I use an E-HERMS setup and normally set the kettle element to 80% for the boil which gives me a nice rolling boil. Not “jumping out of the pot” vigorous, and certainly not a gentle roll. I’ll call this a hard boil. For me, a soft boil would be a low rolling boil just above a simmer – gently rolling but not bubbling.
For my heavier styles (larger grain bill, higher density wort) I get around a 1-gallon/hr boil-off rate at 80%, and for my lighter styles (smaller grain bill, lower density wort) I get around a 1.25-gallon/hr boil-off rate using that same 80% setting.
For consistency’s sake regarding boil-off rate and volume predictability, should I boil my lighter styles softer than my heavier styles, or would it be the same as adjusting my equipment profiles (BS2) to account for this slight variation? Is it actually better to boil softer for lighter styles?
For my heavier styles (larger grain bill, higher density wort) I get around a 1-gallon/hr boil-off rate at 80%, and for my lighter styles (smaller grain bill, lower density wort) I get around a 1.25-gallon/hr boil-off rate using that same 80% setting.
For consistency’s sake regarding boil-off rate and volume predictability, should I boil my lighter styles softer than my heavier styles, or would it be the same as adjusting my equipment profiles (BS2) to account for this slight variation? Is it actually better to boil softer for lighter styles?