Hard time getting a boil

[RickyG]

Hello,

Im getting ready to make my 3 brew! The last 2 I had a hard time getting a boil on my glass top electric stove.

To make it easier i have dropped to 2 gal. to make the wort. It takes a LONG time still to boil.

I am using extract kit. Flat tire this time. Do I need a FULL boil or ??

RickyG

 

[m_stodd]

Check the bottom of your pot. Is it perfectly flat, or slightly concave?

I was having the same problem, then picked up this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/19581118?...1=g&wl2=&wl3=21486607510&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem

 

[RickyG]

it is a 5 gal SS with flat bottom. It isnt a "thick" walled pot and I am thinking it is losing heat.....?

 

[m_stodd]

I also wrap a couple towels around mine so I don't lose heat through the sides, and keep the lid on until I get a boil.

 

[krenshaw]

i believe with the glass top stoves it is going to take you just a bit long anyways getting anything to boil (that has been my experience with general cooking) .. you could always use a heat stick to add to the heating speed

 

[RickyG]

Do I need to boil for a full hour since I'm using extract?

 

[WileECoyote]

Do I need to boil for a full hour since I'm using extract?

Hello, I still would, you should have a 60 min hop addition, most recipes do.

You can also cheat a bit, to trick your wort into a boil faster, put a lid on the pot to get it to boil, then take the lid off as soon as it starts to boil.

Cheers

 

[brewenc1]

The thin stainless pot has a bottom that will expand when heated, so that it will be concave, and lose direct contact with the smooth top surface. Slide the handles of two or three teaspoons under the edge of one half of the pot while it is on the stove to allow the expanding botton to become convex, thus contacting the burner. Move the spoons around as necessary to make the pot stable. This is the only way I can get my 5 gallon SS pot to boil on a smooth top.

 

[unionrdr]

I'm glad I sold the smoothtop stove with our old house. The regular coiled electric aftermarket burners heat faster. I can boil 3-3.5 gallons of wort from mash temp in 18 minutes now. So you def need some kind of kettle that'll stay flat on the bottom. I have a link in my profile for the aftermarket elec heating elements I use for those with coil-style burners.

 

[BigFloyd]

If I had a glass top electric stove (I've had 'em in previous houses), I'd go out and buy something like this for brewing - http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_27742_-1?ICID=CRT:0267-02367-2518

I've heard horror stories about what happens if you have a boil-over while brewing on a glass top,

 

[mblanks2]

The burners on glass top stoves cut in and out due to the glass. Turn on the largest two burners and slide your brew pot between the two alternately to get to a boil quicker, or better yet get a bayou classic gas turkey fryer and use.

 

[wilsojos]

I have a glass top stove, ss pot and aluminum pot. The aluminum pot boils much faster so I use it.

 

[biohaz7331]

I recently got a Bayou burner and it was probably the best thing I have bought for brewing other than my copper IC. Now all that is left is to get a bigger pot because to answer your question from earlier it is better to do full boils because the water mixes better and there is less chance to caramelize the sugars from the extract.

 

[unionrdr]

Seems to me the size of the pot wouldn't matter in cases of caramelization. It's a function more of heat & lack of liquid movement that caramelizes wort from prolonged contact with the bottom of the pot before finally being stirred up.

 

[mufflerbearing]

My first batch was at my buddy's house and it took FOREVER to boil. It was on a glass top. We started at 9 and did not finish till 4. It would not boil. 2nd batch was at my house on my gas stove and it was way better. My third was with my turkey fryer. A huge diff. Turkey fryer if I can from now on. FYI my first batch took forever but it was Worth every min!

Rushing a batch is a waste of a good time.

 

[ricksam]

In my limited experience (6 batches) it seems to me that a full rolling boil is quite important. Not just for hop utilization, but for the body of the beer. The first batch I made was on the stove top and I never really got a boil going and the beer turned out to lack body. My second batch I split between two pots, got good boil, and ended up with great beer. I have since moved to my turkey fryer, boil hard, and get much better body to my beers.

 

[wormser]

I have this same problem. i cant get a propane burner due to being in an apartment and my pot sits flush. i seen someone say wrapping a towel around it? would tinfoil work to keep the heat from escaping on the sides?

 

[fbold1]

Hello,

Im getting ready to make my 3 brew! The last 2 I had a hard time getting a boil on my glass top electric stove.

To make it easier i have dropped to 2 gal. to make the wort. It takes a LONG time still to boil.

I am using extract kit. Flat tire this time. Do I need a FULL boil or ??

RickyG

Could be your brewpot. I started with a Hamilton-Beach 20 qt. and never had trouble getting a rolling boil on my 30 yr. old glass top range. It has a special layered bottom on it.