Sg At Boil Quandary

[Phoenix]

I'm planning to do my first extract only brew (no kit, no grains, just extract). The plan is to not follow a recipe so as to be able to figure it out for myself (based on theory) and then enjoy the result and improve on it. I'm also planning to just stick with one fermentable and no steeped grains so as to keep things to the minimum.

I'm planning to do about a 10L brew rather than the full size (23L), and seeing I'm not relying on the kit I'm taking advantage of the flexibility to choose my brew size.

I've been using IanH's spreadsheet to try and ensure I get something that will taste and look like beer (regarding IBU and EBC), and am so far going with the following idea.

1.5kg Amber DME
20g Fuggles @40mins
10g Willamette @20mins
10g Willamette @10mins
S-04 Yeast

As you can see, very simple and I'm just after a basic amber ale. I'm not really after suggestions on the contents of the beer, unless you know I'm about to make something that no one in their right mind would want to drink.

However, I've fallen down a little on what the process is as I'm still waiting for my books to arrive that will hopefully reveal that to me. So I'm wondering if people can help my understanding.

It's to do with the boiling. I know the basic process (thanks to some books I have and howtobrew.com), however they're all in relation to a specific recepie and don't give you the reasoning and theory behind the chosen volumes. So I don't know how to figure them out for myself.

I know the following snippets:
* The max you want your SG for the boil is 1.050 otherwise the hops extraction struggles (I note though that IanH's spreadsheet uses 1.040).
* Seeing the boil is going for an hour or more, you need to factor in evaporation.

What I don't know, is how to figure out how to boil all my wort (I have a 21.5L stockpot) so as to facilitate ideal hop extraction and still end up at the desired OG of 1.056.

So to try and put that in a concise question:
How do you do boil all your extract (so as to have it go through the benefits of a hot break and so you can hop it) while ensuring that the contents for the boil is below 1.050 while still resulting with a wort that is higher than 1.050?

I realise that may not be the clearest question, but I'm struggling to understand it so struggling with the question.

Thanks,
Phoenix.

 

[manticle]

I never worry too much about my SG being 1050 or less particularly when I brew higher gravity beers.

However if I understand your question correctly, the OG will be higher than the SG as boiling will concentrate it. How to calculate how much I'm not sure which is why I use software.

Hope that helps.

 

[Phoenix]

I never worry too much about my SG being 1050 or less particularly when I brew higher gravity beers.

However if I understand your question correctly, the OG will be higher than the SG as boiling will concentrate it. How to calculate how much I'm not sure which is why I use software.

Hope that helps.

Hey mate,

Ahhh, the concentration thing is kinda a secondary question. I have one piece of software, but it's telling me to enter the evaporation percentage, and I have no idea what that is... :/ It also asks for volume an SG which I obviously know, but without the evaporation rate I'm stuck... :/

As for being worried about my SG, I'm only worried about it for the boil. As for the ferment I want it higher than 1.050 - once in the fermenter I want 1.056.

Cheers,
Phoenix.

 

[Pennywise]

As far as I know evaporation on each system is quite different, so it's more of a trial and error thing.

What size batch are you making? to get an OG of 1056 from those ingredients you're looking at like an 11L batch (final volume). Is that what you're after? If so, to get in the ball park of your desired OG I'd suggest start the boil with 15L, which'll give you a great boil gravity anyway. Win, win really. And you can be more precise next time when you know how much evaporation you've had.

 

[iScarlet]

You say you're using IanH's spreadsheet. Down the bottom of the main input screen he's added soem boxes showing how much LME or DME you should add to your boil to get to the optimum boil gravity.

So going off what you've put there, for your 10L boil you would add approximately 1067g of your DME to your water which will bring the boil gravity to 1.040.

Once your boil is over and cooled you will add it to your fermenter and top up to the 10L mark and add the rest of your DME. Once you've done that the OG should be 1.056.

At least that's the barebones method I've used before and it's usually come up within a few thousands of what the spreadsheet predicts. Good luck with the recipe, may the beer gods smile upon you, provided your sanitation is good I see no reason why this wouldn't be a decent extract brew.

 

[Phoenix]

Thanks HB79 and iScarlet, they both sound like great ideas.

@Hb79 - I'm going for 10L, but I guess I could still go for about 14/15L and just count on evaporation.

@iScarlet - Yeah, I saw the suggestions down the bottom there, but seeing they were less than the total amount of DME I planned to use I wasn't sure how to add the rest in. But what you have said above answers that for me. Just wonder if it matters that the remaining DME has not been boiled and hopped etc. HOWEVER, you did say everything still works out that way so that sounds good enough for me....

Hmmm.. decisions decisions.

Thanks guys!

Phoenix.

 

[Phoenix]

Ahhhh, I just went back to the notes page on IanH's spreadsheet and now see:

The boil liquor uses any liquor used from grain sparging and is made up to the boil volume. A calculated amount of LME or DME is added to bring the Boil SG up to 1.040 (this malt extract is taken from the quantities already determined, it is not additional). The rest of the malt can be added to the boil, LME at the end, DME about 5 minutes before the end of the boil.

Hmmm, interesting.... But that seems to be the answer I needed... Other than I'm not sure whether it matters about that left over amount of extract not going through a hot break or being part of the full hop process... :/

 

[iScarlet]

The rest of the DME doesn't need to be boiled. If you just clamp the bag shut to keep any moisture out there oughtn't be any issue.

I if I use a recipe with extract in it I'll add what I need to the boil, keep the rest to the side and then add it to the fermenter with the boiled wrt and any other fermentables I want to add in.

 

[Phoenix]

The rest of the DME doesn't need to be boiled. If you just clamp the bag shut to keep any moisture out there oughtn't be any issue.

I if I use a recipe with extract in it I'll add what I need to the boil, keep the rest to the side and then add it to the fermenter with the boiled wrt and any other fermentables I want to add in.

hmmm, and when I think about it, that's not too different to what happens with a K&K brew method (after all, the can contents have been boiled etc, but the added fermentables haven't been), and that works fine... yeah, nice, guess I was just over thinking it.

Cheers.

 

[manticle]

As for being worried about my SG, I'm only worried about it for the boil. As for the ferment I want it higher than 1.050 - once in the fermenter I want 1.056.

What I mean is that a preboil of x will give you a post boil of x+y. The actual numbers I'm unsure of but for example 1050 might give you 1055.