If a full boil is possible, DO IT!!

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I saw a 5 or 6 gallon SS pot in an outlet mall. I was tempted by it for an amazing 6 or 7 bucks! It was really thin, and no....I don't think the handles would have been safe.

 

[UnaBonger]

On my last batch, I did a full boil for the first time. Spread it across two pots (4 gal & 5 gal). That batch was an American Wheat (ala, Widmer Bros), and although it was the first time I've brewed that particular beer I could easily spot the differences in full boil vs. partial. It didn't have that thin/watery taste that almost all my other beers had when tasting hydro samples. This actually had some body @ 3 weeks in primary :rockin:

Using the second pot just made me very happy

Now I have to find a way to justify purchasing a 6/7/8 gallon pot that I can use on my stove top (using two burners)...

 

[stephelton]

I just kegged my first full boil brew and had very similar sentiments. This is probably my first beer that could pass as not being a homebrew.

 

[Willy Boner]

If I do a full boil, I'm going to need a slightly bigger pot, and one with stronger handels. At 3 gallons, I'm worried about the handles on my current SS pot.

Anyone recommend one with good strong handles and that can hold 6 gallons?

Look at any store that sells canning stuff. I bought a 33 quart enamel canner, 8 gallon+ and did a few batches in that before my nephew who works at a jail snagged me a 12 gallon SS pot they were throwing away for free. It worked well but you need to take care of it and not chip it or something.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Alright, good work Gnome...Now that I have the Angelina Jolie reference epoxied in my mind, I sit and wait for the day you go all grain...please do it soon!

 

[nutcase]

based partially on this thread I am putting off my second ever brew until next weekend when I expect to be able to do a full boil. I'm guessing my third brew will be an all grain. I take my beer way too seriously.

 

[matth]

Can someone please clarify what exactly is meant by "full boil"? From reading this thread I gather it means bringing the wort up to a rolling boil, and leaving it there long enough to boil off a significant quantity of water.

Assuming that's true, at what stage is this supposed to happen (extract/mini-mash brewing)? Before adding any hops, but after the grain bag steeping?

 

[Scotty_g]

A full boil means you are boiling the entire volume of the wort. In a 5 gallon batch, you'd end up with 5 gallons at the end of the boil. You need to start with more to account for evaporation.

There are many advantages of a full boil; two big ones are less scorching/caramelization which will give you a lighter-colored beer and better hop utilization (more IBU's per ounce).

The drawbacks of a full boil are you need a bigger kettle, it will take longer to get up to boiling, and it will take longer to cool. It's also heavier to move if you were inclined to do that. You only need to spill 45 lbs of boiling wort onto yourself once before you realize it's no fun.

 

[matth]

Usually when we brew, we have 2-3 gallons of wort and add water to bring it up to 5 gallons. I just want to make sure I have this right: this is NOT what you do when "full boiling," correct? Full boil means to start with 6ish gallons and then boil down to five?

How does this affect the times listed in recipes for hops to be left in the boil?

 

[ChshreCat]

It shouldn't affect it at all. You would boil for the same amount of time. You just have to calculate how much you will lose to evaporation and compensate for it.

 

[Weizenheimer]

Those of you who boil 10 gallon batches in keggles...How do you get your wort into the fermenter? Isn't it to heavy? Also does anyone do 10 gallon boils and split them into 2 fermenting vessels? Until now I've only used ale pails, how do you get you wort into a larger carboy for primary? If you siphon aren't you missing out on all the good oxygen?

 

[remilard]

Most people are draining through a spigot into two fermentation vessels for a 10 gallon batch.

There are lots of ways to supply oxygen, a lot of people use pure oxygen and a diffusion stone.

 

[kendrid]

It shouldn't affect it at all. You would boil for the same amount of time. You just have to calculate how much you will lose to evaporation and compensate for it.

I thought (and Beersmith shows) that you do have to modify the hop schedule for a full boil if the recipe is for a 2-3 gallon boil. If you don't the IBUs will increase.

 

[Chriso]

No, you modify your *quantities* of hops for a full boil. The timing schedule stays the same.

(The question asked, "How does this affect the times listed in recipes for hops to be left in the boil?", only referred to timing, not to IBUs or amounts. That is why ChshreCat did not mention quantities.)

 

[kendrid]

Sorry, I misread that.

 

[Chriso]

No biggie, it took me two reads as well

 

[oswiu]

Usually when we brew, we have 2-3 gallons of wort and add water to bring it up to 5 gallons. I just want to make sure I have this right: this is NOT what you do when "full boiling," correct? Full boil means to start with 6ish gallons and then boil down to five?

How does this affect the times listed in recipes for hops to be left in the boil?

Yup, you've understood it correctly.

Doing a full boil should have minimal effect on the times for hop additions, but it will have a significant impact on the amount used.
Whether it's a full or partial boil, the same chemical reactions are going on with the hops (i.e. additions around 60 mins isomerize almost completely and most of the light compounds boil off, so they provide only bittering; mid-boil isomerize partially and provide flavour; late boil hardly isomerize at all and provide aroma.)

However, the solubility of many hop compounds decreases as the wort gravity (concentration) increases. Thus, with a lower volume of high gravity wort, as in a partial boil, you quickly get near the solubility limits of the hops, and thus need more of them to provide the same effects.

I'm sure there are SOME impacts of gravity on the amount of time to leave hops in the boil, but the most important impact is on the amount of hops necessary.

