Ahhh Help First All Grain!!

[sw341034]

ok so i am actually boiling my first all grain so I have no gravity reading as of yet and cant tell you my efficiancy. I had some troubles getting my temps up in my mashing tun and ended mashing at about 151 for 50 minutes. I sparged with about 6 gallons (about 45 min) of water and collected about a total of 7.5. NOw i am boiling and i just slowed my boil to check where i was volume wise and I noticed a bunch of white floating things. What is this trub from the grains? something else? coagulated protiens was my first thought because it reminded me of egg whites (though not as large)? is that possible? Am I doomed? can a boil be two vigorous? Someone please help.

 

[Blender]

Yep, that happen to mine too. I think your right in that they are proteins. What kind of beer you making?

 

[sw341034]

just a straightfoward amber. any ill side effects

 

[Catfish]

What is this trub from the grains? something else? coagulated protiens was my first thought because it reminded me of egg whites (though not as large)? is that possible? Am I doomed? can a boil be two vigorous? Someone please help.

You are right about the coagulated proteins, should look like confetti or egg drop soup. Are you doomed? Maybe, but I am in no position to help you with that; your beer should be fine. A boil can be too vigorous, you don't want too high a boil because you don't want too high of evaporation, just enough to boil off DMS. Shooting for 12% evaporation per hour is good. Although in a pro-setting you apparently shoot for 4% boil off per hour.

Talk to the brew pastor about the whole being doomed thing.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

I have to disagree with catfish on the vigorous boil issue. I have always been told (and read) that the more violent the boil the better. You need the mechanical action for hot-break (the protien clumps you are seeing) and also to bang the hops around for better utilization. If your evaporation rate is too high, add more water during the boil. I don't think you're helping your beer any by trying to minimize boil-off. I imagine the fact that the pros hit 4% has as much to do with brewing economics than anything else. Otherwise, we could cook our beer in pressure vessles at 100C with no boiling action and very little boil-off at all, yet nobody does.

 

[clayof2day]

Also coagulated proteins = good hot break = better beer. I have heard that you can boil too vigorously and that this will then cause you to break-up proteins you have coagulated and they will go back into susupension. This would take a lot of work from what I understand and this is why it is recommended that your evaporation rate not exceed 14%. Evap. rate also has a lot to do with kettle geometry too though...

 

[clayof2day]

I tried to edit my post, but the function is not working. Just to be clear I am agreeing with Cheyco in that you need a good vigorous boil to provide the mechanical action necessary for protein coagulation as well as driving off DMS precursors, but you can get too vigorous, but I think that would be really difficult (above post)

 

[sw341034]

thanks for your input everyone. I learn something new everyday about this wonderfull hobby. I finished up the brew (you can read the details on my other post) and am already planning my next ag.

 

[david_42]

If it's on the floor, the boil is too vigorous

 

[Beer Snob]

Somewhere in one of the threads... thought it was in the equipment section, we were talking about burners. There was several cautions about getting one too powerfull as the boil would be too vigourous. I am completely not aware of the whys, but someone is bound to remember the thread....

 

[boo boo]

I don't remember the thread, but I can imagine too vigerous a boil can lead to too high an evaporation rate and also the risk of scorching the wort might come into play increasing the maillard effect.

 

[Exo]

I had lots of floating and rolling stuff today. Most of it occurred when I added my 4.5# of LME ot the 4.5# mash.

Don't think I've ever had a beer that didn't look like rolling maggots??

It settles a lot at your cold-break (my beer runs clean after using the immersion chiller) and even more so in the fermenter?

 

[Trappist Artist]

what is the maillard effect?

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

The Maillard Reaction is when stuff turns brown when you cook it. Sugars caramelizing, bread toasting, etc. This is bad for wort since it will darken the final beer and may add caramely (or even burnt) flavors.