23 replies to this topic

[denny]

Denny: can you explain the reasoning behind boiling small amounts of runoff and adding them into the main boil after some boil down? I thought it caused carmelization but if not - what does it do?

If you boil long enough to get down to almost nothing, you will indeed get caramelization, kinda like making caramel with sugar. The first time I ever saw a boildown mentioned, years back, was in conjunction with Skotrat's KILLER Traquair House clone recipe. The intention was to mimic the effects of the multi hour boil they use.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

If you boil long enough to get down to almost nothing, you will indeed get caramelization, kinda like making caramel with sugar. The first time I ever saw a boildown mentioned, years back, was in conjunction with Skotrat's KILLER Traquair House clone recipe. The intention was to mimic the effects of the multi hour boil they use.

So I guess you have to use a pretty small amount of wort then.

[denny]

So I guess you have to use a pretty small amount of wort then.

Well, to get caramelization, you can start with a large amount, just like you can start by adding water to the sugar when you make caramel. But you just have to boil that liquid off, and that's the same deal with wort. If you want it caramelized, you have to boil off most of the liquid so you get a thick, gooey mass. But even a shorter boil will develop flavors due to Maillard reactions.

Edited by denny, 26 October 2009 - 04:30 PM.

[consumptionjunction]

Denny, is this another "senior moment"? :

And BTW, melanoidins are a color, not a flavor, as far as I can find out.

But even a shorter boil will develop flavors due to Maillard reactions.

Man, I wish I had the equipment to do some experiments...