Hello people! I’m gonna start doing full boils(5 gal) with extract and have a couple questions. I have an 8 gallon kettle without a valve. Is that sufficient, or is a 10 gal. with valve & screen preferred? Also, what do you guys do with the hop schedule? Follow the kit instructions, or change quantity, time? One more thing, what volume do you normally start with in the kettle? Thanks for any input. :cheers:
I brewed extract for years in an 8 gal. pot, just keep an eye out for boilovers.
The recipes I used were based on a full boil, you will get better hop utilization with a full boil.
I started with 6.5 gals for a 60 min. boil and ended up with about 5.5 in the fermentor.
:cheers:
8 gal is a good size, and since you have an 8 gal, I say it’s ideal. I use silicone anti foam.
A valve is nice, but you can use an auto siphon after chilling.
Yes, you get better hop utilization with a full boil. But I’d use your recipies as is and adjust only if it is too hoppy for you.
The two most important things for a change to full boil are 1) chilling and 2) oxygen. You can no longer rely on cooling and oxygen (for a healthy fermentation) by adding cold water. A chiller and drill operated stirrer are both very useful.
Some of the best beers I’ve made have been NB’s extract kits done with a full boil. Aside from the boil volume, I never adjusted the recipe and never had anything come out too hoppy. I suspect (but cannot prove) that the difference in utilization is quite small in practice, and is probably overshadowed by the extent to which hops vary naturally.
The amount I needed to start with depended on where I was doing it. I used to use a stove that could maintain a very healthy boil, and on it I’d need 6.5 gallons. Now I’m on a stove that isn’t as strong, so I had to tick it back to 6 gallons or I’d end up with too much wort at the end of the boil. And ultimately ended up just going back to partial boils.
If you look at the ingredient list for the extract and AG kits, they hop amounts are the same.
AG is going to be full boil. Although I know someone that brews on the stove so he only boils 4.5-5 gallons. Then tops up.
Extract brewing could be either partial boil or full boil.
I would not worry if the beer turned out to have 35 IBU’s instead of 40 IBU’s.
[quote=“Nighthawk”]If you look at the ingredient list for the extract and AG kits, they hop amounts are the same.
AG is going to be full boil. Although I know someone that brews on the stove so he only boils 4.5-5 gallons. Then tops up.
Extract brewing could be either partial boil or full boil.
I would not worry if the beer turned out to have 35 IBU’s instead of 40 IBU’s.[/quote]
I noticed some of the hoppier versions kits do use less in the AG version. Dead Ringer for example uses .75oz Centennial in AG as opposed to 1 oz with extract, assuming partial boil.
But I agree about the IBU effect probably not being too noticeable. If you’re in question, look up the AG recipe sheet and go with that hop schedule.
I did my first full boil of an extract kit last night. Irish dry stout. I started with just a little over 6.5 gallons, call it 6.6 and ended with 5.25 in the carboy. I have a 9 gallon kettle and got very close to a boil over when I put it back on the burner after adding the extract. Other than that it went like clock work. I was really pleased with the speed and efficiency of my home-made chiller, $18 worth of materials at home depot.
A spray bottle of water works well in conjunction with turning the heat down a bit when the hot break starts to foam up.
Thanks for all the good info. I’m pretty pumped up to move on to full boils as soon as i get my garage prepped. I really need a water source out there besides dragging the hose halfway around the house! Picked up a chiller & gonna put a weldless valve on my kettle. Sounds like boilovers are my biggest concern with an 8 gal. kettle. Thinkin about doing a Stone Arrogant Bastard for my first full boil. The clone from AHS sounds damn good! Now it’s time for a cold one! Thanks again for the tips. :cheers:
