Why bring the water to boil before adding extract

[eye-of-ra]

Hello my beer brethren!

I've been brewing a few years now. I have a couple dozen batches under my belt (IMO I'm 22-2 ). I've enjoyed extract brewing but have finally moved to a place where I can actually store enough equipment to start playing with partial and all grain brewing! Since I'm researching the how's, what's and why's for all grain something popped up that I never thought about with extract...

Why do we need to bring the water to boil before we add the extract?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

The extract is more soluble in hot water. Just like any sugar.

In cold water it will just go straight to the bottom, be difficult to dissolve into solution, and mot likely just scorch on the bottom of the kettle. Heat the water first to aid in solubility and reduce the chance it scorches during the bittering stages.

 

[MDExile]

You beat me to the punch.

Liquid malt extract will dive straight to the bottom of a pot of cold water, stick to the bottom of the pot, burn, and scorch on the bottom of the pot to the point where you will just want to throw the pot away.

Don't ask me how I know this ! It took about 6 months (not full time, naturally...just when I got bored and had nothing better to do) of oven cleaner and brute force with a Chore-Boy until I got most of the burned on char from the bottom of the pot. Twenty years later and there is still a spot or two remaining.

The extract is more soluble in hot water. Just like any sugar.

In cold water it will just go straight to the bottom, be difficult to dissolve into solution, and mot likely just scorch on the bottom of the kettle. Heat the water first to aid in solubility and reduce the chance it scorches during the bittering stages.

 

[Sailingeric]

I don't bring mine to a full boil when I add. I get the water about 180 or so, remove from heat, and then start to add slowly, then let it get up to a boil. I also set my LME in a pot of hot water to help it pour more easily.

 

[WildTim]

You don't have to boil the water. If you are using a hopped extract and don't have to extract the oils from the hops you can just heat the water enough to dissolve the extract easily. Get the whole mess warm enough to pasteurize, cool and ferment.

It called no-boil brewing, and it works. I've never made great beer doing it this way but I've made drinkable beer without anything funky going on.

You are limited to hopped extract kits too, you aren't going to be producing any custom recipes.

 

[eye-of-ra]

Awesome feed back, guys!! Thanks!

I think I'll try the 180+ next time and see how it goes. I, too, warm my LME in a pot of water to aid it the pour, it works great!

MDExile: Thanks for letting us know everyone makes mistakes. They are frustrating when they happen but become humorous anecdotes later on!! (BTW, those spots are just character marks)

 

[dstar26t]

Like has been said, LME is best added hot with the heat source off. DME is best added at 100-120F since it's so hygroscopic that steam will make it clump before it hits the water, making it harder to dissolve. Problem is, I only add DME in emergencies and the kettle is already nearly boiling.

 

[rekoob]

I don't bring mine to a full boil when I add. I get the water about 180 or so, remove from heat, and then start to add slowly, then let it get up to a boil. I also set my LME in a pot of hot water to help it pour more easily.

+1, this is what I do also when I do extract.

 

[JimEb]

I don't bring mine to a full boil when I add. I get the water about 180 or so, remove from heat, and then start to add slowly, then let it get up to a boil. I also set my LME in a pot of hot water to help it pour more easily.

Same here. My water is usually about 150F from steeping the grains. While removing the grains and dealing with that I crank the burner full on. By the time I'm back to my boil kettle I'm at 180F. Shut burner off and add LME.