Full Boil Question

[someguy]

Hey Guys:

I am pretty new to this and recently moved up to a larger kettle. I intend to brew 10 gallon extract kits.

The kits always say use about 60% of the water for the boil. So use 3 gallons of water in boil and then top off with 2 more gallons in the primary fermenter.

I have read that full boils are better. However, if I full boil would'nt I need to decrease the amount of hops, grains and extract to keep the same proportions of ingredients to wort?

Your help is appreciated.

 

[Chefencore]

You would keep the grain and extract the same. Just add no extra water. The purpose of the partial boil is to accommodate a smaller boil pot. In theory, you would decrease the hops, because you would get better utilization of them, but why use less when you can use more? They are hops after all!!

 

[birvine]

but why use less when you can use more?

Because you might not want it that bitter.

B

 

[Chefencore]

Because you might not want it that bitter.

B

I don't understand

 

[RM-MN]

When you use the full volume for boiling instead of the reduced amount with top off water you utilize the hops better so your full boil beer will end up more bitter. Some people care about things like that as it can make your beer unbalanced while other like their beer more hoppy.

 

[JLem]

Grains and extracts remain the same.

2 cups of sugar boiled in 3 gallons of water then topped up to 5 gallons, gives you 2 cups of sugar in 5 gallons. This would be exactly the same sugar concentration as if you boiled 2 cups of sugar in 5 gallons to start with. Since you want sugar concentration to be the same in your beer (ie you want the OG to be the same regardless of whether you do a partial or full boil), you need to keep the grain and extracts the same.

You'll want to adjust bittering hops, but keep flavor and aroma hops the same. Going to full boil increases hop utilization, so more alpha acids get extracted, which will provide more bitterness. However, flavor and aroma compounds are not really affected by the volume of the boil, so you want to keep those additions constant.

 

[bullinachinashop]

^ What he said.
The bittering hop can be adjusted down from 20-50%.
Older theory said closer to 50%
Newer conversations are leaning to closer to 20%
You can easily enter it into brewing software and adjust per your recipe.
Boiling with as much water as possible will improve your beer overall.

Good Luck

Bull

 

[mjmac85]

Grains and extracts remain the same.

2 cups of sugar boiled in 3 gallons of water then topped up to 5 gallons, gives you 2 cups of sugar in 5 gallons. This would be exactly the same sugar concentration as if you boiled 2 cups of sugar in 5 gallons to start with. Since you want sugar concentration to be the same in your beer (ie you want the OG to be the same regardless of whether you do a partial or full boil), you need to keep the grain and extracts the same.

You'll want to adjust bittering hops, but keep flavor and aroma hops the same. Going to full boil increases hop utilization, so more alpha acids get extracted, which will provide more bitterness. However, flavor and aroma compounds are not really affected by the volume of the boil, so you want to keep those additions constant.

Really like the sugar example, but I have a question. The grains are like a tea bag. You steep it then pull them out. More water means more absorption? I know if I make ice tea and make a 2gal batch with 10 tea bags and then remove the tea bags and add water I could have had more extracted from the tea bags if I had used all the water at once.

Just trying to get some clarity on how this works. Still brand new.

 

[JLem]

Really like the sugar example, but I have a question. The grains are like a tea bag. You steep it then pull them out. More water means more absorption? I know if I make ice tea and make a 2gal batch with 10 tea bags and then remove the tea bags and add water I could have had more extracted from the tea bags if I had used all the water at once.

Just trying to get some clarity on how this works. Still brand new.

Not really. When you steep the grains (or tea) absorption is not the issue. If you steep the 10 tea bags in twice as much water you will not get twice the extraction. There MAY be a little difference between extraction with a partial vs a full boil, but I don't think so much that it requires changing the recipe.