Boil with lid on

[Brutus Brewer]

Do you boil the wort with the lid on or off of your boiling pot?

 

[Desert_Sky]

off....everytime

I only put the lid back on when Im cooling

 

[Brewpilot]

Off, boiling with it on can be berry dangerous!

 

[Muntzster]

You have to have it off to release pressure i would think .

 

[Exo]

An open and full boil lets a lot of volatile chemicals out so you don't have an off-flavor in your beer.

A cover will cause condensation with these chemicals and the condensation drips back into yer brew.

 

[AdIn]

It should be good enough if you have it it off for last 30 min of your boil.

 

[andre the giant]

Depending on the size of your kettle, leaving the lid on is a surefire way to have boilovers. Not to mention the whole volatile chemical thing.

Leave the lid off. Use it as a place to set your sticky mash paddles, stirring spoons, etc. and then use it when you're chilling the wort.

 

[Glibbidy]

Never boil your wort with the lid on.

 

[david_42]

Nasty stuff called Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) forms from S-methyl-methione during the boil, it needs to be elsewhere. The paler the ale, the worst DMS can be. So, leave the lid off.

 

[mysterio]

Allegedly, in theory, you get DMS in your brew if you boil with the lid on. I didn't know about this (and boiled with the lid on) for my first couple of brews and didn't notice any DMS.

However, I do leave the lid off these days, just in case

 

[Monster Mash]

If you like beer that tastes like cabbage then leave the lid on. When you are boiling you are getting rid of DMS. The only time I use the lid is when Im done brewing and I put my pot away....

 

[Sean]

During the boil, you are boiling off excess water, so leaving the lid on would prevent the needed evaporation.

I guess that is only with AG.

 

[Evan!]

I put the lid on when it's on the way to boiling, because it traps the heat in and achieves boil faster. Once boiling is reached, I take it off---boilovers are no fun.

 

[Monster Mash]

For those of you who boil with the lid on or even put it on after the boil here are a couple good articals....

http://www.picobrewery.com/askarchive/dms.htm

http://hbd.org/carboy/off_flavors.htm

 

[Flyin' Lion]

I've had to leave the lid mostly on in the past or I'd never get hot enough to boil. I haven't noticed any off flavors but most of my brews were "darker." I just bought a keggle at the LHBS so all future boils will be outside (with the cover off).

 

[BrewStef]

Keep it simple:

1) Boil uncovered
2) Cool covered