Hope that all made sense

 

[matth]

Ah, I didn't think to ask about amounts. I was confused at first but oswiu and Chriso cleared that up.

One thing I'm still not sure I get though - doesn't it take a good deal longer to boil away a gallon of water?

Or, wait, maybe this is it: with a partial boil, I make 3 gallons of wort, which boils down to ~2.5, and then I add water to bring it up to 5. But with a full boil, I start with 6 and it boils down to 5, and then I don't need to add water.

So essentially I can think of this as adding the extra "bulking up" water during the boil instead of after the boil (and alter hop quantities as you describe)?

Also, is this technique equally beneficial across a range of styles, or does it do more for one particular style?

 

[HSM]

I'm missing something here.

I'm doing my first no-boil kit now...but as I'm studying up on all of the different processes for doing all types of brewing, how can one do a full boil without an IC?

For a five gallon batch, if you do a full five gallon boil, how can you then add 'clean ice' directly to the wort, to chill, without ending up with a diluted, greater than five gallon, batch?

Hummmm...?

Pogo

My thoughts exactly. Once the ice is added directly to the wort the "full boil" isn't a full boil anymore. Perhaps a "fuller boil".

 

[Petho]

so, if I read this right, I can improve my brews if I increase the boil capacity. I currently brew 2.5 gallons, will I have to adjust the hop quantity if I increase that to 3 gallons? Will I see that much differerence if I increase 1/2 gallon? I don't have the software do make the calc's. The software is greek to me!
NOOB here so go easy

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

My thoughts exactly. Once the ice is added directly to the wort the "full boil" isn't a full boil anymore. Perhaps a "fuller boil".

In the case of the original post, I had intended to boil down to the correct amount and cool the wort in an ice bath. However, I underestimated the boil off rate of my new keggle (and being in the cold garage made a difference too, I think) and lost more than I expected due to evaporation.
On seeing this, I added clean ice directly to the wort, thus cooling it quickly and returning the slightly over-heavy wort to the target OG. I couldn't know from a hydro check, I just knew it had to be heavy.

I dunno if that technically is a full boil or not!! :cross:

 

[CnnmnSchnpps]

Steeped nipples. Haha..

I just got a 30qt turkey fryer and I'm psyched cos my stove can handle a full boil, it just takes about an hour to get 6.5 gals to a boil. On brew day I will probably use a couple smaller pots and an electric kettle to keep add boiling water to the big pot, to get the whole thing to a boil much faster. Also gonna wrap the pot in a towel with tin foil to help it keep a stronger rolling boil

Sweet, switching to full boil just in time to attempt a dogfish 90 clone!

 

[CnnmnSchnpps]

Forgot my actual question - when doing a partial mash with a full boil - is there any reason to do late extract addition? Will it help at all?

 

[yeoldebrewer]

I have a half-ass theory that part of the cause of the twangy syndrome in partial boils is the heavy extract syrups layering on the bottom. They wind up caramelized, even with pretty frequent stirring. I've noticed stirring with a spoon instead of a flat paddle tends to leave extract on the pot bottom during the boil. Just a theory, mind you.

-------------
PS: I'm listening to a podcast by Jamil and Palmer about maillard reactions and melanoidins. Instead of caramelization the issue is apparently maillard reactions and melanoidins.

Half-ass, half-ass.

 

[CnnmnSchnpps]

Kind of dumb question - for guys doing 5-10 gal boils, what do you use to stir? I just realized none of the spoons I have are long enough (doh).. I remember reading somewhere that you don't want to brew with a wooden spoon either, but I have no idea why..

 

[skatensx]

i am thinking about trying out a full boil using the sq14 burner or something similar. my question is about ventilation. my balcony is partially enclosed by a plastic barrier with about 3-4 feet of open air above it and then covered by another balcony above me. would this be enough to not worry about the propane gas?

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

i am thinking about trying out a full boil using the sq14 burner or something similar. my question is about ventilation. my balcony is partially enclosed by a plastic barrier with about 3-4 feet of open air above it and then covered by another balcony above me. would this be enough to not worry about the propane gas?

Sounds fine. If I'm wrong and you die, please don't sue me.

I am ok with having door ajar or the garage door raised about a foot or two.

 

[NoisufnoC]

i found an 8 gal pot at walmart and never looked back. i use one of those huge plastic buckets with ice water to cool before pitching and have had really good luck.

 

[CnnmnSchnpps]

Just finished my first full boil in a 30qt aluminium turkey fryer. My stove top kept up a great rolling boil, but I helped it a little by insulating the pot a little (towel + tinfoil).

The pot is tall and thin, and made of aluminium, so cooling is not an issue. I can fully submerge it in the sink and have it down to pitching temp in about 20 minutes.

 

[mymbtheduke]

Got this from the Norther Brewer instructions. I thought that I might need more hops but I need less. 15%-25% less. Hmmmmmm. Going to brew their Cream Ale kit this weekend. Can't wait for my 36Qt pot to get here.


From NB Kit instructions:
Adjustments for full-volume boils. If your system is designed for a full-volume boil of 5-6 gallons, make the following adjustments to the procedures in the following steps:

* Step #1 - collect 5.5 to 6 gallons of water in the kettle.
* Step #5 - use 15% to 25% less bittering hops (any hop additions during the first 30 minutes of the boil) than called for in the kit inventory - e.g., use 3/4 to 7/8 oz instead of 1 oz; all other boil additions remain the same
* Step #6 - use a wort chiller to cool the wort
* Step #8 - add only enough water to reach 5 gallons