How easy is it to burn during the boil?

[zfite731]

I'm VERY new to home brew. This would have been my second batch. My first brew ever turned out great but this one, not so much.

i used LME and as the boil went on, i never got that heavy foam and then it just settled down but still boiling. After the 60 minutes, i had a really heavy goop-like substance that smelled and looked burnt.

Any thoughts, comments?

 

[frazier]

How much water in the boil? How much LME in the water?

A lot of people add half the LME at the start, and the other half toward the end of the boil. This helps avoid scorching.

Whenever you do add LME, turn off the heat, add the LME, and stir stir stir. Then, make sure it is fully mixed by stirring some more. Then turn the flame back on.

Good luck!

 

[unionrdr]

Are you doing a full or partial boil? I have to do partial boils,& use half a 3lb bag of plain DME in a 2.5-3 gallon boil for hop additions. Then add remaining DME & all the LME at flame out. Cover & steep 10-15 minutes. Since the temps are still 180F+,it's more than hot enough to pasteurize,which happens at 162F. Gives lighter color,& cleaner flavor.

 

[zfite731]

the recipe i was using called for just one gallon of water to steep the grains in beforehand, discard the grains and bring to a boil. take of heat and add 2 cans(6.6 lbs.) of LME. I added LME while stirring and turned the heat back on to bring to a boil. After 60 minutes it was very thick and looked burnt. While boiling, i didn't cover the pot so i thought that using that small amount of water that it could have evaporated all or most of the water. WHat do you think?

 

[unionrdr]

I've read this dillema before. I never use less than 2.5 gallons of water. Even when steeping,which is less volume critical than mashing. Although proper steeping temps must still be observed. 150F-165F is a good steep temp range. I'm beginning to prefer 155F-160F myself,30 minutes being good.
This way,you have more water volume to keep the wort thinner so it's harder to burn. But it still should be stirred frequently to help keep it moving in the kettle.

 

[zfite731]

Thanks guys!! Lots of great help on this site.

 

[gr8shandini]

Unfortunately, you're not the first to get screwed by poorly written kit instructions. Before you try again, I recommend reading "How to Brew" by John Palmer. The paper copy is the better 3rd edition, but the 1st is available online for free ( www.howtobrew.com ) and is still really good.

And what the others said is true. You should be using about 2.5 gallons and take it off the heat while you mix in the extract. Also, a gentle simmer is just fine for an extract batch. That way you avoid excessive boil-off and lower your chances for scorching the wort.

 

[unionrdr]

Simmering alone isn't good for an extract brew if hop additions are being done. I found that out the hard way. A heavy simmer/gentle boil is the minimum needed to get any hop flavor when all is said & done. My last burner started craping out,& a simmer was the best I could do. Not much hop flavor at all,Boy was I pissed that I also didn't keep the bottles in a warmer room upstairs in cold weather. Double wammy,almost no carbonation either.
No matter what style of brewing is being used,a good boil is a must for hop additions.,& clarity to a point as well.

 

[gr8shandini]

Simmering alone isn't good for an extract brew if hop additions are being done. I found that out the hard way. A heavy simmer/gentle boil is the minimum needed to get any hop flavor when all is said & done. My last burner started craping out,& a simmer was the best I could do. Not much hop flavor at all,Boy was I pissed that I also didn't keep the bottles in a warmer room upstairs in cold weather. Double wammy,almost no carbonation either.
No matter what style of brewing is being used,a good boil is a must for hop additions.,& clarity to a point as well.

Is it possible that the lack of carbonation caused the lack of perceived hop flavor? There are some good reasons for having a boil going, but hop utilization isn't one of them. The hops will isomerize regardless of the intensity of the boil. In fact, they'll isomerize at temperatures below boiling, just at a lower rate.

http://www.probrewer.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=21498
http://brianbeer.blogspot.com/2008/03/importance-of-full-wort-boil.html
http://www.beerandloafing.org/hbd/fetch.php?id=91368

Since the majority of the wort in an extract batch has already been boiled in the extraction process, a rolling boil isn't critical with typical extract brewing. If you were doing all-grain or a mini-mash, on the other hand, you'd want a good rolling boil.

 

[david_42]

If you can't do a larger boil, then I would recommend boiling just the water and hops. Once that is done, shut the heat off and stir in the LME. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then cool.