Boiling the wort (malt extract)

[Ratatatata]

Hi

 

Besides reading this forum and watching my FV all day long, I've also been reading up on a few guides on the interwebz. Found this and it seems to be recommended in different forums etc. A very good read for a newbie like myself.

 

However, one thing struck me as a bit odd. The author insists on boiling the wort as a first stage in the brewing process. Now, I'm smart enough to realize that yes, once you start adding extra grains, or making your own wort from all grains, boiling is very important :)

 

But that guide also calls for boiling your malt extracts and beer kits.

 

1. Do you guys ever do this? None of the Coopers recipes calls for boiling.

2. If you use one of the pre-hoped sets, wouldn't boiling actually reduce the flavor? As then the hops are boiled for much longer then they might like.

3. So, let's assume I venture over to the world of liquid malt extracts (the ones that aren't pre-hoped, that is). Should I suddenly find myself boiling the extracts?

4. Now, I'm about to add hops and spice things up. The recipes I've found on the Coopers site sometimes suggests extra hops, but then either in the form of dry-hoping and/or by making a "hop tea" that you add to the wort.

Would there be any benefit in boiling the wort (with the relevant amount of water, of course) and adding hops at that stage? Or could I just as well make a hop tea?

 

/D

[Otto Von Blotto]

Hi mate,

Some of the stuff on that website is pretty outdated, and boiling kits is a big no no. I'll quote and post my answers in red.

 

 

1. Do you guys ever do this? None of the Coopers recipes calls for boiling. Never boil kits themselves' date=' but sometimes you will need to boil some of the unhopped extract in water if doing small hop boils. Usually a rate of 100g/L for DME, a little more for LME.[/color']

2. If you use one of the pre-hopped sets, wouldn't boiling actually reduce the flavor? As then the hops are boiled for much longer then they might like. It does change the flavour makeup of them, yes, and not in a good way. It's unnecessary anyway since they've already been boiled at the brewery before packaging.

3. So, let's assume I venture over to the world of liquid malt extracts (the ones that aren't pre-hopped, that is). Should I suddenly find myself boiling the extracts? Yes, you will need to boil a portion of this extract (depending on the size of your boil), in order to boil hops for bitterness, flavour etc.

4. Now, I'm about to add hops and spice things up. The recipes I've found on the Coopers site sometimes suggests extra hops, but then either in the form of dry-hopping and/or by making a "hop tea" that you add to the wort.

Would there be any benefit in boiling the wort (with the relevant amount of water, of course) and adding hops at that stage? Or could I just as well make a hop tea? You could do either, or both, or all three if you wanted to. Short boils are good for flavour, hop teas a bit of flavour and aroma and dry hopping mainly aroma. Obviously as previously stated, if boiling anything, use the un-hopped extract in the water.

 

I hope that helps!

 

Cheers

 

Kelsey

[Beeblebrox]

Hi mate' date='

Some of the stuff on that website is pretty outdated, and boiling kits is a big no no. I'll quote and post my answers in red.

 

 

1. Do you guys ever do this? None of the Coopers recipes calls for boiling. Never boil kits themselves, but sometimes you will need to boil some of the unhopped extract in water if doing small hop boils. Usually a rate of 100g/L for DME, a little more for LME.

2. If you use one of the pre-hopped sets, wouldn't boiling actually reduce the flavor? As then the hops are boiled for much longer then they might like. It does change the flavour makeup of them, yes, and not in a good way. It's unnecessary anyway since they've already been boiled at the brewery before packaging.

3. So, let's assume I venture over to the world of liquid malt extracts (the ones that aren't pre-hopped, that is). Should I suddenly find myself boiling the extracts? Yes, you will need to boil a portion of this extract (depending on the size of your boil), in order to boil hops for bitterness, flavour etc.

4. Now, I'm about to add hops and spice things up. The recipes I've found on the Coopers site sometimes suggests extra hops, but then either in the form of dry-hopping and/or by making a "hop tea" that you add to the wort.

Would there be any benefit in boiling the wort (with the relevant amount of water, of course) and adding hops at that stage? Or could I just as well make a hop tea? You could do either, or both, or all three if you wanted to. Short boils are good for flavour, hop teas a bit of flavour and aroma and dry hopping mainly aroma. Obviously as previously stated, if boiling anything, use the un-hopped extract in the water.

 

I hope that helps!

 

Cheers

 

Kelsey

 

+1 - sound advice from Kelsey.

[Ratatatata]

Thanks! Wow I'm so glad I found this forum, had you all not lived half a globe away I'd buy you a beer