Weak burner. It's boiling but not foaming like I see online

[Proazch]

I live in an apartment and I have 4 place stovetop with gas flame burners. Cranked all the way up, my 3.5 gallon wort barely boiled. the best I could get was one constant bubble popping on top, but it wasn't exactly a roiling boil. Is a boil a boil, or do I need a better burner or maybe a smaller wort?

 

[dkeller12]

You need a good rolling boil to get the most out of your hops. The boil helps isomerize the hops which is how you get all the bitterness, flavor out of them. Plus it helps kill anything you may have introduced to the wort before the boil. If you cannot get your stove to a rolling boil, you should either make a smaller recipe to see what you stove can handle (1 or 2 gallon batches), or get a propane burner and brew outside if possible.



Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[cannman]

Secret to small burners (I've been there) is to add 2-3 pennies to your wort. This will help get the boil along. If you're done with the brew, try it with water just to check it out. If you're still going, chuck them in there!!

You can also do a partial boil where you add water at the end of your wort/hop boil. I've actually had great success with this when I first started.

 

[ajstrider]

Your brew kettle may not be the best either. I searched for and purchased one to fit my electric stove top's largest burner. It has a thick aluminum bottom to spread the heat out nice and evenly. On the highest setting, I get a beautiful rolling boil with a 3 gallon boil. I stir it of course but I don't have to worry much about it burning like some powerful propane burners.

A new pot may be a good solution for you.

Here is what I bought.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003HMH60K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20