Newbie question - is this a disaster?

[reethi]

So, I've had an interesting day.

I tried homebrewing for the first time today - and I found out my stovetop sucks.

I live in an apartment, and I have one of those new-fangled electric flat-top stoves that shut off from time to time (evidently, to prevent burnings, boil-overs, etc.)

So, even after letting 3 gallons sit on high heat for over 3 hours, I couldn't get a full boil going - the highest temperature it seemed to get was 190F.

At which point, I lost patience, added extract, hops, timed it for an hour, added finishing hops, waited 20 minutes, and then cooled and transfered to my primary fermentation bucket.

So, I'm not sure if I have a lot of malt-flavored water, or if I have beer. I guess I'll know tomorrow, when I start watching for bubbles.

My question is - how do I fix this? Moving isn't really an option. I've read things on this forum about turkey friers, will that fix my problem?

Thanks,

Reethi

[fretlessman71]

I'm assuming it's an extract brew, right? Did you get it to the point of foaming up and having to stir it?

[reethi]

Yes, it is extract.

It foamed a little - and I did stir it around. (The thermometer ranged all along from 180F to 200F, no rolling boil, though.)

Reethi

[fretlessman71]

What kind of beer were you brewing? Lighter or heavier?

I'm not the greatest expert on brewing here, but I'll see if there's anything I can help with.

[spencer]

Correct me if I am wrong - and that is a very strong possibility - but I thought you boiled for the hops, not the sugar. In an extract kit, the sugar (LME / DME) desolves fairly quickly; the hops are what you are "pulling" from the boil. If I had to guess - and again, I'm nothing more that a talking monkey - I would say that you will miss out on characteristics associated with hops (bitter, etc), not malt. Am I crazy?

[Stodbrew]

No, you're right. In order to the alpha acids to isomerize, they need a combination of both heat and the movement of a rolling boil. I think this beer will turn out very much on the sweet side.

[spencer]

Good to hear. This could be fun to play with... You could start to add more and more hops at this "low boil" until you get the flavor that you like, but I'm not sure if you'll ever really get there; the big boil is key to getting all that alpha stuff to do its thing.

Sam's Club was selling a pretty sweet all-stainless turkey fryer last summer for about $70. I got one & love it. IMHO, avoid the aluminum (search realbeer for the answer to "why?") fryer kits. Spend a little more & you won't regret it. A good burner should get your 3 gallons rolling before you know it. You'll be boiling, cooled, and pitched in under 3 hours, not wondering if your water is ready for sugar...

[guildofevil]

Some people brew extract beers without boiling at all. This produces a basic, if not particularly good homebrew, if you use hoped extract. My first homebrew, about 12 years ago, was like this.
The boil as, spencer and stodbrew said, is to get the hop characteristics into your brew.
What extract were you using? How much and what kind of hops were you using? Better yet, give us the whole recipe.

If you are worried about lack of hop characteristics in your brew, you might consider making a hop tea and adding it to your beer now. Just boil an ounce or two of hops in a pint of water, let it cool to the same temperature as your brew and pour it in gently.

Séan

[Fly Creek]

To add to Guild's comment, I think I remeber once a ling time ago reading the directions printed on the label of a hopped extract (which I, of course, ignored) that no boiling was required.

In my experience, three gallons is tough to get to boil on the average kitchen stove.

Let us know how this one comes out.

[Trogger]

Boy, I have a really crappy electric stove, but I can get 3 gallons to boil. That sucks and I feel for ya...

Good luck.

[YamahaXS]

Just remember to relax and have a homebrew.


you might want to look at some turkey fryers...you'll get 200,000 BTU goodness and a nice big kettle to brew in.

[reethi]

Guild - I used John Palmer's How to Brew as a guide, and used his Pale Ale recipe...

3-4 lb. Pale malt extract syrup, unhopped
2 lb. Amber dry malt extract
12 AAU of bittering hops (any variety) For example, 1 oz. of 12% AA Nugget, or 1.5 oz. of 8% AA Perle
5 AAU of finishing hops (Cascade or other) For example, 1 oz. of 5% Cascade or 1.25 oz. of 4% Liberty
2 packets of dried ale yeast


I used 1 oz of 12% Nugget and 1 oz of 5.7% Cascade for hops.

BTW - I noticed you are in Dublin - I spent winter break there this year, and I loved it. Apart from drinking way too much Guinness, I made my way to the Porterhouse (the bartender at the Guinness Storehouse told us to) and drank too much there. Ireland is fantastic!

There seem to be bubbles in the airlock, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this batch.

Cheers,
Reethi

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by guildofevil
Some people brew extract beers without boiling at all. This produces a basic, if not particularly good homebrew, if you use hoped extract. My first homebrew, about 12 years ago, was like this.
The boil as, spencer and stodbrew said, is to get the hop characteristics into your brew.
What extract were you using? How much and what kind of hops were you using? Better yet, give us the whole recipe.

If you are worried about lack of hop characteristics in your brew, you might consider making a hop tea and adding it to your beer now. Just boil an ounce or two of hops in a pint of water, let it cool to the same temperature as your brew and pour it in gently.

Séan

The problem probably won't be lack of hop character(the character of flavor and aroma that is) but lack of bitterness. I suggest making a bittering tea. He needs to boil the hops for 20 minutes to isomerize some of the AA. Cool and add to the batch -- that way there will at least be some bitterness to offset the sweet.

In the future reethi, consider boiling your bittering hops separate and/or splitting your total volume into two pots.

[reethi]

Would I risk contamination if I add a bittering tea? I'm worried about opening the fermenter and adding the tea, its been fermenting for 8 hours now.

[fretlessman71]

If it's actually fermenting, there's going to be enough CO2 coming up to prevent anything nasty going DOWN. Is it bubbling up good yet?

[xtalman]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by spencer
Sam's Club was selling a pretty sweet all-stainless turkey fryer last summer for about $70. I got one & love it. IMHO, avoid the aluminum (search realbeer for the answer to "why?") fryer kits. Spend a little more & you won't regret it. A good burner should get your 3 gallons rolling before you know it. You'll be boiling, cooled, and pitched in under 3 hours, not wondering if your water is ready for sugar... [/QUOTE

They have them again, at least at my local Sams. I am trying to convince the wife I need to by this so I can start brewing agin.] :D

[danno]

Originally posted by reethi
Would I risk contamination if I add a bittering tea? I'm worried about opening the fermenter and adding the tea, its been fermenting for 8 hours now. no, boiling your tea will more than take care of any possible contaminants...

[Fast_Eddy]

If you boil your hops separate next time - make sure to account for increased isomerization due to decreased gravity that is if you do it in plain water. A good way would be to boil the hops in a smaller quantity of approx OG sweet liquor.

[ray m]

Originally posted by xtalman:

Originally posted by spencer:
Sam's Club was selling a pretty sweet all-stainless turkey fryer last summer for about $70. I got one & love it. IMHO, avoid the aluminum (search realbeer for the answer to "why?") fryer kits. Spend a little more & you won't regret it. A good burner should get your 3 gallons rolling before you know it. You'll be boiling, cooled, and pitched in under 3 hours, not wondering if your water is ready for sugar...

They have them again, at least at my local Sams. I am trying to convince the wife I need to by this so I can start brewing agin.]
__________________________________________

I got mine last year, and it's awesome. Highly recommended!! :)