Slow rolling or fast vigorous boil?

[s2cmpugh]

Which method is better and why? My thoughts would be a fast vigorous boil to help extract flavor from the hops and allow the molecules to collide more often....or I could be thinking too much.

Thanks!

 

[AJBrew710]

I wouldn't think about it too much. As long as it's actually a rolling boil and not just bubbling here and there, I think you're good. The thing that this will probably affect most is your evaporation rate.

 

[Bmorebrew]

The molecular kinetic energy is a function of temperature. Both a rolling boil and a wildly vigorous boil are at the same temperature for a given liquid, that is even if you crank up the gas and boil harder, the temperature will only go the boiling point and not beyond. You are only controlling the rate at which the liquid evaporates.

Personally I favor a moderate rolling boil since I do it in my kitchen and there is far less chance for boil over, plus I can keep my boil rate the same batch to batch.

 

[jonmohno]

Boil it hard as you can.Also i have a question: does a boil get above 212?or does it just stop.Just figuring my dial guage thermometer calibration.

 

[AJBrew710]

Boil it hard as you can.Also i have a question: does a boil get above 212?or does it just stop.Just figuring my dial guage thermometer calibration.

Hotter than 212 and water becomes steam, so the boil itself will always max out at 212.

 

[Bmorebrew]

Pure water at sea level will boil at 212. Higher altitudes will result in lower boiling temperatures. Also, the more stuff you dissolve in the water, the higher the boiling point elevation you will experience, though it won't be very noticeable in this capacity, less than a degree or two I suspect.

 

[DonnieZ]

I thought I read where a more vigorous boil will result in better "breaking down" of protiens in the wort, which results in clearer beer. A less vigorous boil will result in a beer with better head retention, but probably more cloudy given all other conditions being equal.

I might be all wet, but I thought I read that fact on this forum somewhere.

 

[eastoak]

I thought I read where a more vigorous boil will result in better "breaking down" of protiens in the wort, which results in clearer beer. A less vigorous boil will result in a beer with better head retention, but probably more cloudy given all other conditions being equal.

I might be all wet, but I thought I read that fact on this forum somewhere.

it's not quite that cut and dried as far as clarity and head retention. here in san francisco bay area the air is pretty dry so i keep my boil to a minimum so i don't end up evaporating more than i planned for. early on i did have head retention and clarity problems but those were corrected without having to change the vigor of my boil; whirlfloc, flaked grains, moar hops and so on were the solution for me.

 

[djfriesen]

I read on my kit instructions that a really hard boil can reduce fermentables in the wort. But then I read on here that most people go for full, rolling boils. I'm not sure where I sit. My first brew, I kept the boil on the lower end, and didn't seem to have any issues. I guess until I go too low and taste some DMS, I'm not gonna worry too much about boil strength.