Extended Boil Times

[mprima]

I remember reading a post a few months back about extending the boil time past 60 mins can help achieve a dry crisp finish. I know that this is the desire in some styles and I happen to like a clean crisp finish to a lighter style like a Pils. Is it True that an extended boil can deliver a dry crisp finish? Why?

 

[orangehero]

Extended boils are used for darkening the wort color as well as developing malty and caramel flavors in styles such as Scotch Ale.

Another, perhaps more common, application of an extended boil is to drive off Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS), a compound responsible for a cooked corn off-flavor, from wort made from light lager malts high in SMM (S-Methyl Methionine), the precursor for DMS.

To work on the crisp clean finish you need to look at your water chemistry, mash schedule, yeast type, fermentation schedule, and the lagering time. For water chemistry, you want to have proper mash, wort, and beer pH as well as playing around with sulfate and chloride levels since these flavor ions influence perceptions of malt and hops. For mash schedule you want to use a low saccharification temperature to create a drier finishing beer. For yeast type you want to select one that is characterized by creating a clean profile, commonly a lager yeast although a neutral ale yeast fermented cool can achieve the same thing. For fermentation schedule you want to make sure that the beer attenuates all the way by doing a short temperature raise towards the end and that diacetyl is reduced. For lagering time, a good long maturation at near freezing will help to smooth and crisp the beer up.

 

[mprima]

Thanks *hero. One question. How do brewers prevent wort darkening of the lighter lagers? If extend boil darkens the wort but an extended boil is required to drive off DMS, how do they balance the two in a light lager?

 

[watermelon83]

Thanks *hero. One question. How do brewers prevent wort darkening of the lighter lagers? If extend boil darkens the wort but an extended boil is required to drive off DMS, how do they balance the two in a light lager?

I think that's a great question. I haven't brewed AG yet, so with extract it's fairly easy.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks *hero. One question. How do brewers prevent wort darkening of the lighter lagers? If extend boil darkens the wort but an extended boil is required to drive off DMS, how do they balance the two in a light lager?

The maillard reactions occur- but if you're doing a light lager, you generally are starting with enough wort for the 90 minute boil, and it's a lower OG wort so the maillard reactions aren't as pronounced.

 

[unionrdr]

When I brew my hybrid lagers, I do PM & use grains typically found in lagers with appropriate hops. Mash @ 148-152F for up to 90 minutes to get good conversion. Boil 1 hour & use half a Whirlfloc tablet towards the end of the boil to clear it up. I ferment them with WL029 Kolsch yeast to get the right balance & that crispness on the back. Bottles get 3-4 weeks at 70F or so. Then two weeks fridge time to simulate lagering.

 

[bobeer]

+1 on what Yooper said. It's all about boil volume.

Mash temps are how I dry out a beer. If you do a low mash temp you'll produce more fermentable sugars that the yeast can eat up. That and it's how you build your water too. Harder water vs softer water will produce different outcomes with your beer.

You can use simple sugars like honey or maple syrup or candy sugars, to dry out a beer too. Don't dry it too much because you'll get a thin boozy beer that doesn't taste very good. It's all about proportions and moderation.

 

[unionrdr]

Keep the amount of crystal grains low as well. I find even a hair too much makes for a lightly sweeter beer. Not a bad thing for some styles pf lagers, but I like'em a bit drier with better balance.

 

[cjgenever]

Thanks *hero. One question. How do brewers prevent wort darkening of the lighter lagers? If extend boil darkens the wort but an extended boil is required to drive off DMS, how do they balance the two in a light lager?

A lot of darkening is due to concentrating the wort. Maillard reactions are occurring, but if you are significantly darkening your wort then you are boiling way to hard or your heat input is too concentrated (high heat density). The lighter the grain bill the more you need the extended boil. The kiln will drive of a lot of dms precursors in darker malts, but pale malts do not see this benefit.

 

[cjgenever]

Keep the amount of crystal grains low as well. I find even a hair too much makes for a lightly sweeter beer. Not a bad thing for some styles pf lagers, but I like'em a bit drier with better balance.

Agreed. Crystal doesn't have a place in most pale lagers. Gentler malts like Vienna or Munich are more appropriate

 

[mprima]

Thanks all ... Really good info. The only Lagers I have done are American Darks (Shiner Bock fan, please don't judge me LOL) ... I mostly do Wheat Ales and Cream Ales with Honey because my with likes a light lawnmower beer and my DIPA's well if it comes out on the darker side, so be it. I'm looking to diverge a bit and do light lagers or a hybrid wheat for my wife which would lean more to the dry light crisp side. All info is good info! Thanks again!
:rockin:

 

[orangehero]

One major influence on the level of darkening achieved during boil is the wort pH. The higher the pH the more Maillard reactions occur and the darker the wort (and flavor). Keep the wort more acidified and you will have less darkening (and among other things improving break formation and creating a brighter flavor).

 

[cjgenever]

One major influence on the level of darkening achieved during boil is the wort pH. The higher the pH the more Maillard reactions occur and the darker the wort (and flavor). Keep the wort more acidified and you will have less darkening (and among other things improving break formation and creating a brighter flavor).

^ yes

Lower ph will make the beer more crisp and refreshing as well as accent the hops over the malt. If you want crisp without the hops then adjust water accordingly and limit hop usage