Home brewing - extract brewing boil time and volume?!
I always hear that you want to boils as large a volume as possible.
So if I want a 5 gallon batch is it better to boil 6 gallons so you dont have to add as much post boil water to makeup the 5 total gallons?
How will that impact my SG?
So, what would be the difference between a 3 gallon boil volume and a 6 gallon boil volume?
Answers: If I am brewing with extract and some grains (like steeping 1-2 lbs for 30-45 mins) what is the impact of boil times and volumes?
I always hear that you want to boils as large a volume as possible.
So if I want a 5 gallon batch is it better to boil 6 gallons so you dont have to add as much post boil water to makeup the 5 total gallons?
How will that impact my SG?
So, what would be the difference between a 3 gallon boil volume and a 6 gallon boil volume?
If you are brewing with extract, there is absolutely no point in doing a full boil. Boil 1.5 or 2 gallons, and pour the other 3 gallons into your sterilized primary to help cool the wort faster. It takes a lot longer to bring 5 gallons to a boil compared to 1 or 2 gallons. Full boils are necessary in all grain brewing because of mashing and sparging. So long as you follow the recipe/kit instructions correctly, and you wind up with 5 gallons in your primary, your gravity should be fine.
Bring your 2 gallons of water to 155, and steep your grains. Then heat the water again to begin the boil. As far as boil times go, it all depends on your hopping schedule. It doesn't matter how long it takes to get the wort to a boil, but as soon as you see the first signs of a boil is when your hopping schedule should start.
As far as extract brewing goes, the only difference between using 3 gallons or using 6 gallons of water for the boil is the time it takes you to bring that water to a boil, and the costs related to that extra time (gas/electricity).
Fell free to email me if you need help or have any further questions.
Full volume boils will impact two main areas of your brew. First is how much bittering and flavors are extracted from the hops. Alpha acids are better extracted in a full volume of boiling wort. You can get more bittering with less hops on a full volume boil.
Second, is that you will have less caramelization of your malt. This isn't a big deal with a darker brew, but for the lighter styles it is something that you want to minimize.
Overall if you have a large enough brew pot, go for the full volume boil.