, I do notice a different consistency in the boil, more stuff in it, i.e. color varied greatly, so you may very well be right...

But I always have a fan pointing at my brew pot since I brew in doors, and it really works in regards to preventing boil over.


Also not all extracts are the same... entirely reasonable for some to create a hot break and others to not.