full boil vs partial boil

[JHC]

I have been brewing for about 5 years and have always done partial boils with extract and specialty grains. I have a turkey burner and am about to get some new brew pots. I am considering getting larger pots and starting to do full boils. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to doing this? Also do I need to adjust the hops in any of my recipes? Any input would be appreciated. Also I am considering getting an immersion chiller, is it worth it? Thanks,
JHC

[danno]

yes, it's worth it. a full boil will give you better hot and cold break, resulting in a cleaner, clearer beer. and yes, any chiller is absolutely better than not using one. personally, I'd look into a CFC or a plate chiller (the Shirron is fairly inexpensive compared to copper prices nowadays..) and a valve in your kettle. then you don't have to siphon or pour boiling liquids. 5 gallons of wort is heavy...

with full volume boils, you get better hop utilization, so if you like how your recipes have been turning out, then reduce your hop amounts. ProMash (my software choice, I'm sure the other do too) can calculate that our for you...

whatever you do, don't steep your grains in the full 5-6 gallons of water. that is how you get tannins leached (high pH does it) and that dreaded extract "twang" that I taste every time I judge...

[BathroomBrew]

Originally posted by danno

whatever you do, don't steep your grains in the full 5-6 gallons of water. that is how you get tannins leached (high pH does it) and that dreaded extract "twang" that I taste every time I judge...

Just out of curiosity, why is that?

the only thing that comes to my mind is the maximum saturation level of the smaller volume would prohibit more "stuff" from being leached out of the grain, much like the utilization of hops being lower when boiled in smaller boil volumes.

[JHC]

THANKS FOR THE REPLY, DANNO. DO YOU STEEP IN A COUPLE OF GALLONS AND THEN WHEN YOU AKE THE GRAINS OUT ADD THE REST OF THE WATER? THANKS,
JHC

[danno]

Originally posted by BathroomBrew
Just out of curiosity, why is that?

it's all about the pH. higher pH leaches out tannins. if you use an appropriate amount of water (up to 2 qts per lb of grain) then the grain will itself buffer the pH, eliminating the tannins.

if you've ever done even a bit of study on water, you find that historically, certain cities produced different types of beer, due to their natural water source. Dublin, where the stout originated, has a very high carbonate level, which gives a higher pH. so, darker, more acidic grains were needed to buffer the water, and voilá, the stout was born...

JHC, I haven't brewed an extract batch in about five years, but that's the way you do it. put two quarts per pound of grain, add the grains in the big sock you get with the kits, and bring the temp to 155º for 20 minutes or so. pull out the grain, let it drip, don't squeeze it, then add the rest of your water and continue on...

[Mill Rat]

Full-volume boils also reduce the melanoidin reactions that darken light-colored beers made with a partial boil.

[cul8rv8]

Good to know, Danno. I've been putting my specialty grains in with the full 6 gallons of water as I bring it up to a boil.

I use bottled water as our city water here in Vegas tastes so funky. I need to call the water company to get a better profile than what they have online as some of the things I believe I need to know are not there. But as to the bottled water I don't even have a clue on it. I just know it tastes 100% better than what comes out of my tap.

After reading this, I may start splitting my bottled water to another pot to steep the grains in while I bring the rest up to a boil. Since I do it all on a stovetop it already takes an hour to bring that much water to a boil.

[JHC]

Thanks for the info. I too have been putting the grains in the 3 gallons that I usually boil with. I also use bottled water as Jackson water is horrible. I think that I will go with larger pots and try full boils and also start my grains in a smaller amount of water. Thanks for the info.
JHC

[Carl Spakler]

Is it possible to do all grain and not do a full boil?

[Mill Rat]

Originally posted by Carl Spakler
Is it possible to do all grain and not do a full boil? I suppose but your efficiency would stink. I fly sparge, and I have usually collected at least 5 gallons by the time the gravity of the runoff drops to about 2.5 Brix (1.010). If you stop before this, you leave quite a bit of sugars behind in the grain where they'll never meet up with your brewer's yeast and answer a higher calling in life.

[optimatored]

not to hijack the thread but I think this should be added here...

Many recipes I find always are for boiling less than 5 gallons, ie. doing a concentrated boil...

I prefer to boil as much as possible in my 6 gal pot... should I adjust any ingrediants when taking a recipe calling for a 1.5 gal concentrate recipe to a 5gal boil?

[markaberrant]

I prefer to boil as much as possible in my 6 gal pot... should I adjust any ingrediants when taking a recipe calling for a 1.5 gal concentrate recipe to a 5gal boil?

To be honest, I wouldn't be making anyone's 5 gal recipe that called for a 1.5 gallon boil... not saying you can't do it that way if it's all your system will allow. What I'm recommending is to look for tried and true all-grain recipes, then modify to suit your brewing equipment.

[Mill Rat]

... should I adjust any ingrediants when taking a recipe calling for a 1.5 gal concentrate recipe to a 5gal boil?
Drop your bittering (60 min) hop total AA by about 30-40%.

[optimatored]

Drop your bittering (60 min) hop total AA by about 30-40%.

Thats what I was thinking as well after downloading the beersmith tool... that thing rules!!

Thank you.

[optimatored]

To be honest, I wouldn't be making anyone's 5 gal recipe that called for a 1.5 gallon boil... not saying you can't do it that way if it's all your system will allow. What I'm recommending is to look for tried and true all-grain recipes, then modify to suit your brewing equipment.

No all grain yet... I will be slowly getting all the equipment... next big purchase will be a 10+ gal pot with temp gauge and spout… I already have a scale and grain mill.


So for now I will continue with my extract and speciality grains, so much fun.

The hobby you can drink... :D

[markaberrant]

No all grain yet...

So for now I will continue with my extract and speciality grains, so much fun.

Exactly. You can easily taylor an all-grain recipe to suit your needs.