Not quite "rolling" boil

[haighter]

So I brewed my second batch this weekend and I think all went well.

I did notice however, that I never really achieved a strong, rolling boil. I started out with a pretty good boil but then I added my LME and first hops and it just kinda subsided. The pot was obviously hot, and looking closely at the wort, it was evident that stuff was "moving around" in there (could see little hop pieces moving and so on). However the water wasn't bubbling like it would if I was making soup or pasta.

Anyways, I think everything turned out fine. It was a 90minute boil and the beer is fermenting away like crazy right now (24 hours after racking). Just curious as to why my boil never seemed to take off and whether other people experience this.

 

[Stoopidwon]

3 of my 4 brews all reached this same type of boil, never a vicious boil. So far they have all turned out well. Its nice because at this rate i dont think I'm gonna ever have a boil over, has allowed me to add approx 1 extra gallon to my pot, closer to a full boil.

 

[pretzelb]

I thought I just saw an online article by Charlie that said a rolling boil is important.

 

[Yooper]

I thought I just saw an online article by Charlie that said a rolling boil is important.

Yes, it is. A rolling boil is required for proper hops utlization. It also helps you get a good "hot break". For all-grain batches, you especially need a good rolling boil to boil off volatiles like DMS.

If the wort just sort of simmers, the oils from the hops don't isomerize as well. You may have less bitter beer as a result. In other words, the wort may be a bit sweeter than planned.

If it's an extract batch, you can just simply add the extract at the end if that much volume decreases the boil. (Adjust the bittering hops, though, because you'll get better hops utilization. Check with some software, or ask one of us to check it, because the beer can be quite a bit more bitter). If it's an AG batch, it's doubly important to get a good boil.

 

[Stoopidwon]

When discussing a rolling boil, Does it have to have the crazy boil over reaction or just the surface of the water "popping" I imagine a rolling boil as fairly vicious action.

 

[haighter]

All good answers. Still the question remains: how to achieve the rolling boil? I had my gas burner turned up to "High". If I covered the pot it would boil over and dislodge the lid in a matter of a minute or two. But I've read that you don't want to cover the boil as harmful vapors can get trapped and produce really bad flavors.

Seems like a catch-22 to me. Cover = strong boil, bad taste. Uncovered = light boil, ?? taste.

 

[UnaBonger]

I boil on my stove stop too and I typically leave the lid on until the boil is reached, then remove the lid or at the very least rest the lid in the pot so that the pot is vented... I've never had any known issues from doing it this way.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

When discussing a rolling boil, Does it have to have the crazy boil over reaction or just the surface of the water "popping" I imagine a rolling boil as fairly vicious action.

It needs to be vigorous enough to make you think "yeah, I'd better watch this buggar just in case it escalates" If it leaves you totally unconcerned about a boil over, then it's probably not a good enough boil. Having said that, I will walk away from the boil after ten minutes when i am happy with it. But then again, I am in the garage, not the kitchen.

 

[bgburdman9]

I used fermcap for the first time for my batch today and i boiled mine much more vigorously than usual. I even left to go the store to get some ice after adding my 60 minutes hops and was not really worried about it boiling over.

 

[MrVagabond]

To get a good rolling boil on a gas stove, I just used tinfoil to partially cover my pot. Then I would periodically take it off completely because the temperature would maintain itself for a few minutes.

 

[haighter]

To get a good rolling boil on a gas stove, I just used tinfoil to partially cover my pot. Then I would periodically take it off completely because the temperature would maintain itself for a few minutes.

This is what I was looking for. An easy, DIY solution.

We'll see how my two brews come out that didn't quite "roll". From wort samples they seem not terrible, so I'm not worried.

Next batch though, I'll give it a whirl.

 

[bonzombiekitty]

My first batch didn't have a proper rolling boil because I was too nervous about boil over, and I noticed it didn't have much hoppiness to it when I tried it before bottling. Still tasted fine, but probably more malty than intended by the kit I was using.

But my two batches since then have boiled well. Thankfully, my pot is big enough that even with 5 gallons, going full boil, I'm not likely to boil over.

 

[dpittard]

Covering the pot with the lid can help with heat retention and help you achieve your boil, but it can also lead to trouble. Murphy's Law has its own brewing corollary: "If it can boil over, it will boil over." Covering the pot and turning your back on it is the quickest way to achieve a boilover. If you cover the pot, watch it like a hawk.

Once you achieve a boil, only partially cover the pot, if at all. Why? Because in wort there are sulfur compounds that evolve and boil off. If they aren't removed during the boil, the can form dimethyl sulfide which contributes a cooked cabbage or corn-like flavor to the beer. If the cover is left on the pot, or left on such that the condensate from the lid can drip back in, then these flavors will have a much greater chance of showing up in the finished beer.

