Reducing boil volume?

[frothdaddy]

A propane burner isn't an option for me since I live in a high-rise condo, and my stove isn't that great for getting a full rolling boil going. It will boil uncovered, but won't get really vigorous unless I keep the cover partially on the kettle.

Is there a downside to reducing the volume of my boil to roughly 2 gallons, and just adding more water to the primary, in order to help it boil easier and give me a little more head space to reduce boil-over?

It's a bad idea to boil with the cover partially on the kettle, right?

 

[subourbonite]

A propane burner isn't an option for me since I live in a high-rise condo, and my stove isn't that great for getting a full rolling boil going. It will boil uncovered, but won't get really vigorous unless I keep the cover partially on the kettle.

Is there a downside to reducing the volume of my boil to roughly 2 gallons, and just adding more water to the primary, in order to help it boil easier and give me a little more head space to reduce boil-over?

It's a bad idea to boil with the cover partially on the kettle, right?

Boiling with the lid on will lead to DMS (di-methyl sulfate) in your beer, which can cause a cooked vegetable flavor. If you are going to boil less water, then I suggest you look into the late extract addition method of brewing; keep in mind that you will need to change your hop additions in order to compensate for higher utilization.

 

[Jekster]

There isn't any problem with this really. Just remember though not to add the full quantity of your extract for the full boil time. A lot of individuals, including John Palmer, state that having a really high gravity boil is one of the reasons people experience "Extract Twang" in their extract brews. If you are doing a 60 minute boil, just add enough extract to reach around 1.040-1.050ish gravity and add the rest of the extract as a "late addition" in the last 15-20 minutes to pasteurize. You should be golden.

*EDIT* Wow someone posted the exact same thoughts right as I did. O well, it's always good to hear support for a good method!

 

[TheJadedDog]

I have a similarly crappy stove so my boils are always 2 gallons. Unlike a previous post suggests, I typically add all of my extract at the start of my boil (I only use DME so I tend to avoid the dreaded twang). The thing you must consider is your hop utilization - the higher the gravity of your wort, the less utilization you will get.

Either way, late extract or not, just make sure you are using the appropriate amount of hops and you will be fine.

 

[frothdaddy]

I did a 3 gallon boil for my first batch, because that's what Palmer says to do. But, the instructions that come with the Northern Brewer kit say to do a 1.5 gallon boil.

Since the instructions call for 1.5 gallon boil, should I still have to adjust the hop additions if I bring my boil down to 1.5 gallons?

 

[homebrewer_99]

I do 1.5 gal boils all the time without any problems.

Mix that with 1 lb DME and my bittering hops extracts the maximum bitterness from the hop (30%).

Boil 45 mins, remove from heat, add remaining DME, return to heat and boil for 15 mins. Done.

I prefer my Hefe Weizens sweet and only use 3%AAs for 6 lbs of DME. 3.4% addds more bitterness. Too much for my tastes, but still very drinkable.

 

[malkore]

one thing I do, being in the same boat, is use two 12qt stockpots, and I split all ingredients equally between them.

I can start with 5 gallons between them, and lose about .5 gallons from each pot, so only about 1gal of cooled water needs to be added to primary.

some think I'm crazy for doing it like that...maybe so. but i'm looking for a propane burner and a 7gallon pot REAL soon. (birthday in under two weeks...)

 

[TheJadedDog]

I did a 3 gallon boil for my first batch, because that's what Palmer says to do. But, the instructions that come with the Northern Brewer kit say to do a 1.5 gallon boil.

Since the instructions call for 1.5 gallon boil, should I still have to adjust the hop additions if I bring my boil down to 1.5 gallons?

If the instructions call for 1.5 gallons then everything should already be calibrated for that amount. If, on the other hand, the instructions were for 3 gallons, and you wanted to only use 1.5 gallons, then you would need to make an adjustment.

 

[frothdaddy]

Do you think that since the instructions called for a 1.5 gallon boil, and I did a 3 gallon boil, there will be any negative effects?

 

[TheJadedDog]

Do you think that since the instructions called for a 1.5 gallon boil, and I did a 3 gallon boil, there will be any negative effects?

Might get a little more hop bitterness but I wouldn't worry about it (I did the same thing the first time I went with a larger boil volume with no ill effects).

 

[homebrewer_99]

Do you think that since the instructions called for a 1.5 gallon boil, and I did a 3 gallon boil, there will be any negative effects?

If you do a 3 gal boil you should try to keep the gravity for that amount at about 1.040 which would be estimated at 3 lbs malt for 3 gals of water.

 

[Orfy]

Go electric.

 

[mrk305]

I was going to post this question tonight myself. I like to mini mash with more water because I thought I would get more extaction.

 

[cardiac_cadet002]

what formula do you use for adjusting hops when using partial boils?

 

[BlindLemonLars]

what formula do you use for adjusting hops when using partial boils?

Beersmith makes this pretty easy to do. It's a great program, well worth the $20 to register.

I usually do four gallon boils, but today I tried dropping it down to 2.5 with my ESB. It took an extra ounce of hops to get the IBUs back where they belong. Otherwise, it sure made the process easier...the pot is quicker to boil, quicker to cool back down and a lot easier (lighter!) to handle.