Split extract boil

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

MarshalFlint

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2015
Messages
9
Reaction score
1
Just wondering if there is any reason (other than having more pots to clean) why one couldn't boil the extract and water in two 2.5 gallon pots rather than one 5 gallon? Since it all goes into the same bucket, and gets diluted further with more water, does it matter?

Maybe there is something specific related to the ways the malt heats, but from a practical standpoint, it doesn't seem like this should make a difference.
 
There is no reason that it can't be done. You will need to split your hop additions evenly between the two pots to achieve the same extraction for bitterness, flavor, and aroma.

If you do both pots at the same time be very observant, of both pots, to prevent a boil over.
 
There is no reason that it can't be done. You will need to split your hop additions evenly between the two pots to achieve the same extraction for bitterness, flavor, and aroma.

If you do both pots at the same time be very observant, of both pots, to prevent a boil over.

I do a split boil and I only add my hop additions to one pot AG. How much of a difference does it make to split the hop additions?
 
I do a split boil and I only add my hop additions to one pot AG. How much of a difference does it make to split the hop additions?

Utilization of the hops decrease as the wort density, gravity, increases. At some point, with increased wort gravity, the decreased utilization may become noticeable in the finished beer.
I never delved into how much the percentage of utilization decreases as gravity increases, so no percentages to offer. I have always been a one boil kettle person.
 
Since I live in a small condo, and have space issues nor a propane burner or anywhere to use said burner, I do split boils myself. I would imagine that splitting up the extract and hops would be fine, but I would watch the recipe because some of them call for "top-up" water, and I guess your IBU and SRM numbers could be off without the dilution.
 
Back
Top