Taken from the online version of the First Edtion of How to Brew.

 

[JediJoel]

All good answers. Still the question remains: how to achieve the rolling boil? I had my gas burner turned up to "High".

Are you on a stove-top? If you don't want to cover the pot because of the possible side-effects and can't get better heat because of your stove burners, you can always reduce your boil size. I have a 5.5 gal pot and I've noticed I have to keep my boils around 4.25 in order to get a good rolling boil. 4.5 and I just get a lot of swirls that don't break the surface.

Also (just my thoughts, haven't checked them out yet), I would assume that the higher the OG of the boil, the more heat you will need to achieve a rolling boil. The liquid is denser and you've just got more stuff to heat up... makes sense in my head. And I think Yopper's head cause she suggested late addition extract as a possible solution.

 

[haighter]

Are you on a stove-top? If you don't want to cover the pot because of the possible side-effects and can't get better heat because of your stove burners, you can always reduce your boil size. I have a 5.5 gal pot and I've noticed I have to keep my boils around 4.25 in order to get a good rolling boil. 4.5 and I just get a lot of swirls that don't break the surface.

Yes it's stove top. If I reduce the boil size, I assume that means just starting with less water. I think it's important to note that I do partial mash with the grains and the instructions I've been following call for 3 gallons of water (more or less) to steep in. I don't add anymore water beyond that, just the malt extract and hops.

Perhaps I can steep with less and make up for it after cooling and pouring the wort to the fermenter, then topping off with water to 5gal mark. Does this sound about right?

Also really liking the tin foil partial cover idea. I put the lid on a few times and it boiled over in less than a minute, so it's clearly hot enough. It's just that a lot of stuff evaporates on the surface so it never quite gets to that ideal rolling state.

 

[pretzelb]

All good answers. Still the question remains: how to achieve the rolling boil? I had my gas burner turned up to "High". If I covered the pot it would boil over and dislodge the lid in a matter of a minute or two. But I've read that you don't want to cover the boil as harmful vapors can get trapped and produce really bad flavors.

Seems like a catch-22 to me. Cover = strong boil, bad taste. Uncovered = light boil, ?? taste.

If you're on a stove with a large amount of water then you know understand why people use turkey fryers and outside gas burners. To heat a large amount of water you need more than what most stoves can handle. You can work around it but there are limits.

So your obvious choices are either cut down the water / size in the pot or increase the heat you throw at the pot.

 

[whalenutz]

Buy a burner and you will not have this question again, but before i hade some 10 to 12 batches in my kitchen before investing in a propane burner, never had issues making a great ipa, imo it was a great buy just for the looks, Blichmann SS bruner with leg extensions awesome!!!

 

[TimWeber]

Partially covering the pot will help bring the boil up, and maintain a strong boil. You can also construct a heat stick. That would help immensely. Costs maybe $20 bucks to make one.

I would recommend getting a spray bottle full of water to help reduce the foam when the boil starts, and turn down the heat till it subsides. After the hot break you shouldn't have to worry too much about boilovers, though stay vigilant! Sometimes there is a second hotbreak.

 

[JediJoel]

3 gallons of water (more or less) to steep in. I don't add anymore water beyond that, just the malt extract and hops.

Perhaps I can steep with less and make up for it after cooling and pouring the wort to the fermenter, then topping off with water to 5gal mark. Does this sound about right?

If you like the consistency of your mash then go for the tin-foil method. If you think you can use less water in your mash, then reduce the ratio. I use 1.5 qt. of water per lb of grain. I've seen anywhere from 1.25 - 2 qt.

And, yeah, get a burner if you can. In the meantime I will suffer through stove-top brewing with you. Those jerks and their fancy burners think they can flame up our stove-top thread. I'll show you! I make a damn fine beer on my stove, DAMN FINE BEER! *looks for burners on sale*

 

[bonzombiekitty]

I was pleasantly surprised that I could get a bit under 5gal boiling nicely on my stove. Granted, it takes a while and I have to use the lid to get it to that point in a reasonable amount of time. But it does it. Hopefully I'll have a real outdoor burner to use in the summer.

 

[chibrewer]

Damn you people with your propane burners, I'm pretty sure my condo building has a rule about having large open flames on my wooden deck so it looks like I'm stuck with the stove for now. Thanks for all of these tips though, none of my first few batches have reached a real rolling boil (didn't think it was a problem) and none of them have had the real hoppy flavor that I was looking for. Lesson learned.