Boiling vs not boiling

[stratstud00]

I have read people on here saying that they boil their LME for up to an hour, however the instructions on both the can and most online suppliers I have read say to boil the water, remove from heat, then stir in the LME until dissolved and let cool.

My question is: what are the opinions from some more experienced brewers on boiling vs not boiling when using nothing but extract?

 

[zippy84]

You would only really boil LME if you were adding hops. Hops need a certain amount of protein present to do their thang, I don't know the science end of it, I just add because I know I should.

No need to boil LME if it is a prehopped kit in a can. In fact boiling in this case could compromise the hop profile.

 

[flars]

The can of LME, with those instructions may be pre-hopped. Boiling pre-hopped LME will produce a very, very bitter beer.

 

[Calypso]

You would only really boil LME if you were adding hops. Hops need a certain amount of protein present to do their thang, I don't know the science end of it, I just add because I know I should.

I've never heard that before. Higher gravity wort (which you would get by adding LME to otherwise plain water) decreases hops utilization.

There's really no reason stratstud00 couldn't add the LME at flame out. The longer you boil extract, the more it's going to darken / caramelize.

 

[zippy84]

I've never heard that before. Higher gravity wort (which you would get by adding LME to otherwise plain water) decreases hops utilization.

There's really no reason stratstud00 couldn't add the LME at flame out. The longer you boil extract, the more it's going to darken / caramelize.

Yes this is the Maillard reaction

The gravity affects the hop utilization rate. You need SOME sugars in the wort to isomerize the hop alpha acids, but the stronger the wort the less a given hop addition will bitter. So to put this into effect, when doing a partial mash I will generally boil half the lme, and add the other half at flameout - best of both worlds!

I don't think there is a 'flameout' in stratstud00's brew, think it's a prehopped canned kit which means there won't be need for a boil.

 

[Calypso]

You need SOME sugars in the wort to isomerize the hop alpha acids

Can you back that up? If this was true, you couldn't create a hop tea to increase beer bitterness after the fact, which people routinely do.

 

[stratstud00]

Thanks for the feedback, all. You confirmed what I thought was the case (that hopped LME need not be boiled). I'm about 2 days from bottling a batch of Nut Brown Ale, and getting kind of antsy (sp?) to have a taste!

 

[zippy84]

Can you back that up? If this was true, you couldn't create a hop tea to increase beer bitterness after the fact, which people routinely do.

Not beyond what I've read online by those more experienced than me. I've read it on a few different fora. Such as this 'You do need to boil the hops in the presence of wort sugars to isomerize the hop oils to get bitterness. This is why IBUs are a function of boil length and an (inverse) function of gravity. Boiling in water will not do the same thing.' sourced here

Think I've read something like this in a few different places. But I'm definitely open to correction if you can confirm otherwise!

 

[Calypso]

Not beyond what I've read online by those more experienced than me. I've read it on a few different fora. Such as this 'You do need to boil the hops in the presence of wort sugars to isomerize the hop oils to get bitterness. This is why IBUs are a function of boil length and an (inverse) function of gravity. Boiling in water will not do the same thing.' sourced here

Think I've read something like this in a few different places. But I'm definitely open to correction if you can confirm otherwise!

The best source I've found to support your assertion is this:

https://byo.com/grains/item/610-extract--hop-extraction-mr-wizard

Which implies that, yes, you can isomerize alpha acid in plain water, but that doing so results in a different end result than doing so in wort (due to the difference in pH and lack of proteins). He goes on to say that the proteins in wort help pull some of the unpleasant polyphenols from the hops out of solution.

 

[notyal]

Boiling in wort adds bitterness. Hop teas are for flavors and aroma. Right? Its two different methods for two different purposes. I don't really know. The only hop tea I've made is when I pour beer in my coffee mug and tell coworkers that it's tea.