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Author Topic: Question about Partial/Full Boils.  (Read 7204 times)

Offline handisbrewery@gmail.com

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Re: Question about Partial/Full Boils.
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2017, 05:07:19 am »
The extract kits from my LHBS have you steep the grains using a small portion of the water (1.5-1.75 gallons). After the steep is done then add more water and bring to a boil after adding extract (still not full volume @ 3.75 gallons). Then chill and top off with water. I too have been noticing a twang or bitterness in the all my recent brews. I was just using soft tap water, I just recently switched to getting RO water and using RO for just about everything in the brew (except maybe a SNS yeast starter). I have the first batch using RO a week out from being bottled and I am hoping to find better results. I also just noticed the end of my auto-siphon has a bunch of fine cracks or scratches in the bottom 3", so I might be picking up something there too. Time to invest in a carboy cap and a SS Racking cane.

I remember to bring the water up to temp like the kit said. Dropping in the Speciality grains in the bag, letting set for whatever time it said. Then taking out, bring to a boil then taking off and putting in the LME so it don' scorch on the stove. Then I brought back to a boil. I didn' add any extra water to it, I just followed the kid instructions. I was told that something wasn't getting diluted right that's why it was getting bitter when you pour the rest of the water on.

And I've tried RO Water with my blonde ale whenI brewed, still had teh same bitterness.

Offline handisbrewery@gmail.com

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Re: Question about Partial/Full Boils.
« Reply #16 on: May 14, 2017, 05:08:32 am »
When I first started, the LHBS made their own kits as you waited. I had to weigh out the hops when brewing. I won a kit from a national supplier recently as a door prize, and the hops were 'pre-measured' with no info on the packs other than the name. It was horrible bitter.
Do you have to weigh your own hops from a kit, or are they pre-measured? Sorry, I haven't done a kit in years. (other than the door prize kit)

Ed

Rusty. When I done the kits I got, they all were named and pre measured in packages. I just dropped in at said times.

Offline handisbrewery@gmail.com

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Re: Question about Partial/Full Boils.
« Reply #17 on: May 14, 2017, 05:13:39 am »
After reading this post I have a question.  Could I take a 5 gallon brew kit, and split it in half?  What I mean is since you lose about 1/2 gallon of liquid during the boil, start with 2 independent kettles with 2.75 gallons in each, so as you have a total of 5.5 gallons, and after boiling be left with 5 gallons.  In one kettle you boil your specialty grains and hops, and in the other kettle you boil only the liquid extract.  Therefore, you get the maximum utilization from your hops, since the gravity of the boil won't be to high due to your boiling the extract in a separate kettle.  And you will still achieve the hot break in both kettles. After the required time for the boil, after flame out, and cooling both kettles, combine both kettles in the primary fermenter.  Why not just boil in a kettle large enough to accommodate over 5 gallons??? Because I only have a 5 gallon kettle, I want to experiment, and want to try to squeeze as much out of my hops as I can.

You can use two kettles.  Don't boil the grains though.  Grains are usually just meant for steeping unless it is a partial mash kit.  Boiling the grains will extract tannins.  It would be better to add extract to both kettles to have a wort of 1.040 SG in each.  Add half the hops to each kettle to optimize hop oil isomerization.  Fifteen minutes before the end of the boil add the remaining extract to both kettles.

YOu know what Flars. You may of just said what I needed to hear.

When I brewed the Kits. All of them told me to put the Speciality grains in the bag, put in the water and bring the water up to temp and then let it sit.

Would this have anything to do with the bitterness? Leaving the grains in the water and bring to temp. would that cause it to be bitter?

Because if leaving them in longer then needed time could cause bitterness, that could very well bee the issue I had.

Offline flars

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Re: Question about Partial/Full Boils.
« Reply #18 on: May 14, 2017, 06:33:47 am »
After reading this post I have a question.  Could I take a 5 gallon brew kit, and split it in half?  What I mean is since you lose about 1/2 gallon of liquid during the boil, start with 2 independent kettles with 2.75 gallons in each, so as you have a total of 5.5 gallons, and after boiling be left with 5 gallons.  In one kettle you boil your specialty grains and hops, and in the other kettle you boil only the liquid extract.  Therefore, you get the maximum utilization from your hops, since the gravity of the boil won't be to high due to your boiling the extract in a separate kettle.  And you will still achieve the hot break in both kettles. After the required time for the boil, after flame out, and cooling both kettles, combine both kettles in the primary fermenter.  Why not just boil in a kettle large enough to accommodate over 5 gallons??? Because I only have a 5 gallon kettle, I want to experiment, and want to try to squeeze as much out of my hops as I can.

You can use two kettles.  Don't boil the grains though.  Grains are usually just meant for steeping unless it is a partial mash kit.  Boiling the grains will extract tannins.  It would be better to add extract to both kettles to have a wort of 1.040 SG in each.  Add half the hops to each kettle to optimize hop oil isomerization.  Fifteen minutes before the end of the boil add the remaining extract to both kettles.

YOu know what Flars. You may of just said what I needed to hear.

When I brewed the Kits. All of them told me to put the Speciality grains in the bag, put in the water and bring the water up to temp and then let it sit.

Would this have anything to do with the bitterness? Leaving the grains in the water and bring to temp. would that cause it to be bitter?

Because if leaving them in longer then needed time could cause bitterness, that could very well bee the issue I had.

What temperature do you brings the grains up to?  Do you move the bag around in the water as it is heating.

I'll begin with the bag of steeping grains in 2.5 gallons.  This is for a 5 gallon recipe.  I'll heat the water to about 160°F then drain the grain bag over the boil kettle in a strainer followed by a rinse of 1 quart of just warm water.  The rinse extracts more colors and left over sugars.

I have noticed that when the grain bag just lays on the bottom of the kettle while heating their is the noticeable sound of boiling.  Heat trapped under the bag may be raising the temperature of some of the grains to the boil point with possible tannin extraction.  I'll use my spoon to move the bag to prevent over heating.

Offline santoch

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Re: Question about Partial/Full Boils.
« Reply #19 on: July 14, 2017, 09:43:57 pm »
If you are in fact boiling the grains, or soaking them in ro water and taking them out just prior to hitting boiling temps, the pH is likely high enough to extract harsh tannins from the husks.  You do want to remove the grains so that this doesn't happen.

A second thing that sometimes happens when folks top up with tap water is that they don't remove the chlorine before adding it to the beer.  This will usually cause a chlorophenolic flavor/aroma to form, which is usually perceived as chloraseptic, band-aids, cloves or plastic.  RO will help to eliminate that, if that has been contributing to the perception of these flavors.

HTH-
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