90 minute boils

[Phat Cat]

I have been looking around your forum a lot in the last few days or so and I have noticed that a lot of you do 90 minute boils?

I was just wondering what the consensus was on that subject.

In my practices and in the practices of most home brewers I know here I typically boil my wort for about 70 minutes or less. I wait for a boil, wait for a hot break, and after the hot break I add my 60 minute addition.

Unless I use a pilsener malt, then I do a 90 minute boil.

[steve_flack]

I use 60 minutes boils unless I sparged too much or if I need to drive off DMS - which is rarely as I normally use UK lager malt for lagers and it doesn't seem to produce much.

[steve_flack]

When using well modified English malts it's only really necessary to brew long enough to secure the hot break (as long as you aren't concerned with utilisation). DMS isn't an issue. (interesting to here UK lager malt isn't a big dms producer either, how does it compare taste wise Steve ?)

To start with this is Muntons lager malt - others may be different.

I have to say I've not really smelt DMS coming off it very much at all - no more than pale malt really. I do get a stronger hot break so that would fit with the somewhat higher protein level.

From a taste perspective, I'd say that the aroma can be a bit flat if used in those styles where you might get a hint of DMS in the finished beer. Other than that it works fairly well and is a hell of a lot cheaper than continental Pils malt.

Steve, I take it you mean you boil for longer to concentrate the wort if you have sparged too much rather than that a longer boil compensates for over sparging.

Yes, even though I batch sparge, I have on occasion used a smidgen too much water. Or perhaps my efficiency has been poor. In that case I'd boil longer to hit my gravity. I brew to a gravity not a volume. I prefer to boil longer rather than harder.

[ECR]

What is DMS? (Sorry, chaps )

[Aleman]

What is DMS? (Sorry, chaps )

Di Methyl Sulphide - formed from (IIRC) S - Methyl Methionine which is found in malt, DMS gives a cooked corn / cabbage flavour to the beer. SMM is more prevalent in US and European malts than our own pale malts, and readily converts to DMS During the boil, and even when the wort is being chilled, for this reason it is advisable to use an uncovered or partially covered boiler especially during the chilling phase

[Calum]

I've recently moved up to a 75min boil from 60min after I noticed some DMS in a couple of brews. It seems to have done the trick.

Quick question: Does the prominance of DMS fade as a beer matures? One of my brews seems to be improving with the DMS becoming less severe (I'm still wondering whether to ditch it or not).

[johnmac]

for this reason it is advisable to use an uncovered or partially covered boiler especially during the chilling phase

During the warmer weather, I'm paranoid about insects contaminating my wort, so I cover it completely during cooling. As well as the infection risk, I would imagine a wasp or a bee would have quite a strong taste?

[mysterio]

I've had wasps dive into my wort before during the boil. I brew in a garage and whenever I brew in wasp season (around August) I have to arm myself with a hoover with a long nozzle attachment, it's not uncommon for about 6 or 7 of them to descend on the brewing session when they get a whiff of the mash/boil.

I wait for the hot break to subside and then boil for 60 minutes, but as others have pointed out it depends on your malt. I boil with the lid partially on with no problems when using British malts.

[Garth]

I have to arm myself with a hoover with a long nozzle attachment, it's not uncommon for about 6 or 7 of them to descend on the brewing session when they get a whiff of the mash/boil.

class, I have a great mental picture now, quality

[ECR]

Thanks, Aleman

[steve_flack]

Another important consideration is how fast you can cool your wort. If the wort is hot but not boiling it's still producing DMS but it's not being driven off. This can be a problem with pils malts and shorter boils. I can chill my entire wort of a 10G batch to below 50C in less than 10 minutes so it's less of an issue for me.