Flat top stove brewing

[jsawyer26]

Question:
Does anyone brew on a flat top stove? How well does it work as far as heating to a boil large amounts of water like a 5 gal batch?

I live in apartment so this is my option for now, but it seems to take a right good while, about an hour, just to get to the boil before I can add my LME.

 

[Jag75]

Question:
Does anyone brew on a flat top stove? How well does it work as far as heating to a boil large amounts of water like a 5 gal batch?

I live in apartment so this is my option for now, but it seems to take a right good while, about an hour, just to get to the boil before I can add my LME.

If your doing 5 gallon extract use 3 gallons for your boil then top off to get your 5 gal total.

 

[scbison]

One thing you should check on is the weight capacity of your stove. I know this isn't something that normally you would consider. I found out that many glass top stoves say that you cannot do water bath canning with them because of the weight limits.

For example:
https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=22817

 

[jsawyer26]

If your doing 5 gallon extract use 3 gallons for your boil then top off to get your 5 gal total.

Thanks! I did 3 gal for my boil. I think just the stove takes a while to heat due to maybe lower BTUs. However, after a long enough period,we finally have a boil and the process continues!

 

[jsawyer26]

I have noticed some clumps starting for form. I’m in the bittering stage of the boil about 40 mins in. Is that normal?

 

[Kent88]

I have tried boiling on my flat top stove, with a pre-boil volume around 4-4.5 gallons, aiming for 3 gallons post boil. It took forever to get a boil going.

 

[Jag75]

I have noticed some clumps starting for form. I’m in the bittering stage of the boil about 40 mins in. Is that normal?

Yup , good to go

 

[skarz]

I started off on an electric ceramic stove and while it took forever to get a rolling boil, it got there... Eventually... Good luck and have fun!

 

[Factor]

I started off on an electric ceramic stove and while it took forever to get a rolling boil, it got there... Eventually... Good luck and have fun!

I did the same thing...it could never get a rolling boil without the lid on and it took almost forever to get to simmering temperature.... used a 10" bango burner to build my own unit. Drilled out the orifice to 1/8" and plug it into my BBQ natural gas outlet. Works great.

 

[dbsmith]

Brewed for many years on the stove top (all grain, so we are talking 6-7 gal preboil volumes). There are some tricks:

- Use a lid to get up to a boil (glass is nice so you can see when it gets foamy to prevent a boil over--though you are extract brewing and so you don't have to worry about missing when the boil starts). Aluminum foil can work, but you obviously can't see thru it. Consider poking a thermometer thru.

- Split into two pots. Recombine once you have achieved boil, and then wait just a few minutes for it to all boil combined.

- Make notes about your volume to boil, the starting temperature, stove dial setting, and the time it took to achieve boil. Next time, you can know approximately how long to expect boil to be achieved, and you can relax for a few minutes and come back at the right time.

- (More of a general stove top tip here) Make sure your exhaust fan is on. Even with it on, be mindful of condensation. You will find that steam will still condense and roll off the hood area. Usually that area is coated with oil and grime that you probably don't want in your beer. I protect my pot using an aluminum foil 'hat'.

 

[Dinadan]

Honestly, if you are using LME you can get away with just a couple of gallons in the boil. It might affect taste or other qualities, but it works. And it makes good beer.

When I am starting to boil a large amount of water I will split it like dbsmith suggests, and maybe stick a quart into the microwave in a quart measuring beaker to bring to a boil. That takes about six minutes, so if it were taking anywhere near an hour I would do it a couple of times to speed up the boil.

 

[mcmeador]

Brewed for many years on the stove top (all grain, so we are talking 6-7 gal preboil volumes). There are some tricks:

- Use a lid to get up to a boil (glass is nice so you can see when it gets foamy to prevent a boil over--though you are extract brewing and so you don't have to worry about missing when the boil starts). Aluminum foil can work, but you obviously can't see thru it. Consider poking a thermometer thru.

You can use Fermcap-S or baby gas drops to prevent boilovers. The active ingredient is the same in both, though the latter is more expensive. I’ve used baby gas drops in the last couple of boils because I needed something quickly and no longer have an LHBS. Just a few drops per gallon as all it takes.

 

[Julian Høstan Urrea]

I have a 5 gallon kettle with a 1500w element I got off ebay for about 10bucks. I can use both the stove ad the heating element for a quick boil. Installing took 5 min. Old pc power cable to power the element. I use this for all my extract brews.

 

[dbsmith]

You can use Fermcap-S or baby gas drops to prevent boilovers. The active ingredient is the same in both, though the latter is more expensive. I’ve used baby gas drops in the last couple of boils because I needed something quickly and no longer have an LHBS. Just a few drops per gallon as all it takes.

Oh interesting, never heard of this!

 

[Elric]

You can use Fermcap-S or baby gas drops to prevent boilovers. The active ingredient is the same in both, though the latter is more expensive. I’ve used baby gas drops in the last couple of boils because I needed something quickly and no longer have an LHBS. Just a few drops per gallon as all it takes.

Brilliant! Just for the love of god don't get gas drops and gripe water confused or you are going to get some weird licorice like gruit beer... hmmmm maybe I should try that sometime.....

 

[Calder]

FermCap every batch. I boil 4.5 gallons in a 5 gallon pot on my flat-top stove, and not had any boil-overs since starting using Fermcap about 10 years ago.

I'm sure there are different element sizes in different stoves. Mine seems to get 4.5 gallons to the boil in about 30 minutes. Also, the type of pot will make a difference. I use a cheap thin walled steel pot. I tried to upgrade my pot several years with a more sturdy, and slightly larger volume pot, and cannot get even 4 gallons to boil in it on the stove no matter how long I wait. The bigger pot has a substantial base (I think it is a copper plate, encapsulated in steel, to help distribute the heat evenly across the bottom). So if you are using a big thick pot, that could make a difference.

 

[lumbergh]

Check out the no boil recipes thread. That may be something that would work for you. I've only done one, but it saved a ton of time.

Also, one of the all in one systems (grain father, robobrew, etc) may be another option

 

[jddevinn]

You can get an add on heating element for fairly cheap. HotRod Heat Stick, Ready to Use (hot rod)

 

[jsawyer26]

Thank you everyone for all the tips! I will definitely be trying some on my next attempt!

I have been practicing with my 5 gal pot and 3 gal of water just to see how long it does take to boil just for a reference point. Right now, 2 hours seems to be the magic spot *grimace*.

I haven’t heard of a no boil method but will be researching it!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

no boil method

1. American IPA - Blasphemy - No Boil NEIPA
2. No-Boil Recipes! New for 2019!