Lid On Kettle During Boil?

[Finite]

Hey guys im very keen to try out my first AG using the BIAB method. Problem is I only have a single ring burner at the moment. I filled up my new kettle (converted keg) today with 30L and timed how long it took me to get to various temps.

50c - 34min
70c - 60min
100c - 90min (with lid on)

Needless to say it was dog slow and It was struggling to get to the boil. The actual time it takes to get to the boil or heat up isnt really something I care about at the moment as it gives me more time to check through things. At about 90c I added the lid to speed things up and dropped the volume in the kettle to 25C....

I had the lid on trying to get it to 100C and when it did boil I took the lid off and it stopped boiling. Unfortunatley I had to go out at this stage so I couldnt wait to see if it would boil with the lid off. My question is...

Problem is im keen to have a go this week but have friends comming to stay next week and its chrissy so that'll be a problem. Im also not to hot (no pun intended) on the idea of buying a new burner atm after just buing chrissy presents on the weekend.

So should I....

A. Wait till after chrissy and buy a 3 ring.
B. Brew a smaller batch... I.e 15 litres

or can I?

C. Boil with the lid on or half on? I have seen vids and pics of boils and they seem to have the lid off..is this just for display or is there a problem with having the lid on or partly on during the boil.

I apreciate the help in advanced!!

One keen brewer,

Blake.

 

[PostModern]

During the boil, the lid must be off. There are a heap of bad flavoured volatiles that get blown away in the boil. A half-covered arrangement would not be so bad, so long as the steam can escape and carry away the stinkies.

 

[Gulf Brewery]

Hi Finite

B until you can do A

As for C, you need a good rolling boil (I aim for 25 to 30mm of rolling peaks on the wort) and you have to get evaporation happening to drive off the undesirables.

The 1/2 on lid is OK if you have a very large pot, like one of the 60 litre aluminium ones, but I wouldn't do it on my smaller kettle which is a converted keg that holds about 38 litres.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[Simon W]

Even with my 3-ring and low-press. reg. it's tough getting 25L to the boil, but a smaller kettle with 15L + no lid, I gotta turn the burner down to avoid boilovers.
I've boiled with the lid part open to allow a fair jet of steam out, can't say I've ever detected DMS in my brews, but then I probably wouldn't know if it bit me in the arse anyay.

I made a 6" high mettal sheild that has about 1" wide gap all round the kettle to channel the heat up the sides, does make a difference for the wimpy burners, and helps on windy days if ya brew outdoors.

 

[razz]

Lid on, lid off, that's not your problem Finite. Get a decent burner, NASA, mongolian, something with some grunt! :angry:
PS. Go the smaller batch until you can buy a bigger burner.

 

[Finite]

You guys truly are godsends. Love the fact I can just ask here and get fast friendly and professional replies.

Ok so I will make a smaller batch...I will also set the kettle on a diamond of four bricks with the burner in the centre with should help.

One more quick question though how do I go about converting the grain bill and hop additions for a smaller batch...say 15L in the fermenter? Im thinking, this for the recipe:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&recipe=239

Sorry about being such a noob,

Blake :unsure:

 

[Simon W]

Brewsmith has a scale utility, Promash probably does too.
I can whack the recipe into brewsmith for ya if you like?

 

[Finite]

Brewsmith has a scale utility, Promash probably does too.
I can whack the recipe into brewsmith for ya if you like?

Simon,

That would be a great help if its ok. Still trying to learn beersmith.

 

[Finite]

Lid on, lid off, that's not your problem Finite. Get a decent burner, NASA, mongolian, something with some grunt! :angry:
PS. Go the smaller batch until you can buy a bigger burner.

Your not wrong.

Getting myself a 3 ring first thing after chrissy :beer:

 

[razz]

Don't get hooked on the idea of a 3 ring Finite. I had a 3 ring and went for a NASA, boils 42 lts of wort in about 25 minutes. Much faster than my 3 ring.

 

[Simon W]

Ok,

2.61kg Ale Malt
330g Munich
160g Wheat
30g Choc
13g NB(7.4%-60min)
11.7 Amarillo(8.5%-30)
6.5g Amarillo(-15)
6.5g Cascade(6.3%-15min)
6.5g Cscade(2min)

Out of interest, I compared those results with some work on the calculator:
15L/23L = 65%
4kg x 0.65 = 2.608kg
20g x 0.65 = 13.04g

I can adjust the NB and Amarillo bittering for you if your AA% are different.....
BTW, I kept grabbing the desktop mouse and shaking it around while trying to use the laptop lol.

 

[Finite]

Champion,

much appreciated :beer: :super:

 

[PistolPatch]

Howdy Finite,

I've been suggesting that people buy an adjustable regulator with their 3 ring burner. While the adjustable regs are a good investment, they are expensive and I think now may be unnecessary....

My 3 ring worked well on its first brew and then died right down. The adjustable reg fixed the problem. Brad_G also had the same problem a few weeks back and we drove around trying to find an adjustable but none were in stock. One guy suggested drilling out the holes with a fine drill bit. Problem solved!

Last week, I saw a post from Screwtop I think, saying that after the first fire up of your burner, clean the holes out with wire as the new paint will have blocked them up. This explains all and is one of those bits of info that would have been handy to know prior to AG

And, as PostModern said, keep the lid off. Evaporation of yuck stuff is one of the main reasons for a boil.

Look forward to hearing how you go.

Pat

 

[Simon W]

Brewsmith has a scale utility, Promash probably does too.
I can whack the recipe into brewsmith for ya if you like?

Where the hell did I get 'brewsmith'? :huh: