How Hot is Hot?

[jaymack]

Howdy,

Im an Extract Brewer (I've only been doing this a year and working my way up to the big time) and don't take water temperature readings. I know I should and, again, I'm still learning.

I usually let the pot get a good roiling boil, wait an additional 5 minutes, THAN add my extract. My question being, how much hotter can the water get after boiling? Can I wait another 10, maybe 15 minutes after boiling starts to get the water that much hotter?

Cheers,
J

 

[bikebryan]

Howdy,

Im an Extract Brewer (I've only been doing this a year and working my way up to the big time) and don't take water temperature readings. I know I should and, again, I'm still learning.

I usually let the pot get a good roiling boil, wait an additional 5 minutes, THAN add my extract. My question being, how much hotter can the water get after boiling? Can I wait another 10, maybe 15 minutes after boiling starts to get the water that much hotter?

Cheers,
J

Water (just plain water) can't get any hotter than 212 and any colder than 32 (measured on the Farenheit scale - 100 or 0 if you prefer celcius). Additives change this, but even then it can't get any hotter during the boil than what it is WHEN it boils. In other words, once it starts boiling it won't get any hotter.

I don't recommend you add your extract during a roiling boil. You are asking for scalding. I add my extract after I remove my steeping grains, at around 170 degrees, then turn the heat back on and bring the pot to boil.

 

[Darth Konvel]

Well, once you get a good boil going, you can't get any hotter. Hottest you can get under normal conditions is around 212º F / 100º C.

Any particular reason you ask?

 

[Truble]

straight boiling water cannot get hotter than boiling (212*F/100*C)- that is when it phase changes into a gas-steam on the other hand, that can get hot!

Once you reach a rolling boil with the water, you shouldn't have to wait. Just kill the heat, add the extract and mix it in until it is fully dissolved, and add the heat again. Once you reach boil you can start your hops, if you are hopping.

 

[david_42]

You don't need a thermometer for brewing all-extract. As soon as you start using specialty grains, get one. Temperature is critical, even for just soaking grains. Do shut the burner off before adding the extract & maybe even take the pot off of the burner. My stand retains enough heat to burn the extract.

If you ever see some black "plastic" film floating in your wort, you've scorched the extract.

 

[jaymack]

Well, there ya go. Knowledge is power.

Only ask because as I read more and more (can one read TOO much?) and really get into homebrewing, I love it more and more. And there are soooo many variables from ingredients, tools, hops, yeasts, etc... Just figured I'd throw that one up there.

Thanks for the tip on Heat Removal First, than add Extract. I've been adding it to the heat.

(See, you learn something everyday)

 

[voodoochild7]

A buddy of mine was brewing up a high gravity beer with lots of extract his heat went way up and actually had some caramel going, there were brown crystals of sugar stuck to the bottom of the pan. Since then I use a thermometer and keep it at 212 - 218. I'm a noob but my friends have screwed up enough so I know what to look out for. Though they did have a very low water to extract ration which probably accounts for the sugar getting caramelized. Hmmmm thinking about it now though malt lollipops, hmmmm mabye I'll trade my scientific immersion thermometer for a candy thermomter. That batch was awful by the way. We didn't use a thermomter so who knows how hot that stuff was.

 

[rewster451]

I've always added my extracts during a rolling boil. When you use liquid extract, it can sink to the bottom and scorch. When it's rolling, it keeps cool liquid from touching the hottest parts of the pan. It also helps stir it in much faster. With dry extract this might not be a problem.

 

[Cheesefood]

Well, once you get a good boil going, you can't get any hotter. Hottest you can get under normal conditions is around 212º F / 100º C.

Any particular reason you ask?

Pardon me if I'm wrong, but once you add sugars you're no longer boiling "water". I think that sugar water boils at a much higher temp. Again, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[homebrewer_99]

You're correct. I used to run the vacuum (removes water) when making Salt Water Taffy at James in Atlantic City, NJ when I was a teenager.

The sugar/water mixture went over 250F.

 

[rewster451]

What you're saying makes sense, but I've never had any carmelization. Maybe both ways work?
I use an electric stove, and maybe that makes a difference (I hate it, gas rules). The rolling boil does seem to keep anything from touching the bottom though. I keep a temperature at all times, and it's never gone above 220F but then, my OG has never been very high either.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I am certain the temp is linked to the concentration (ratio) of sugar in the water.

 

[Orfy]

I'd say you do need a thermometer for extract brewing.

1. to make sure you are cool enough to pitch yeast
2. to make sure you are fermenting in the correct temperature range.

My theremometer cost me £2 or you can get strip thermometers from the pharmacy for 50p.

 

[Truble]

Water with sugar will boil at a different temp. The original question was on boiling the water prior to adding the extract- in this case, as long as it is pure water, then it cannot go higher than 212*F. Once you add different substances, you change the specific heat of the new solution, which is the amount of heat, or energy, needed to raise the tempurature of 1 gram of a substance 1*C.

I lower the boil to a weak roll, and stir vigilantly. As long as you keep the wort moving, the hot spots in your brew pot will be mitigated. It is the same as cooking anything else.

 

[Darth Konvel]

Pardon me if I'm wrong, but once you add sugars you're no longer boiling "water". I think that sugar water boils at a much higher temp. Again, correct me if I'm wrong.

Quite correct, and a good point to make. As Truble mentioned, I think the heat capacity is directly related to the SG of the wort. This is probably only something to worry about if the boiling wort has a high extract / wort ratio. Also good to keep in mind that high SG wort will take longer to cool.

 

[Orfy]

Only distilled water will boil at 100*C and then only a barometric
pressure of 29.921. Any thing else like change in purity will change the bp.
The higher you are the lower the bp.
Go here type in your altitude and it'll give you the bp.

 

[bikebryan]

Only distilled water will boil at 100*C and then only a barometric
pressure of 29.921. Any thing else like change in purity will change the bp.
The higher you are the lower the bp.
Go here type in your altitude and it'll give you the bp.

This is true. HOWEVER, once the fluid reaches a full rolling boil, it can't/won't get any hotter. That is as hot as the wort will get, period.

That's the point we were trying to make. Once it starts a rolling boil, you don't need to wait for it to get hotter, as it won't happen...ever.

 

[Orfy]

Agreed.......

 

[Cheesefood]

This is true. HOWEVER, once the fluid reaches a full rolling boil, it can't/won't get any hotter. That is as hot as the wort will get, period.

That's the point we were trying to make. Once it starts a rolling boil, you don't need to wait for it to get hotter, as it won't happen...ever.

What about pressure-cooking?

 

[Orfy]

Works with a joint of beef.

 

[bikebryan]

What about pressure-cooking?

Pressure cooking is a whole different area. However, I don't think the water in a pressure cooker gets much hotter than 212; it's the STEAM inside, that is getting pressurized, that gets so much hotter.

That's what hospitals use to sterilize things in autoclaves - pressurized steam.

 

[Darth Konvel]

The increase pressure will give you a higher boiling point, so even the liquid water would be higher then 212 degrees, the steam of course being even significantly hotter. It's fun to play with the opposite for demonstration, as water will boil at lower temps when in a vacuum.

 

[Orfy]

Here we go.

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/aboyle.html

 

[david_42]

Most pressure cookers run at 15 psi and about 250F. One way to cut down decoction times.