What is your technique for caramelizing wort?

[fimpster]

I am planning a wee heavy for this weekend and want to use the new-to-me technique of caramelizing some wort.

I have read some suggestions to boil a few quarts/liters down to a syrup, or boil a couple of gallons of first runnings for 5 to 15 minutes before adding back to the main kettle, or even boil all the first runnings in a separate kettle for an hour then add that to the second (and third) runnings after an hour.

Just wondering what methods folks have tried and what were the results? Thanks.

 

[thaymond]

I did a wee heavy and opted to carmelize the wort. I took a gallon of first running in a separate pot and boiled on a stove to about a pint remaining. I was boiling my 60 minute boil and the 1 gallon carmelized wort simultaneously. I boiled until i was getting the large candy bubbles, like the size of a quarter. I added that back to the mix in the last 5 minutes.

My wee heavy turned out phenomenal. I'll definitely repeat the process. It makes the beer great.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I did this for a BDSA. Boiled about a gallon of first runnings down to about a cup and a half of syrup (big fat bubbles) and added it back in to the main boil. Great results. It gave it a sweet, plummy flavor but not too much. For lack of a better term, it added depth to the beer. Well worth doing.

 

[2005STi]

Technically caramelization doesn't happen until over 300F so it never happens when brewing. What you get are Maillard reactions.

 

[frankktankk]

Maillard needs high pH, caramelization low pH.
When the water is boiled off the temperature goes up an the first sugars get caramelized (or maillard depending on pH), the higher the temp more of the sugars get caramelized, maltose is last to convert.
The low pH is catalyzing the reaction increasing the speed or if you wish lowers the required temperature, depending how you look at it (reaction speed vs temperature).
However if it is maillard or caramellization that you get when boiling down first runnings I do not know.

I boil wort in a pressure cooker at 120°C and get some nice taste and browning (some chemistry going on in the pot).
Also I boil my starter wort in pressure cooker to get it sterile.
A pressure cooker is also a cheap autoclave

 

[fimpster]

When boiling down that far has any one developed a butterscotch taste that can be mistaken as diacetyl? I've read that may be a possible concern when boiling down to a syrup and would like to avoid that.