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Author Topic: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?  (Read 5249 times)

Offline weithman5

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #15 on: March 13, 2014, 01:04:30 pm »
of course it can. and you don't need a thermometer for your boil.
it is the same phenomenon that allows water to be colder than 32 degrees when you put salt in it.
in addition. if you find a way to pressurize your boil vessel you can superheat it above 212 degrees with out boiling.
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Offline arustyt

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #16 on: March 13, 2014, 02:05:33 pm »
But if you're gonna glance at the thermometer, why not just glance at the kettle to see how it's doing?  The lack of a thermometer on my kettle has never interfered with my ability to judge when it's gonna boil.
I can, and frequently do look inside the BK. But it's nice to be able to keep an eye on it from across the garage. It's not like I added a thermometer just so I can watch the temperature. My BK is a Blichmann so I'm just using what's there.

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Offline Stevie

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #17 on: March 13, 2014, 02:16:36 pm »
I am a single kettle kind of guy. I use the thermometer when heating strike and sparge water, as well as cooling.

Offline rodmanxxx

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #18 on: March 13, 2014, 05:17:43 pm »
I biab so need the thermometer. Also @ 5000 ft my boil is steady @ 202 degrees
It's all fun and games until somebody loses a liver.

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #19 on: March 13, 2014, 09:19:58 pm »
But if you're gonna glance at the thermometer, why not just glance at the kettle to see how it's doing?  The lack of a thermometer on my kettle has never interfered with my ability to judge when it's gonna boil.
I can, and frequently do look inside the BK. But it's nice to be able to keep an eye on it from across the garage. It's not like I added a thermometer just so I can watch the temperature. My BK is a Blichmann so I'm just using what's there.

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Don't feel bad. I have  Brewmometers on all three of my kettles. On cold brew days I don't have to blow steam out of the way to see if it's boiling yet. Plus it's handy for watching chill temps.

Having said that, I believe it is entirely possible to brew beer without any thermometer. All you need is a pencil for math and a way to accurately measure water. It's helpful to know what your well water temp is too.

So for me, 10 lbs room temp grain in 4 gallons (1.25 well temp + 2.75 boiling) equals about 150°.  Prep sparge water the same way. Bla bla bla. But until Jonathan's thermometer eating zombies attack,  I like my three brewmometers.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2014, 10:03:07 pm by klickitat jim »

Offline erockrph

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #20 on: March 13, 2014, 10:25:10 pm »
Because of the sugar in the wort, it can get higher than 212.  I've seen temps of 214-216.  But you still don't need a thermometer in there IMO.
You sure of that thermometer calibration? At 30 Brix and 99% purity this gives a 0.31C increase. Maybe hop particles help elevate the temps.
http://www.sugartech.co.za/bpe/index.php

Boiling point elevation increases as purity decreases. Wort is quite impure. At low purity percentage and at 100C you get numbers in the ballpark of what Denny is talking about,
Eric B.

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Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #21 on: March 14, 2014, 06:31:06 am »
Because of the sugar in the wort, it can get higher than 212.  I've seen temps of 214-216.  But you still don't need a thermometer in there IMO.
You sure of that thermometer calibration? At 30 Brix and 99% purity this gives a 0.31C increase. Maybe hop particles help elevate the temps.
http://www.sugartech.co.za/bpe/index.php


Boiling point elevation increases as purity decreases. Wort is quite impure. At low purity percentage and at 100C you get numbers in the ballpark of what Denny is talking about,
I will check with the thermopen next time I brew a big beer, and see the elevation in temp over boiling, adjusted for my altitude and barometric pressure.
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Offline gmac

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #22 on: March 17, 2014, 10:28:27 pm »
I'm sure I'm at the exact right elevation to compensate for the slight increase in wort density so that my water boils when it should.

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #23 on: March 18, 2014, 07:06:47 am »
Subtle

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Can wort heat past 212 when boiling?
« Reply #24 on: March 19, 2014, 12:05:51 pm »
Here are some data.
NOAA says we have 29.62 in Hg Atmospheric pressure today.
Elevation is 909 ft.
Using this to calculate boiling point.
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/boilingpoint.html

We get 209.3F today as the calculated boiling point.

On a 15 Plato beer, 1.060 OG, with 12 oz. pellet hops the boil was at 210.1 F measured with a thermapen.

So it was 0.8F higher than boiling. You can get higher than 212f if you start at near sea level and standard pressure.
Jeff Rankert
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Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!