split boil - any ill effects?

I brewed my second batch today - an Oatmeal Stout. I did a mini-mash with some oats, 2-row, roasted, crystal, and chocolate malts and then sparged and boiled with some extract. However, the 4-gallon pot I purchased for this task failed - it was so cheap that it could not bring the 3.5 gallons I had to a boil. I waited and waited and waited....hours and nothing. In the end I had to divide up the wort into two batches, transferred one at a time to a smaller, but functional pot, and boiled each independently. I split my 3oz of hop pellets into 1.5 oz portions and added one portion to each boil.

I don't know if I did the right thing, but I don't know what other choice I had. Everything seems OK, but... (I know, I know, DWHAHB)

1A) Will the prolonged heating of the extract/wort affect the beer (during the hours I waited to bring the pot to a boil I reached a maximum temp of about 195oF or so)?

1B) What is the point of the boiling the extract? Just for hopping?

2) How will hopping with 1.5 oz in ~1.75 gallons differ from hopping 3 oz in 3.5 gallons? Less extraction?

The OG was 1.056 and I think the wort tasted fine, so I am still excited about the beer, but I'm just curious about the above so as to know how it might have been different if things had gone as planned. Thanks.

I've had to split my boil before on stove-top; it turned out delicious anyways. Here's what I think:

1A) I don't think the wait will have harmed your beer too much. You at least got it to a boil eventually

1B) Yes, for hop utilization

2) It should get you to the same level of IBUs

Good luck, hope it all works out for you. Have a beer and relax

NO problem at all. I do split batches all the time on the stove. I boil two 2.5 gallon batches in the winter on the stove.

1B.1 - also boiling it will kill any bad things

2 - no worries - your taste buds realy can not taste anything that fine

BTW - you tasted your wort after boiling? And I thought I was in a hurry by always tasting just before bottling.

I've done all my batches with a split boil.

You will need 7 gallons to start instead of 6. I boil 3.5 to end up with 2.5 twich to end up with 5 gallons.

I you are sparging, your first runnings will be thicker than the second. So I put a third of my hops in the thicker wort and the other 2/3 in the thinner wort. I think the thinner wort pulls out the oils better than the thicker. Plus I like a hoppy brew.

JLem said:

1A) Will the prolonged heating of the extract/wort affect the beer (during the hours I waited to bring the pot to a boil I reached a maximum temp of about 195oF or so)?

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No.

1B) What is the point of the boiling the extract? Just for hopping?

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You need not boil the extract. Add it about 5 minutes before flame out. This will reduce the twangy taste of the extract.

2) How will hopping with 1.5 oz in ~1.75 gallons differ from hopping 3 oz in 3.5 gallons? Less extraction?

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No difference.

Grinder12000 said:

BTW - you tasted your wort after boiling? And I thought I was in a hurry by always tasting just before bottling.

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HA! I just wanted to make sure nothing tasted really off - I was in seriously unknown territory with this and was winging it all the way. The wort "cooked" for hours and hours and I was worried about it tasting really bitter or burnt.

impatient said:

I you are sparging, your first runnings will be thicker than the second. So I put a third of my hops in the thicker wort and the other 2/3 in the thinner wort. I think the thinner wort pulls out the oils better than the thicker. Plus I like a hoppy brew.

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I combined the sparge water with the wort and then divided it up (eventually), so both portions were identical. That's why I added half the hops to each.