How good is this boil?

[luizffgarcia]

Guys,

Could you please let me know if this is a good boil intensity? I am trying to figure out this is enough so i will not need to use the lid and make it stronger.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7Jj0SlrOBM&feature=youtu.be[/ame]

Thanks

 

[microbusbrewery]

IMO, that's a bit low. That looks like barely a simmer.

 

[A2HB]

Yeah I would crank that baby up higher if you can. Once you're past the hot break you won't have to worry about boil overs anymore (for the most part)

 

[bransona]

I also have to advise against using the lid during the boil. I know it helps you up the temperature, but there are lots of things cooking off that you don't want to catch and put back in with your lid. Dms comes to mind... Agreed that you should crank the heat if possible

 

[luizffgarcia]

Thanks for the replies. The problem is, this is as high as my stove will go and this is a 1 gallon batch.

I only have two options, keep this low boil if it is enough or use the lid to leave it partially closed.

I know neither is ideal, but which is best?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the replies. The problem is, this is as high as my stove will go and this is a 1 gallon batch.

I only have two options, keep this low boil if it is enough or use the lid to leave it partially closed.

I know neither is ideal, but which is best?

You need a boil, and that is a simmer. If you need a lid to get to a boil, make sure to not "block" the steam that needs to escape. Neither is really a good choice.

 

[joesmink]

leave the pot open and get a better burner and go to five gallons:rockin:

 

[PADave]

leave the pot open and get a better burner and go to five gallons:rockin:

+2, I started out doing 1 gallon brews on the stove, and soon realized that all the effort is not worth 8-9 beers. Now doing 5 gallon outside. To the OP, that's a pretty weak stove if it can't even boil 1 gallon of water.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

That's too weak, how old is that stovetop? Are the burner variable output, ie are you using the most powerful burner?

 

[zwiller]

(priceless beat me)

I think your stove is not working right. 1G boil should be easy. Call a repair dude or check it out if you are handy. I suspect a faulty element.

 

[m00ps]

can you straddle the pot over 2 burners?

 

[DGibb]

I had the very same issue with my first brews. I was doing partial boils on a glass top electric range, and getting similar results. There was just not enough power to get the rolling boil that I needed.

I invested in a camp burner for about $40. The Dark Star burner or other Banjo burners are really good also. Now I can get fast, quick, strong boils for my 5 gallon batches. I typically do a 6.5 gallon boil, which yields 5.5 gallons to ferment, and 5 gallons for the keg (assuming an approximate loss of 0.5 gallons to trub.

 

[microbusbrewery]

I know we all have different budgets and priorities, but I'd look into getting a propane burner to use outside. We had an electric stove at our old house way back when I first started homebrewing. After a few batches I talked my wife into a Camp Chef style cook top from Cabelas. I think I got it on sale for $75 and used it for years before donating it to another homebrewer. Pros - should be plenty of energy for anything between 1 and 10 gallon batch size. Also, if you like camping (car camping, not backpacking), now you have a good outdoor cook top. Cons - the only one I can think of is there's always the chance of running out of propane during a brew session.

 

[JosephN]

^^^^^ get a 30-40lb tank.... When I get a house that's what I'm doing, then I won't have to get the 20 filled as often.


Yep too weak, way weak. Also I agree with an above statement of 1 gallon batches being just as much work as 5-6, so you could explore moving up when you can. I hope you get this figured out. Oh and test boil some water on another eye to see if any others work better

 

[IslandLizard]

If you're brewing extract, there is no issue at all leaving the lid on.

For All Grain (and >40% partial mash) you can leave the lid on partially, half to 3/4 way. As long as you boil off enough wort (say 15% per hour) you won't have DMS issues.

Wrap some insulation around the kettle and put some on the lid (e.g., a couple layers of Reflectix, even regular bubble wrap) to reduce heat loss to the environment. That means more heat stays in your kettle.

If that's all the "boil" you get with 1 gallon, that stove is very undersized.

 

[luizffgarcia]

Thanks for the help guys, i will probably have to invest some more money on equipment, i don't want to use the lid and risk off flavors...

 

[pwnshop]

My stove is pretty weak (not nearly as weak as yours though) and i have brewed around 50 batches on it. I leave the lid on but cracked a bit to let steam escape. I have never had any dms off flavours. I also brew a lot of belgian style ales with grain bills mostly comprised of pilsener malt and with a 90 minute boil lid on (cracked to let steam escape) its all good.
I agree with everyone else your stove isnt good enough and you should upgrade to 5g batches on a propane burner or something. I just wanted to tell you not to be scared putting the lid on, in my experience as long as the steam can escape its fine.

