Hey guys, I am making my first brew, and I am doing a 4 gallon partial boil, and I haven't gotten a heat break yet (its barely foaming up). Is this okay? It has been boiling for quite some time (about 15-20 min with only the LME in it and about another 26 min with the bittering hops) Its definately boiling, maybe not the hardest boil ever, but its boiling and moving everything around with the bubbles. Is this okay?
No heat break
- Thread starter dest149
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Generally speaking there is often little or no hot break with extract beers. Usually the break happens when they are making the extract at the maltser's.
If there's little or no proteins in the steeping grains (if you are using any, then you won't get much true break.) When you do partial mashes or ag brewing is when you start seeing a lot of hot break.
If there's little or no proteins in the steeping grains (if you are using any, then you won't get much true break.) When you do partial mashes or ag brewing is when you start seeing a lot of hot break.
I usually only get a half inch or less hot break with the DME I use in the boil. But throw in 1lb of plain wheat DME,& it's hot break hell!
StophJS
Well-Known Member
But don't get cocky and start walking away assuming it won't happen. When I was brewing a milk stout with 6 lb DME last Tuesday I had a massive hot break and could easily have had one nasty boilover.
Duly noted
That agrees with what I have read, but doesn't agree with my experience. I always used to get a large amount of break with extract beers, and even adding hops caused excessive foaming if I didn't remove the heat. However, it's been 18 years since I last made an extract beer. Perhaps things have changed during that time. I know that nowadays I don't get any additional foaming when adding hops.
-a.
But NOT getting it doesn't mean there's nothing wrong....
Different extracts are going to react different, as are different steeping grains, as is different water chemistry. I've had some that had a lot as well BUT for the purpose of the OP's question, not having any, or having very little means absolute nothing to the overall final beer.
I don't have a problem with not getting any, it made my brewing much easier, as I was doing a 4 gallon partial boil in a 5 gallon pot and I had about an inch or two of space left for the heat break.
I just wasn't sure if I had done something wrong which caused it not to appear
