Boiled time way over

[JPR]

B.L.U.F. - The wort still tasted fine

So yeah, basically we ended up forgetting about the beer and it boiled for upwards of an extra hour.

We are making White House Honey Ale.

After the 30 minute steep, we started to take it up to boil. Once we achieved our rolling boil, we literally forgot about it. About the hour mark, I realized we hadn't done anything else the recipe called for. So, basically after adding the LME/DME, we ended up boiling for about 2 hours.

What I know this has done?

1. Made it a lot darker than it should be, no big deal to me
2. Came up short. I added a gallon once I realized what was going on. However, I think 2 more gallons would have been more appropriate. One carboy is full. The other is just above the 1/2 mark in a 5 gallon carboy.

So, do I siphon from the full one, then add water to get them both to 5 gallons? Or, do I just add water to the one that is short?

What do I not know this had done?
1. ?
2. ?
3. ?

My SG came in at 1.082. I'm not sure how high it should be... but I'm pretty sure that is quite high for this.

thanks for any/all advice.

 

[ACbrewer]

right so you have 2 5 gallon carboys and one is full (5 gallons) and 1 is 1/2 fulle (2.5 gallons) ... or have I got that wrong? Most recipies are for 5 to 5.5 gallons in the primary.

As to the boil, when did you put in the hops? at time zero? or when you put the LME/DME in? I think you might have gotten a bit more bitterness from the longer boil, but not very noticible, the reason a 1 hour boil is used is because that seems to be 'good enough'.

1.082 sounds high, but without the ingredients, I can't tell, I think these are for a 1.060 to 1.070 iirc, but that about matches you being 1 gallon short.

IF you are in 2 fermentors and add to 1, you will get 2 different beers, as the OG of one will be 1.082 and the OG of the other will be like 1.050. Yeast are affected by the partial preasure of the sugars, so that they ferment slightly different at different gravities and give the beer slightly different flavors.

Anyhow, if you could post the recipe and what you are fermenting in, that would be helpful.

 

[ncbrewer]

I'll assume the hops were boiled as the recipe called for, that this was a full boil, and that you chilled to pitching temperature. The long boil still might have affected the flavor, but I expect it will be ok. For the low post boil volume, split it equally between the two carboys and add water. No need to siphon - it needs to be aerated anyway (don't forget to aerate). Be sure the top-off water doesn't have chlorine. You can use campden or boil and cool if it's chlorinated water - but from what I've read, boiling doesn't work if chloramine is used instead of chlorine. Whatever method you used for the main water source should be ok. Hope this helps.

Edit: I thought you were making a 10 gallon recipe - might be wrong

 

[501irishred]

From what I've seen out of DC lately, it's very possible they are advocating high gravity beer! \\

Boiling extract for that long may give you a roasted flavor you weren't expecting (hopefully not burned taste), and as you already pointed out, make it much darker. What about your hop schedule? Did your bittering addition make a full two hours? What yeast are you pitching, and did you make a starter?

 

[JPR]

Thanks guys. I'll try and fill in the questions from you.

Ingredients listed below are for a 5 gallon. My LHBS took this information and made a 10 gallon version for me. (from http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/09/01/ale-chief-white-house-beer-recipe)

2 (3.3 lb) cans light malt extract
1 lb light dried malt extract
12 oz crushed amber crystal malt
8 oz Biscuit Malt
1 lb White House Honey
1 1/2 oz Kent Goldings Hop Pellets
1 1/2 oz Fuggles Hop pellets
2 tsp gypsum
1 pkg Windsor dry ale yeast (I didn't make a starter)

We pretty much forgot about the beer after we were able to get it to the boil part. So the hops portion and the remaining was done with the appropriate times listed in the directions portion from the link.

I'm not sure whether we have chlorine or chloromine. I will take your advice and boil a couple of gallons after I even the two 5 gallon carboys out, where then I"ll top them both off to 5 gallons. This occurred on Sunday evening and it has already had a pretty strong session of the fermentation process.

 

[ncbrewer]

This occurred on Sunday evening and it has already had a pretty strong session of the fermentation process.

Since this is already fermenting, I don't know that I really have any good advice. If you transfer and/or add water, siphon to prevent aeration. But I've never tried or heard of doing this after fermentation has just started. Maybe someone else has some experience.

As far as your water, the chlorine issue is something to work out for future brews. Brewing water shouldn't have chlorine/chloramine. Campden tablets work well and are really convenient.

 

[JPR]

Since this is already fermenting, I don't know that I really have any good advice. If you transfer and/or add water, siphon to prevent aeration. But I've never tried or heard of doing this after fermentation has just started. Maybe someone else has some experience.

As far as your water, the chlorine issue is something to work out for future brews. Brewing water shouldn't have chlorine/chloramine. Campden tablets work well and are really convenient.

Thanks. I have pretty good faith in keeping things sanitized if siphoning from the fuller one, then adding water to them both to top them off. But there is that chance of messing up. Debating if just topping off the short one is the 'safer' route to take. I plan on kegging the full one, and bottling the other one anyways.

 

[JPR]

I've been bouncing back and forth on what should be done here. I think I have been convinced to give it a shot and add more water. It was brought to my attention that over boiling this much to a beer will also make it very heavy to drink. That really isn't a characteristic I would prefer.

I was thinking of transferring both of these to a secondary anyways. I figure may as well level them off then top them off at that time (or in it's current carboys if I don't do a secondary).

Or,

Wait until I keg/bottle, then do the above. 5 gallons is getting bottled anyways. I can just boil more than I had planned for when I do the priming sugar.

Searching around on this, many advise not to "water down" the beer and just roll with it. They say you may oxygenate the beer and it will quickly spoil.

I would love to hear from others who have done something like this. Mainly curious if it tastes watered down and if it spoils in under a month in the keg or bottles.