5 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

So I made a standard gold lager in May and it's on tap now. Over the weekend, I was having a few in the backyard and marveling at how good it was. I went back to my notes and saw that it was 2-row, wheat, corn and some carafoam, Tettnanger for bittering and Hallertau Mitt. for flavor & aroma... 2124 for the yeast. But I also saw my note that I ran out of propane with about 20 minutes left in the boil. I put the lid on teh brewpot and couldn't get to the hardware store for another tank for about an hour. I started the boil back up and then continued for the last 20 mins, adding a 15-min addition, whirfloc and then a 5 minute addition. The beer has a great flavor, it's bright gold and crystal clear. The hop presense is slightly different... a little mellower but crisp at the same time. Am I imagining this or could an interrupted boil be a GOOD thing?

[BrewerGeorge]

Because of scheduling, I'll occasionally let a wort sit in the kettle at 205F before starting the boil. The temp-controlled kettle let's me just set and forget if I need to go away from the house for some reason. Setting it at 205F means it will boil almost immediately when I get back and turn the juice to 100%. The longest I've done this was an hour, but most brews end up getting a "rest" for 5 or 10 minutes because I set the boil ramp up to HERMS mode to prevent a boilover if I'm busy cleaning the mash tun or whatever. Longer times make some really hellacious break.

[Big Nake]

Longer times make some really hellacious break.

I seem to remember this too. When I turned the gas back on, I remember looking at the wort and seeing huge clumps of break & hop material in there (like the size of golf balls). Everything else seemed to go smoothly and again, the beer has a distinct flavor and I just wonder if that rest had something to do with it. This is not a recipe I make regularly so I can't compare... it was just something I threw together. Cheers.

[JReigle]

Interesting to see you guys talking about this, since I've noticed it too under similar circumstances and have wondered what causes the phenomenon and whether or not it is desirable. Usually the occurs for me when I'm trying to squeeze the last flames out of a tank of propane and waiting to swap them, the flame goes out. In this minute or two of the boil ending as I get the new tank setup and leak checked, I saw the same deal with tons of break that forms into huge clots that stick around for the rest of the boil.These beers have corresponded to some of my quickest clearing, though I don't recall any major differences in the flavor profile. If I can remember next time I'm brewing something I'm very familiar with, I might just try an experiment in forcing this to occur to look specifically for any flavor difference.

[chuck_d]

I've killed my boil before to go get food or something many times. I boil 10 gallon batches (12+ in the kettle) on my kitchen stove with two burners going, so it can sometimes take me awhile to restore the boil. I don't know that I've ever noticed much of a difference, but I won't do that if I've added hops past 30 minutes. With bittering hops, it's not a huge deal since the amount of extra utilization is not going to be a big factor, and on my stove I could probably use a little extra time on that. I wonder if the lowered temperature leads to some of that smooth bitterness that is described from FWH. I've never really analyzed my notes to see if there are any differences between batches where I do this and batches where I don't.

Edited by chuck_d, 18 August 2009 - 11:07 AM.

[Big Nake]

In this minute or two of the boil ending as I get the new tank setup and leak checked, I saw the same deal with tons of break that forms into huge clots that stick around for the rest of the boil.

Yes, I remember this too. I remember not being terribly surprised about the break material, but I do remember being surprised that it seemed to stay around as if I was watching soup boil with chicken & parsely in it. Well, all seemed to come out okay... I just wonder if any beer geeks... ahem ... knowledgeable brewers know of a benefit/drawback to this. Cheers!