re-newb-ed: extract boiling time?

[FSBrewer]

Sorry to still be such a newbie. It's been a while since my last batch and I feel as though I've regressed from complete newb to utter newb.

Anyhow, I seem to have forgotten the significance of the length of time you boil unhopped extract before adding the hops. Basically, I only have dark malt extract here now (2x3.3 lb.) (and a few various hops and some yeast) and I really wanted to make something not too dark (like an IPA) but don't have the ingredients. I can't buy ingredients here and no matter what, I'm going to brew today. Most of the recipes I'm looking at call for boiling the extract close to an hour. I don't remember what this does for the extract. If I boil, say, for only 10 or 20 minutes before adding hops and completing the brew, what would be the difference in outcome?

 

[mikebiewer]

In my experience it always goes like this.

If not specialty grains are used, bring the water up to a boil. This kills bacteria in the water and "purifies" it as well. Once it boils pour in your extract, slowly.

Once it is all in, bring it back up to a boil and hit the hot break. A hot break is basically the threshold right at boiling were the mixture starts to really foam. Manage it and it helps to break down proteins and imparts better flavor and head on the beer. Once you've managed your hot break, toss the hops in.

You don't need to boil the extract wort for 60 minutes. You must have bad directions. I always pitch hops after the hot break and continue to boil for 60 minutes, adding ingredients as seen fit.

Hope that helps!

 

[Yooper]

Exactly- you don't need to boil extract at all. It's the hops that need boiling, to isomerize the oils for bittering. The extract has already been processed, so there is no benefit to boiling it.

You can even add your extract at flame out, if you want. That will increase the utilization of your hops, so make sure you adjust your recipe if you're doing that with an old recipe! (We can easily help you with that).

 

[zodiak3000]

if you want your brew lighter in color you should look into doing a late extract addition. there are threads all over this forum about doing it. basically adding only 1/3 of your extract as scheduled and the rest with 15 min left of the boil. this also increses your hop utilization so dont forget to adjust your hops. usually about 20% less hops than normal.

 

[FSBrewer]

I'm basically looking at the extract recipes in TCJOHB (3rd ed.). They all call for long extract boiling times. So basically I'm going to cut that time way down to almost zero, then keep the hops boiling time the same as usual. Does this sound right? My wife will be happy if I can skim some time off the brewing process...

 

[Yooper]

I'm basically looking at the extract recipes in TCJOHB (3rd ed.). They all call for long extract boiling times. So basically I'm going to cut that time way down to almost zero, then keep the hops boiling time the same as usual. Does this sound right? My wife will be happy if I can skim some time off the brewing process...

Yes, you can do that. But post your recipe here first, or use some brewing software, because it changes the bitterness quite a bit!

 

[FSBrewer]

Oops, well, I guess it's a little late now as I'm half-way through (crystal malt is steeping now). Because of my limited ingredients, I settled on using his "English-style Brown Ale" as a rough guide.

I'm steeping 1/2 lb. of medium crystal for 30 minutes
I will then add 6.6 lb. of Munton's dark plain malt extract and 2 oz. of Styrian Golding pellets and boil for ?? 10 minutes. Recipe says to boil the malt for 60 minutes and some fuggles hops for 5-10 minutes. Since my hops are pellets and go further, I may reserve a little to throw in at the end as finishing hops.

So will reducing the boiling time here reduce the bitterness?

 

[Yooper]

Oops, well, I guess it's a little late now as I'm half-way through (crystal malt is steeping now). Because of my limited ingredients, I settled on using his "English-style Brown Ale" as a rough guide.

I'm steeping 1/2 lb. of medium crystal for 30 minutes
I will then add 6.6 lb. of Munton's dark plain malt extract and 2 oz. of Styrian Golding pellets and boil for ?? 10 minutes. Recipe says to boil the malt for 60 minutes and some fuggles hops for 5-10 minutes. Since my hops are pellets and go further, I may reserve a little to throw in at the end as finishing hops.

