What does a 90 boil really mean

[karlos the great]

Hi guys
Have been reading for a while and just starting my first all grain today dr's golden ale
And where you say 90 min boil is that from when you start heating or once it has started to boil

May be a dumb question but could find anything on it.

Thanks

 

[doon]

When the wort actually starts to boil

 

[Cocko]

From when it starts to boil.

90 minutes of actual boiling.



Edit: to slow

 

[Florian]

Once it has started to boil.

Some people also only start to count once the 'big bubbly bit' at the start is over, so 90 minutes would be more like 95.

 

[QldKev]

I only start the timer once the protein break has been sorted out and I have a nice clean rolling boil, but I can;t remember last time I did a 90min boil. Always a 60min, even for lagers. Boil hard or go home!.

 

[Florian]

Yep, for the last 10-15 brews I have dramatically increased my boil vigour and at the same time cut the boil length for all beers from 90 to 60 minutes.

Works wonders and saves time.

 

[karlos the great]

Cheer thanks for you help.
Just started so thanks for the quick response
Should be a fun few hours ahead.

 

[wobbly]

Hey Florian

I understand you use a 20lt Braumeister (as I do) so what have you done to "dramatically increase your boil vigor"?

Cheers

Wobbly

 

[Florian]

I'm using an additional Birko over the side element that I had lying around. I place it in the middle of the vessel close to the rod, has bumped my evaporation rate to 15% on a 26L start volume.

I have since learned from at least one other user who is doing this as well.

 

[bradsbrew]

I only start the timer once the protein break has been sorted out and I have a nice clean rolling boil, but I can;t remember last time I did a 90min boil. Always a 60min, even for lagers. Boil hard or go home!.

Yep, for the last 10-15 brews I have dramatically increased my boil vigour and at the same time cut the boil length for all beers from 90 to 60 minutes.

Works wonders and saves time.

I have done the opposite of you two. I used to boil hard but after the results of the BABBS brew off for the QHBC I have gone to a more gentle rolling boil. On the day I noticed the boil that the ghetto boys had going and have backed mine back to theirs.
No scientific evidence behind it but I feel it has reduced a slight harshness that I believe comes from the hops being boiled to hard. I could be totally way off the mark but it seems to have worked. That being said I have also upgraded to a herms but dropped the boil vigour prior to that.
Most of my boils are 90minutes usually because I am doing other stuff while it boils away.

 

[Nick JD]

If I boil for 90 minutes I make extract.

In 60 minutes I'm getting ~30% evaporation.

 

[Florian]

That's because you generally boil smaller volumes though, isn't it.

% is really not the greatest unit to measure evaporation.


Really I should have said:

I'm using an additional Birko over the side element that I had lying around. I place it in the middle of the vessel close to the rod, has bumped my evaporation rate to 15% on a 26L start volume where I want it.

 

[QldKev]

I have done the opposite of you two. I used to boil hard but after the results of the BABBS brew off for the QHBC I have gone to a more gentle rolling boil. On the day I noticed the boil that the ghetto boys had going and have backed mine back to theirs.
No scientific evidence behind it but I feel it has reduced a slight harshness that I believe comes from the hops being boiled to hard. I could be totally way off the mark but it seems to have worked. That being said I have also upgraded to a herms but dropped the boil vigour prior to that.
Most of my boils are 90minutes usually because I am doing other stuff while it boils away.

I wonder if a harder boil causes a harder bitterness, or could it be just a higher IBU is achieved with a harder boil? I love a decent IBU level, often a bit more bitter than to style. Even though I boil hard I don't find it to be a harsh bitterness. I find that is more dependent on the hop used, I tend to stay with the safer higher AA% hops for bittering and stay away from a lot of the newer varieties. I do find all my beers have a higher perceived IBU than what is calculated by Beersmith.

 

[karlos the great]

Glad I asked now. It took 20 min before it stated to boil.