So I didn't get a rolling boil...

[wfowlks]

Short story: Last night I was attempting a brew, I was doing BIAB and aftewards had 15.5 gallons, and I turned the SQ14 on as high as it would go so that the flame was starting at the burner and not leaping off of it. My air intake was open all the way. I was getting a clean blue flame and it was a brand new tank of propane. I wasn't able to get a rolling boil, but I could tell that there was induction going on inside, and the temp (analog) put it around the 212 degree. I did get about 5 gallons of boil off for a 90 minute boil so I would assume that I did something right. I didn't put the lid on because I heard that putting the lid on can lead to off flavors as stuff that form pre-boil aren't able to evaporate.

Story background:
So, I have had the SQ14 for about a year now, and as an engineer I am always trying to think of how to make it better. I was not happy that it would take me about 1/3-1/2 of a tank of propane just to do a 10 gallon batch of All grain BIAB. So I thought that if I put a wind shield around the burner it would help to concentrate the flame and reduce a lot of the heat loss. Because there is really no wind guard on this model. I have used aluminum foil before to wrap around the legs, but I was looking for something more permanent.


Back to the point:
So Long story short, I modified the burner like so:


And last night I did a 10 gallon batch, I was unable to bring it to a boil but the temp was right for a boil. I don't know if somehow the new ring that I put on prevented it from boiling or something else?

And the most important question: Is the beer going to be messed up? I don't think it will be but ... if it is it will be my first "bad batch".

Thanks for the help

 

[TaylorBrewed]

Your beer will be fine.

 

[chickypad]

You boiled off 5 gallons in 90 min ?? If that's the case I have to think your boil was adequate. The surface must have been moving, not totally flat?

 

[wfowlks]

The reason that I didn't think I got a rolling boil was because there was no hot break. I saw the liquid moving as the particles in it were floating up and then going down the sides. It wasnt really 5 gallons in 90 minutes it was more like 5 gallons in 2.5 hrs, due to the heating it to boiling taking about an hour from the mash temp.

 

[flars]

You can help your burner out by covering the kettle until a rolling boil is reached. I leave the cover partially on to reduce the amount of energy to maintain a rolling boil. I also wipe the condensation from under the lid every so often just in case.

 

[wfowlks]

That wont cause it to have off flavors? I recall reading something about if you leave the cover on it can produce buttery flavors in the beer, Because there's something that evaporates out pre-boil, and when you leave the cover on it gets trapped.... I could also be making that up and mistaken it for something else

 

[chickypad]

It's DMS you're worried about, it gives a cooked corn flavor (buttery is usually diacetyl - that's more from yeast issues). The DMS will boil off if you take the lid off or mostly off once you reach boil. If the surface was moving and particles were floating up and going down it sounds like a good boil.

 

[wfowlks]

It's DMS you're worried about, it gives a cooked corn flavor (buttery is usually diacetyl - that's more from yeast issues). The DMS will boil off if you take the lid off or mostly off once you reach boil. If the surface was moving and particles were floating up and going down it sounds like a good boil.

Ah yes that is what I had read about, just didnt remember it completely and was to lazy to look it up. Thanks for the info! Hopefully it will save me some gas on the subsequent brews

 

[billpaustin]

I would build a wind screen around the whole thing. What you have done is limit the area the flame is affecting, and that the wind is affecting. Build a wind screen around the whole burner chassis, and let the flame go free.

What you describe, the beer should be fine anyway