So will reducing the boiling time here reduce the bitterness?

If you follow those directions you'll be fine. The way it works is that you add the HOPS for 60 minutes. Set the timer then. AT 5-10 minutes remaining, you add the second hops. The extract is in there, but it has nothing to do with the boil time.

So, in effect, you'll boil the first hops addition for 50 minutes. Then add the last hops addition and continue boiling for another 10 minutes, for a total of 60 minutes.

The way most recipes are written would be:

2 ounces styrian Goldings (60 minutes)
1/2 hops fuggles (5 or 10 minutes)

Which means you add the first hops at 60 minutes remaining, and the last hops with 5 or 10 minutes remaining. The extract time is immaterial.

 

[FSBrewer]

I see. So if I boil hops and extract together for only 10-15 minutes, which is what I had planned, it sounds as though I may be severely under-utilizing the hops.

 

[Yooper]

I see. So if I boil hops and extract together for only 10-15 minutes, which is what I had planned, it sounds as though I may be severely under-utilizing the hops.

Yes. You need to boil those first hops for an hour. Otherwise, you'll have cloyingly sweet beer since you won't extract bittering from the hops.

 

[mikebiewer]

Agreed.

Boil the hops for 50 to 60 minutes. These are the bittering hops. Then the aroma hops come into play in the end. It has to do with the oils seeping out of the flower and the temps at which they do so!

 

[oldtrucker]

so if you cut boiling time in half it will make beer not bitter? if you leave out aroma hops no hop smell? if this is correct, my boil times just got much shorter and i'll put the aroma hops in the garbage can.
kent

 

[oldtrucker]

so if you cut boiling time in half it will make beer not bitter? if you leave out aroma hops no hop smell? if this is correct, my boil times just got much shorter and i'll put the aroma hops in the garbage can.
kent

 

[Yooper]

so if you cut boiling time in half it will make beer not bitter? if you leave out aroma hops no hop smell? if this is correct, my boil times just got much shorter and i'll put the aroma hops in the garbage can.
kent

If you cut your boiling time in half for the hops, your beer will be much sweeter, maybe cloyingly sweet. The point of the hops being bitter is to counteract the very sweet wort.

If you post a recipe, we can tell you exactly what a 30 minute boil time will do. Some people only add hops or 30 minutes or less, but add far more of them which gives big hops flavor and aroma. It really depends on the recipe, and how it's balanced.

 

[FSBrewer]

Yes. You need to boil those first hops for an hour. Otherwise, you'll have cloyingly sweet beer since you won't extract bittering from the hops.

Oops, well, since this thread was in progress during the brew, the hops only got probably around 20 minutes max. I'll let you know how it turns out in a few weeks!

 

[mikebiewer]

I would be curious as to how it turns out.

It just might be a little sweeter than you want it to be. One thing you could try doing is taste it when it goes over to the secondary and dry hop it if need be in the secondary fermenter.

 

[FSBrewer]

I would be curious as to how it turns out.

It just might be a little sweeter than you want it to be. One thing you could try doing is taste it when it goes over to the secondary and dry hop it if need be in the secondary fermenter.

Secondary? I gave up any ideas I might have once had about using a secondary after consulting most of the regulars on this forum. I would only use a secondary now if I needed to free up my primary for a second batch when the first one's not finished yet.

I will try to remember to post back here how it turns out, though.

 

[mikebiewer]

Right on.

I'm curious as to how its going to turn out. I'm sure it will be just fine.

Yea, I was just thinking if it hasn't taken on enough hop characteristics be the end you could just dry hop it in the secondary. It could add some new flavor for ya.

Cheers!

 

[FSBrewer]

This is a dead thread now, but I was just reviewing it and I should post the follow up I promised:

This brew came out very clean and smooth, but indeed without much noticeable hop taste. It is a fairly mild tasting beer, but it's definitely very drinkable. It did not come out sweet at all (thank goodness because I can't stand it when that happens).