TrojanMan
Well-Known Member
When extract brewing, one of the "problems" is poor hop utilization rates. Higher gravity and low volume of the smaller boil are cited as the main problems. To get better utilization, use more water in the boil or lower the gravity.
So my question today is:
Can a secondary (parallel) boil be used to boost utilization rate?
That is, boil ~90% of your extract with some of your hops and then, in a separate pot, boil a good portion of your brewing water with just a little bit of extract and the majority of your hops. Upon mixing later as it goes into primary, you're able to take advantage of the better utilization rate from the lower-gravity boil.
Is that silly or should one just stick to a single pot and use more hops to get the desired bitterness?
FWIW, this is is anticipation of brewing an imperial pilsner in the near future.
So my question today is:
Can a secondary (parallel) boil be used to boost utilization rate?
That is, boil ~90% of your extract with some of your hops and then, in a separate pot, boil a good portion of your brewing water with just a little bit of extract and the majority of your hops. Upon mixing later as it goes into primary, you're able to take advantage of the better utilization rate from the lower-gravity boil.
Is that silly or should one just stick to a single pot and use more hops to get the desired bitterness?
FWIW, this is is anticipation of brewing an imperial pilsner in the near future.