Going from partial boil to full boil

[Guiness4Strength]

After upgrading my kettle to an 8 gal. I would rather do full boil extracts. My question is how should I alter my recipes? I'm using NB kits for the time being. Ideas?

 

[FATC1TY]

Not really, just go for it. You'll end up getting better utilization from your hops, so your IBU's will increase, but only slightly, and not really enough to be concerned, IMO.

I started slow, and would save off 1 gallon, that was half frozen in the freezer, enough to start getting ice chips in it after 3-4 hours in the freezer. I'd use my wort chiller and get it down to as low as it would go for the tap water, and then move to fermentation bucket, and pop in the last top off gallon of the really cold water to take me down to perfect pitching temps everytime!

 

[NCGrayson]

i take it youre asking hoe much water to start with in a full boil vs partial??

 

[stompbox]

After upgrading my kettle to an 8 gal. I would rather do full boil extracts. My question is how should I alter my recipes? I'm using NB kits for the time being. Ideas?

The only thing that will need to change is your hop amounts, this change is due to better hop utilization. Everything else remains the same.

 

[Chief1973]

I too use NB kits and do full boils. I don't change anything other than the amount of boil water; 6-6.5 gallons to account for boil off. I still only steep the grains (if included in kit) in the recommended amount of water, which I believe is something like 2.5 gallons per NB. I personally don't adjust the hops.

 

[smithtg]

I start with 6 gal, steep the grains in the full amount, heat to boil, take pot off heat, add extract, return to boil, add hops after hot break and finish out the batch. Immersion cooler (and sometimes precooler)

Get a pot with a bottom valve and bung, much easier to transfer wort to fermenter

 

[brtisbuck]

I would do very few things different. The difference in hop utilization should be hardly noticable. There really isn't even a need to be too picky when steeping grains as this is not nearly reliant on specific ph levels aquired by volume, temp, and time as is a mash. I find in my set up that 6.25 gallons of water to start plus my extract leaves me with minimal top off at the end of an hour boil. I do add any LME in the last 5 minutes of my boil. (if using a kit that is all LME, I would add 25% at the start and the rest at the end). This will help to reduce caramelization of the extract helping to prevent some extract twang and keep your color lighter.

Have a plan for cooling that volume of wort quickly. If you don't have a wort chiller an ice bath in a stationary tub works pretty well. If using the ice bath be sure to add cold water to the ice and not just ice.

Cheers and good luck.

 

[NCGrayson]

I would do very few things different. The difference in hop utilization should be hardly noticable. There really isn't even a need to be too picky when steeping grains as this is not nearly reliant on specific ph levels aquired by volume, temp, and time as is a mash. I find in my set up that 6.25 gallons of water to start plus my extract leaves me with minimal top off at the end of an hour boil. I do add any LME in the last 5 minutes of my boil. (if using a kit that is all LME, I would add 25% at the start and the rest at the end). This will help to reduce caramelization of the extract helping to prevent some extract twang and keep your color lighter.

Have a plan for cooling that volume of wort quickly. If you don't have a wort chiller an ice bath in a stationary tub works pretty well. If using the ice bath be sure to add cold water to the ice and not just ice.

Cheers and good luck.

very informative post.

 

[NCGrayson]

on a side note, will there be any adjustment of my OG and FG doing a full boil vs. what the NB extract kit instructions say for a partial boil?

 

[helibrewer]

Your post boil OG should be the same....your pre boil OG will be lower since you are starting out with more volume than the batch size. Expected FG will be the same also. Your kit OG should be based on post boil fermentor volume.