 

[lolcats]

Just keep the lid half way on, problem solved - no off flavors

The steam will have plenty of space to escape, and you increase the heat in the kettle

 

[kristiismean]

Induction stove top?

not enough magnetic material in your stainless steel pot? That's all I can think of. I have a glass top (but not inductive) and have no problems with 2 5 gallon kettles with up to 4.5 gallons each going at 212 degrees.

What you need is a thermometer. A good one. I prefer a dial style and have spares.

start your day with a glass of ice water, and drop your thermometers and make sure they are reading 32-33 degrees. Then you know, that unless you drop it, your thermometer will be 100% accurate all day long...

 

[filthyastronaut]

Honestly my boils look somewhat similar, perhaps a little more action, after the hotbreak goes away. It always seems to be a strong rolling boil and settle down, and I have a 1 gallon/hour boil off rate with no ill-effects that would be associated with a weak boil. That being said, if this is for a one gallon batch, your stove is pretty sketchy. Short of getting a new stove, a cheaper propane burner may be a good investment. Might be a good idea to get one that would be able to handle a full boil for a 5 gallon batch, in case you want to increase your batch sizes.

 

[zwiller]

I don't even know how you cook on that thing if that's all you get out of that burner. Standard soup recipe at my hose is prolly over 1G and even on my average price glass top I will have to turn it down. I still think something is off on the stove... Maybe one leg of 220v has blown fuse? As a landlord, stoves are a dime a dozen on Craiglist and I would definitely fix that not just for brewing.

I have a little $15 electric burner/hot plate I use for odd things. I think that would get a nice rolling boil going on 1G and be the cheapest option. If brewing is something you want to continue , propane and a SQ14 is what I would recommend.

 

[IslandLizard]

I don't even know how you cook on that thing if that's all you get out of that burner. Standard soup recipe at my hose is prolly over 1G and even on my average price glass top I will have to turn it down. I still think something is off on the stove... Maybe one leg of 220v has blown fuse? As a landlord, stoves are a dime a dozen on Craiglist and I would definitely fix that not just for brewing.

I have a little $15 electric burner/hot plate I use for odd things. I think that would get a nice rolling boil going on 1G and be the cheapest option. If brewing is something you want to continue , propane and a SQ14 is what I would recommend.

Or induction... such as the IC3500, which is what I use. And for way more than just beer brewing.

 

[luizffgarcia]

Ok i found the problem here, the stove is not so bad but it has a glass top and the pot was not the best, the contact area was not 100% there.

I bought a new pot which is 100% in contact with the entire burner surface and now the boil is pretty strong even without the lid, i think i don't even have to crank it up all the way

Thanks for your help, after determining that the boil was not strong enough solving the problem was pretty cheap and simple, although now i want that Dark Star burner someone mentioned, that thing looks awesome :rockin:

 

[zwiller]

Love it when that happens. Getting out of the kitchen was the best thing I ever did to enhance my brewing experience. (wife sorta liked it too )

 

[kh54s10]

I bought a pot once that had a raised portion about 6 inch diameter in the bottom. It might have boiled eventually. I was trying to boil lobsters. It never boiled and I returned it and bought a flat bottomed pot. (glass cooktop).

If those who are experiencing a similar boil, are you using a flat bottomed pot. If not get your stove looked at..... There is something wrong with it. I would not want to cook on a stove that couldn't get 1 gallon to a very vigorous boil.

 

[luizffgarcia]

Ok so i brewed my first bath with the new pot, i even had to lower down the heat otherwise it would boil over easily

Here is how it looks now, do you think i got the heat right or should i increase it a little?

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCH41I4PEdA&feature=youtu.be[/ame]

 

[kristiismean]

looks much better.

but a thermometer is the only way to know for sure

 

[Yeroc]

Just curious, what are the ill effects of a boil that's closer to a simmer than a roiling boil?

 

[luizffgarcia]

Just curious, what are the ill effects of a boil that's closer to a simmer than a roiling boil?

I am kinda curious about that too

 

[zwiller]

I think with a weak boil clarity could be affected (excess proteins), polyphenols are not reduced leading to astringency, pH is not reduced, but I think overall the big one would be lack of evaporation taking it forever to hit correct OG. Maybe even DMS if AG. You might be fine with extract. To be honest, I recall reading somewhere that a good strong boil is only really necessary for like 15m and the rest of it is for hop isomerization and driving off water. For this reason, I really crank it at beginning but throttle it as needed later. IE lower it a little if I think I am losing too much water/etc. Brewing outside creates a challenge as the temp and humidity plays a role...