30 minute boil and Clarity

[TexasWine]

Hey y'all. For those of you who regularly employ a 30 minute boil, have you noticed any difference in your beer's clarity?

My last four batches I've used this boil length. Three of them didn't have the clarity I'm used to seeing at kegging time. One was a recipe I've brewed several times, the other three brand new. Cold crash and gelatin were used on all.

 

[KrausenCrazedCanuck]

Hello Good Sir!
I haven't used this method before and i was wondering in what circumstances would you do a 30 minute boil?
saves me starting a new thread.
thanks

 

[TexasWine]

Hello Good Sir!
I haven't used this method before and i was wondering in what circumstances would you do a 30 minute boil?
saves me starting a new thread.
thanks

Great question, simple answer. For me, all circumstances. I try not to waste time while brewing. I know boil length is one the variables I can adjust to save time, just like mash time.

I'm wondering if a 30 minute boil works differently with certain grain bills...

 

[Mer-man]

I recently brewed three very pale beers (pilsner and pale ale malt) and boiled them 30 minutes. They did not turn out brilliantly clear, but I also used a large amount of hops (rate of about 1.6lbs/bbl) so there might be some hop haze.

 

[Psylocide]

I don't boil 30 mins but am curious, are you no-chill as well?

Using whirlfloc/irish moss in the boil?

 

[bransona]

As far as boiling and clarity are concerned, boiling causes the proteins in suspension to rise and then fall out of solution. Ergo a long, strong boil increases clarity. That being said, the main clarification at hand happens when hot break material is generated, and more so when it's yanked out of suspension by a fast chill. Irish moss improves clarity (loosely) by attaching heavier molecules to the proteins that would otherwise cause haze (particularly chill haze) and causing them to fall out of suspension with your hot break material.

With all that in mind, I would think a 30 minute boil would decrease but not ruin clarity. Irish moss and gelatin will help tremendously. If you want crystal clear brew, maybe run a 90-minute boil and a 30-minute boil as a split batch of one wort, then decide whether you will achieve this goal with your short boil.

All this being said, I spend very little time clarifying beer. I've read up on it, done it, and decided I just don't care that much unless I'm gonna submit it for judging :rockin:

 

[TexasWine]

As far as boiling and clarity are concerned, boiling causes the proteins in suspension to rise and then fall out of solution. Ergo a long, strong boil increases clarity. That being said, the main clarification at hand happens when hot break material is generated, and more so when it's yanked out of suspension by a fast chill. Irish moss improves clarity (loosely) by attaching heavier molecules to the proteins that would otherwise cause haze (particularly chill haze) and causing them to fall out of suspension with your hot break material.

With all that in mind, I would think a 30 minute boil would decrease but not ruin clarity. Irish moss and gelatin will help tremendously. If you want crystal clear brew, maybe run a 90-minute boil and a 30-minute boil as a split batch of one wort, then decide whether you will achieve this goal with your short boil.

All this being said, I spend very little time clarifying beer. I've read up on it, done it, and decided I just don't care that much unless I'm gonna submit it for judging :rockin:

Thanks for chiming in! I find the bit about fast chilling interesting. I used to do no chill and had crystal clear beer doing so. So my experience indicates a fast chill isn't necessary.

Good idea on the split batch. And unfortunately, I try to enter every beer I can into a competition so I probably am over concerned about clarity, at least with some beers.

 

[Mer-man]

I chill all my batches with an approx 50 foot copper immersion chiller made with thick-wall tubing and very cold groundwater, so I go from boiling to 16C in under 10 minutes.
I do use protafloc at 10 minutes in the boil as well.

I mentioned the hopstand mass because with my 80 shilling and xmas beer, both were super clear and had minimal hops but were also done with 30 minute boils.

So no, I have not noticed a difference.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

As far as boiling and clarity are concerned, boiling causes the proteins in suspension to rise and then fall out of solution. Ergo a long, strong boil increases clarity.

Faulty logic, you're implying that the amount of proteins that come out of suspension is a factor of boil duration, and so a 4 hour boil will have more hot break than a barely sufficient boil. In my experience, there's little difference in hot break between a 20 minute boil and a 3 hour boil. I've yet to see any convincing evidence otherwise.

That being said, the main clarification at hand happens when hot break material is generated, and more so when it's yanked out of suspension by a fast chill.

While a common comment, and it might indeed be technically true. I've seen just as much break material, and wort clarity, from a 15 minute chill and a 12 hour no chill.

With all that in mind, I would think a 30 minute boil would decrease but not ruin clarity. Irish moss and gelatin will help tremendously. If you want crystal clear brew, maybe run a 90-minute boil and a 30-minute boil as a split batch of one wort, then decide whether you will achieve this goal with your short boil.

I agree completely. A simple comparison to do, shouldn't take much effort.