Extract addition stops the boil

Today I did my 3rd batch(Black IPA) and this batch needed a 6 lbs extract addition at 15 minutes before end of boil. While adding the extract it stopped the rolling boil for about 7-8 minutes. While I had the burner maxed out on the stove it took that long to get it back to a rolling boil.

I hit an OG of 1.080-082 ish @ 65 degress and the beer seems to be fermenting nicely at 66 degrees and a bubble every second in the basement :slight_smile:

I’m wondering what effect will this non boiling time will have if any on the beer?

I also find it funny the wort is not darker…seems more like a brown ale color, was expecting it to be more black.

No worries…it will be fine. Interrupting the boil for a few minutes will not affect the beer one bit.

I think you’ll find a lot of extract brewers intentionally kill their heat to insure that they aren’t charring the new extract before it’s mixed. A couple minutes of the temperature dropping back is no big deal.

I always turn my heat off or almost off when I add any extract to avoid boil overs.

I’ll third the notion of killing the heat or taking the kettle off the burner if using Propane outdoors.

When you dump that extract it is headed straight to the bottom of the kettle and will scorch a good bit of it if your kettle is sitting on the burner.

I always take the kettle off the heat add the extract and stir until it’s dissolved in. then add it back to the burner and once boiling start the boil time again.

I do the same exact thing as travtele615. In fact, I believe the instructions state as such.

are we talking DME or LME?

I add my DME directly to my pot while it is on my propane burner, and it does not scorch or boil over. Am I just getting lucky, or is the OP referring to LME???

It was LME and no is does not say to pull it off the burner to add this @ the 15 minute mark.

[quote=“travtele615”]I’ll third the notion of killing the heat or taking the kettle off the burner if using Propane outdoors.

When you dump that extract it is headed straight to the bottom of the kettle and will scorch a good bit of it if your kettle is sitting on the burner.

I always take the kettle off the heat add the extract and stir until it’s dissolved in. then add it back to the burner and once boiling start the boil time again.[/quote]

Interesting…I thought it was a 60 minute boil. If I do what you say, which is stop the clock to add LME or whatever, it now becomes a 70+ boil really, right?

That’s true. I don’t stop the clock. The LME is at high temps long enough to sterilize and to get a good mix into the wort.

If adding LME prevents getting back to a boil in the last 15 minutes, add it at 20, or 25…

I think the O.P. is more asking if the lag time to get the wort back up to a rolling boil is an issue.

I brewed my first batch the other day and determined that my stove is NOT going to work for this same reason. I am just able to bring the wort to a boil on the large burner on high. and also when shut off to add the LME is took quite a while to come back up to a boil. My stove must not have enough BTU’s to do it efficiently. I’ll be switching to a burner out in the garage for the next boil.

A quick Google tells me that most stove tops are 15K Btu’s where a lot of outdoor burners are 58k Btu’s. That’s simple math for me.

Are you pre-heating the LME in hot water? This helps two-fold: 1) LME won’t cool the wort down as much and 2) it pours faster so you don’t have to keep the wort off the heat for as long.

I brewed yesterday and tried adding the DME to the kettle before firing up the propane burner. I read that you could do this somewhere online and also found a reference to the practice in Palmer’s How To Brew book.

I had never tried this approach so I have no idea how (or if) it affected the beer. But it seemed to dissolve in the warmish water just fine and I noticed no difference in how long it took to achieve a boil or the behavior of the hot break.

It was nice not to have to deal with the DME-encrusted container that you always get trying to dump DME in a steaming pot.

I used to add DME straght to the kettle, but it seemed to create large taffy-like balls that took a while to disburse. I now mix up my DME with some cool water before adding to the kettle. I mix it so the consistency is like pancake batter. There are a few lumps, but they disburse easily. Adding it does stop the boil, but getting back to boiling is fairly easy on my propane burner.

I’ve started adding my extract after the boil - heat off. It saves a lot of gas, and the beer turns out great.

I do put it in hot water for 15 minutes to thin it out.

I’m guessing it will all be OK…I guess I will know when I drink it. :slight_smile:

I posted a similar question on another Forum after my second brew and got some interesting answers. In my case I was trying to learn whether the time off the boil affected the hopping or not. Here is what I think I know from what I’ve read on the Web and in Palmer’s book.

The efficiency of the isomerization of the alpha acids in the hops is reduced as the gravity of the boil goes up. Letting the boil go for most of the standard 60-90 minutes before adding the remainder (~1/2) of the extract increases the efficiency of the boil on the bittering. Since temperature is the primary factor in isomerization with vigor of the boil a secondary (although important) factor, if the temperature remains in the neighborhood of 200F, when the rest of the extract is added, the increased efficiency due to gravity outweighs the short decrease due to the lack of boil. In my, admittedly limited, experience this was the case when I compared my Irish Red and American Pale Ales to commercial examples.

In any case, it’s BEER, and by definition, GOOD!

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