full boil vs partial boil. How much difference does it really make?

[bregiz]

So I have seen it suggested here that full boil is most definitely the way to go.

but I was wondering, has anyone here brewed the same recipe using both techniques and if so, how noticeable was the difference, and which elements in particular were improved?

at the end of the day I guess my question is: Is the further investment in the gear needed for a full boil worth the resulting improvements?

 

[danorocks17]

without a doubt, the investment in the equipment is worth it. I did a gradual transition from extract to all grain, and one step was going to full boils. I saw the biggest improvement in the quality of my beer going from partial boil to full boil compared to anything else. Once you do a full boil and taste the final product, you will be amazed at how much difference it will make.

 

[mjdonnelly68]

Next time you make spaghetti sauce, add 40% water right at the end to get to volume. It's not quite the same, but it'll be close enough to convince you to buy a bigger pot which coincidentally, you can also use the next time you make spaghetti sauce.

From my experience here's the way brewing advice works: Are there folks out there who can make great beer with extract and/or without a yeast starter, full boil, wort chiller and fermentation temperature control? Yes, but chances are you aren't one of them.

Steady, incremental, proven improvements in process make for better beer. Why fight the odds?

 

[eric19312]

So I have seen it suggested here that full boil is most definitely the way to go.

but I was wondering, has anyone here brewed the same recipe using both techniques and if so, how noticeable was the difference, and which elements in particular were improved?

at the end of the day I guess my question is: Is the further investment in the gear needed for a full boil worth the resulting improvements?

Good question OP...ask for evidence. I tried googling and came up with indication that BYO published an experiment in October 2004 that suggested full boil is better, somewhat, but partial boil can be improved by adding half the extract at the end o he boil.

Basic Brewing Radio 3/4/2010 is really worth a listen. They (collab experiment with BYO) looked at a very hoppy beer and compared full boil, partial with extract boiled entire, and partial boil with half extract added at the end. Results were surprisingly very similar bitterness. Lightest color came from the adding half the extract at the end. Most interesting was that the OG was highest for the full boil and lowest for extract added at the end. 1.076 ... 1.070 ... 1.066. Explanation is that the full boil leaves less sugary wort entrained in the hop and trub left in the kettle. Probably they all leave about the same amount of liquid, just the more concentrated worts leave more concentrated liquid...

I'd say full boil is necessary step on way to all grain but not most important step in getting better beer from brewing with extract. Biggest improvements Ives seen there from beginning brewers in our club appears to come from improving sanitization, then temperature control, and yeast. Going full boil is absolutely necessary to go all grain but is a bit of PITA on stove top. It also pretty much requires getting a chiller which can also be a PITA in the kitchen.

 

[azazel1024]

One other option is full boil, but smaller batches. That is what I am working on right now with all grain. My first all grain batch was full boil, but only 2.5 gallons.

Though, that being said, it was technically somewhat less than that as I started with around 2.5 gallons and boiled down to about 2 gallons, so I still had to add some water at the end to hit the right OG.

In part I need a bigger pot as it is a 12qt pot. I have a 24qt in my amazon cart. That should allow me to start with 5.5 gallons which should end right around the 5 gallon mark (maybe a little less).

I don't otherwise have the equipment for a 5 gallon all grain batch though (I can really only get one 24qt pot right now, so says my wife). So I am going to have to do partial mash for 5 gallon batches, but at least for 2.5 gallon all grain it is easier for me to get to 3 gallons or so to boil down to 2.5 in the end.

 

[Malty_Dog]

I moved to full boils (7.5 g pot) and brew outside with Bayou Classic. Also picked up a wort chiller for $30 or so online. All excellent investments, IMO.

Smaller batch full boils are also a great recommendation if you don't want to sink more cost into your current setup.

 

[JimRausch]

I did partial mash/ partial boil batches for almost 2 years before this summer getting a 7.5G BK/turkey Fryer propane setup. The 2 times that I did AG batches on my 3G stovetop setup, I added a second 3G pot for the boil. Now THAT was a PITA.
I believe I made some pretty good beers with my old setup. But now that I am able to do full boils, and consequently All Grain, my beers have been much improved. I've also stepped up into the wonderful world of testing and tweaking my water according to style. I have yet to repeat a recipe from my old setup in my new setup, although my next batch (Ben's Doublealt) will be a repeat. What has been improved? The boil is definitely easier. I don't have to spend as much time hovering over the BK worrying about spillover on my wife's stove. Also, she doesn't have any complaints now about "that malty smell". So, I think, for me anyways, the whole process is easier. Most importantly, does the beer taste better? I think so, but I'm not an official judge, just an average brewer. For me, it has been a good upgrade. Your results may vary.

 

[dk21]

When I moved to full boil, I found the end result to be better and I haven't come across anyone who has ever said differently once they tried it. It was also nice to get more accurate color in my beer as well.

Full boil extract batches also serve as a good stepping stone if you might be interested in trying out all grain at some point in the future

 

[Beernik]

You wouldn't use the same hop schedule between partial and full boils. Or if you did use the same hop schedule, it would result in different bitterness levels because it is wort gravity dependent.

If you do a late extract addition , you have higher utilization than a full boil. If you add all extract at the beginning, you have lower than full boil utilization.

The main difference is you have less risk of an unplanned maillard reaction with a full boil. So the lighter colored the beer you want, the harder it is to do. Not impossible, just harder.

Also, if you add all the extract at the beginning, you may caramelize sugars during the boil because of the increased density. This will leave your beer sweeter than desired.

A bigger pot for full boils was the first upgrade I made. I thought my beers improved. It's also a necessary step on the road to AG brewing. So if that's where you are heading, it's an upgrade you will eventually be making.

By the way, long after I purchased my bigger pot, I discovered one of the cheapest places for giant SS pots is from restaurant supply stores.

Finally, along with a bigger pot, you also need a method of chilling the wort. 5 gallons takes a lot longer to cool than 3 gallons. And you won't be able to do an ice bath in the sink anymore.

 

[eric19312]

I've been full boil since my 6th or 7th batch but I did it in 2 5 gallon pots on a "pro" gas range. I then got a 11 gal kettle and still boiled in 2 (or 3) pots on that range and then combined in the big kettle boil to chill. This was because I knew I was headed to all grain, already had my immersion chiller, and also had read the common lore that full boil was in no question better (you can find that asserted in many many places on this board). And yes my beer steadily improved from barely drinkable at batch 1 & 2 to quite good (to my taste*) at batch 40. *my taste, also well liked by family and friends but my best score in a large competition has been a 36...lots of fine and not so fine points of the craft yet to learn...

So yes I moved to full boils and my beer got better...but I also changed many other parts of my process along the way so there is really no way to use my experience to prove full boil is better than partial boils--OP asked for side by side experiments that would quantify the improvement from that single change...

And the side by side experiments I was able to cite showed relatively minor benefits from going to full boil, many of which were obtainable with a partial boil with extract added late.

 

[JimRausch]

Just remembered that this year's Honey porter is a repeat of last year, although I tweaked the recipe by adding Brown Malt. This year's version is definitely better- more porter character(but that probably is the brown malt), and a hard-to-describe 'fresher taste'.