boil temp question

[T29]

Hi

I am having a small issue. Im stuck when looking at recipes online or on here what boil temp to boil the grains etc.

it tells you what to add and when, but what is the proper temperature one boils the grains at, or if its all DME what is the ideal temperature and for how long.

Might be a dumb question but im not sure what to do.

Thanks in advance.

I did a few coopers kits and to be honest they are terrible and i ordered a kit from Ontariobeerkegs with hops and it was good but lacked hop flavour. so maybe im missing something. Im starting to get discouraged in homebrewing because after 6 brews nothing tastes really good.

 

[flars]

First boiling temeperature is when water or wort boils. At sea level this is 212°. Grains are never boiled. Grains at 170° and above will begin releasing the tannins from the husks. Terrible dry astringent flavor.

What are you considering for your next brew? We can look up the kit ingredients and the inatructions to give you a hand. If you don't have a next one in mind, what was one you already brewed which did not come out to your liking?

 

[firestem4]

As flars, and others can point out, grains are not boiled. If you have an All-Extract kit, then you add the DME/LME during the boil. That is to hydrate/dilute the DME/LME.

Grains are not boiled, but you mash and sparge them. If you do a partial-extract kit (some Malt Extract and some grains). Then you would mash the grains at 148-158, and add the LME/DME during the boil.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter14-1.html This link explains some of this quite in depth.

I haven't used any kits, so I can't really say why they wouldn't taste good. If you're using HME (Hopped malt extract) that might account for the low hop flavor..

Hope this helps.

 

[BigFloyd]

Start with a decent quality kit from MoreBeer, Northern Brewer or Austin that will have an 11g packet of good dry yeast.

If steeping grains, put the muslin grain sack in as the water is warming. Stop heating when it gets to 160*F. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Put the grain sack in a strainer of some sort and pour another quart or two of 160-165*F water over it so that it drains into the boil kettle.

With extract, you can put about 20% of it in at the beginning to the boil (with fire off and stir well) to get good hop utilization. Add the rest at the end of the boil.

Watch your temps. Too warm is the most common cause of off-flavors. Pitch into cool wort (60-62*F). Start the ferment at the low end of the optimal range for the yeast used (measuring beer temp, not air). Keep it there 4-5 days then you can let it come up 5-7*F to finish.

Read this sticky about using dry yeast - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/dry-yeast-faq-441967/

Hang in there. Follow these basic practices and you can make some good beer.

 

[Ianflean]

Good topic.

I brew on my electric stove and am finding it difficult to keep the boil at 100C for the full hour. Have to keep putting the lid three quarters on to get it back to boiling. When I added my new wort chiller yesterday, the temp shot down to 90C and would not get back to boiling.

Any tips?

 

[flars]

Good topic.

I brew on my electric stove and am finding it difficult to keep the boil at 100C for the full hour. Have to keep putting the lid three quarters on to get it back to boiling. When I added my new wort chiller yesterday, the temp shot down to 90C and would not get back to boiling.

Any tips?

I boil with the lid on almost all the way so I can turn the power down to save some pennies. I stay at the pot through the boil. I remove the lid and wipe it when a large amount of condensation collects to prevent DMS from dropping back into the wort. I also stir every few minutes to keep the hop debris in the boiling water and prevent any chance of scorching.

Pre heating your wort chiller in another pot would help, if you have another pot of the right size. Without a second pot, hot tap water would help some.

 

[cg911]

With extract, you can put about 20% of it in at the beginning to the boil (with fire off and stir well) to get good hop utilization. Add the rest at the end of the boil.

I have always added all the extract after the initial grain steep. What are the benefits of doing it this way? Any problems keeping the wort boiling? When would you add the remaining extract, before or after finishing hops?

Thanks in advance,

Clayton

 

[BigFloyd]

I have always added all the extract after the initial grain steep. What are the benefits of doing it this way? Any problems keeping the wort boiling? When would you add the remaining extract, before or after finishing hops?

Thanks in advance,

Clayton

Less caramelization. Some folks think that it decreases or eliminates "extract twang" flavor.

No problems keeping a boil going. I'd suggest before the finishing hops.