Boiling A Kit

[Orangewhip]

Hi, noob question but what is achieved by boiling your 1.7 kg of liquid extract in water before adding to the fermenter? TaBrendon

 

[JDW81]

Hi, noob question but what is achieved by boiling your 1.7 kg of liquid extract in water before adding to the fermenter? TaBrendon

Is the extract hopped or not?

 

[Yob]

Erm.. It gets hot?

Do you mean a pre bitterd kit or plain extract? Plain extract you boil it and add hops etc..

You wouldnt need to boil a kit, just warm it up so it pours easily from the can.

 

[Bribie G]

I wouldn't even boil a tin of extract. It's already been boiled twice, once to make the "wort", the second time to evaporate the excess water. Although that second boil is done under vacuum I reckon it's been boiled enough. I'd just boil a small portion in water in a pan with hops and strain that into the fermenter with the tin warmed until runny, stir that up with water in a stockpot or large pan and chuck that in fermenter as well.

 

[Charst]

Ive done a couple batches with pre hopped tins and added DME, I try to add the Can as late as possible but the end result always seem to be more bitter then i'd hoped, im guessing raising of the heat is reboiling the aroma hop additions and resulting in a more bitter beer.

 

[Orangewhip]

The kit is pre hopped coopers, just the standard kit and kilo stuff.

 

[Yob]

just warm the can so it pours easily then... hot water in the sink, 15 mins or till warm through

 

[mwd]

Stick it in the oven at lowest setting for half an hour pours nice and easy. Wear gloves.

 

[Orangewhip]

Yeah I know to warm it before pouring etc, I just wondered if boiling the liquid extract in a couple of litres of water has any benefit to a brew, it seems not, thanks.

 

[bum]

If you boil it long enough you drive off the hop flavour and aroma but retain the bitterness (Charst's evidence above suggests it may even increase bitterness). Some might see this as worth doing to create a fresh palette on which to build your own beer - I'd suggest a brewer should just use unhopped extract instead.