Question about full boil extract and hop additions.

[AWilliams]

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster. I have previously brewed around 8 extract kits with the first few being partial(2.5) gallon boils. After reading that full boil may produce better beer, I purchased a 10 gallon kettle and produced two really nice IPAs. Then I brewed a blonde ale for my wife, full boil, hop additions as directed by the kit instructions. It turned out pretty bad, very hoppy with no malt backbone to support it. One drink and she was out, so, of course, it fell to me to drink all of them.

After this batch I did some reading about hop utilization and decided to purchase beer smith. Inputting the blonde recipe with my equipment I was shown just how high the IBUs were. I didn't notice with the IPAs I suppose, because, they are supposed to be hoppy.

I have a brown ale kit I would like to brew in the next few days. Beer Smith tells me I should simply lower the three hop additions from 1oz to .55. Does this sound correct to those that do full boil extract kits? I'd prefer to not have a heavily hopped brown ale.

 

[pablosbrewing]

Seems right to me.

• Enter the actual AA of your hops that you have
• Enter the actual boil volume you will start with

 

[mblanks2]

Seems right to me.

• Enter the actual AA of your hops that you have
• Enter the actual boil volume you will start with

...or stick to partial boil. Can't say that a full boil is going to make better beer.

 

[Sailingeric]

Get Beersmith or Brewers Friend and play around with the hop and volumes. There can be a difference due to the utilization at full boil. Plus side of doing full boils is that your extract will not darken as much.

 

[AWilliams]

Get Beersmith or Brewers Friend and play around with the hop and volumes. There can be a difference due to the utilization at full boil. Plus side of doing full boils is that your extract will not darken as much.

I have Beersmith, I just wanted to make sure it's calculations seemed correct to more experienced brewers. By summer I hope to be all grain brewing and this won't really be a worry then.

 

[pablosbrewing]

...or stick to partial boil. Can't say that a full boil is going to make better beer.

There are lots of reasons why you would want to. Being able to make a final beer above ~50 IBU is just one.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/media/pdf-printouts/full_wort_boils.pdf