60 min vs 90 min boils

[DoctorMick]

What are the advantages of a shorter and longer boil time? It seems the norm is to do either a 60 or 90 minute boil but the only advantage I can see for doing a 90 minute boil is marginally more bitterness and a little less flavour from the early additions. Am I missing something obvious?

 

[MyQul]

I do a 90min boil for my Maxi-Biab. This is because I dont get a good rolling boil on my hob is more like a vigourous simmer. I've read doing the extra 30mins can compensate for this to get the hot break, as well as better hop utulisation as I boil in a concentrated wort this get a lower hop utilisation but the longer boil is also supposed to help compensate for this too

 

[geetee]

What are the advantages of a shorter and longer boil time? It seems the norm is to do either a 60 or 90 minute boil but the only advantage I can see for doing a 90 minute boil is marginally more bitterness and a little less flavour from the early additions. Am I missing something obvious?

I met a brewer from Wylam Brewery and he did a longer boil simply to caramelise the malt. This was for Jakehead a sweet malty beer with lots of hops and whilst I tried to add all sorts of crystal and cara varieties he simply used Golden Promise and a longer boil (in a 30bbl kettle I might add).

Most bitterness is extracted in 60 and proteins deposited, sterility achieved I never boil for more that 60 mins but may do so for the caramel (as above) or if I have too much volume ( Low PG).

 

[BeerCat]

I often do 90miniute boils as not been getting great efficiency. Not noticed any difference in hop taste.

 

[Thodd]

In theory boiling for a good 60 mins is supposed to remove dimethyl sulfide which can add an off corn type flavour to the beer.
Also as you have already pointed out - you need less hops to achieve higher IBU's as your boiling for longer - however if you do boil longer then you'll loose more liquid to evaporation so you'll need to take that into account.

Personally, I made a beer which i only boiled for 20 mins and added heaps of Hops into - I called it "Lightening Ale" because it was fast to make!

I didn't taste any off or undesirable flavours in it at all.
In fact it was lovely

 

[geetee]

In theory boiling for a good 60 mins is supposed to remove dimethyl sulfide which can add an off corn type flavour to the beer.
Also as you have already pointed out - you need less hops to achieve higher IBU's as your boiling for longer - however if you do boil longer then you'll loose more liquid to evaporation so you'll need to take that into account.

Personally, I made a beer which i only boiled for 20 mins and added heaps of Hops into - I called it "Lightening Ale" because it was fast to make!

I didn't taste any off or undesirable flavours in it at all.
In fact it was lovely

The alph acids in hops isomerise into Iso alpha acids which are actually the bitter components. Without a lengthy boil the isomerisation does not occur but 60 minutes is enough for this. After that it is diminishing returns but as said above less volume due to evaporation is more concentrated hop bitterness.

 

[TheRedDarren]

For pales I boil for 70 minutes, one of my first brews was a Sierra Nevada pale ale and they boil for 70 minutes, so I figured that's good enough for me.
When making dark beers I boil for 90 minutes because I want to get that caramelisation going on too, gives a bit more complexity.

 

[simon12]

I am sure I read home brewers took the 60-90 min boil from commercial practices that used it based on the cost of heating vs cost of hops. The figures where very roughly just from memory the percent of the potential bitterness extracted was something like 30min 20% 60min 30% 90min 35% and after that and extra % after another 24hours. I also read pilsner malt needs a longer boil due to the DMS.

 

[Blinky]

The alph acids in hops isomerise into Iso alpha acids which are actually the bitter components. Without a lengthy boil the isomerisation does not occur but 60 minutes is enough for this. After that it is diminishing returns but as said above less volume due to evaporation is more concentrated hop bitterness.

You will get bitterness from adding hops at any temp above about 80degrees. I have often wondered about the 60 min boil, why not just add hops to bitter and flavour when making an IPA and boil for 15 mins to sterilise

 

[Cwrw666]

I usually split the difference and do 80 minutes. I always top up with boiling water to end up with the right volume so extra evaporation is not an issue. Haven't noticed any effect on bitterness either.

 

[keat64]

I read somewhere that the hot break can take as little as 5 minutes.
Signified by what can only be described as what looks like scrambled egg in the boiling wort.

 

[clib]

I do 20/30 minute boils now. Denny Conn has done a lot of experimentation with this and suggests doubling the bittering hops quantity with a 20 minute boil.

I've had great results. I'm surprised people are still booking for 90 minutes.

Cut those energy bills!

https://www.brewerspublications.com...own-beer-get-started-with-small-batch-brewing

 

[Sadfield]

Flavour and colour development. As with food, browning gives a depth of flavour.

This also gives better resistance to the effects oxidation and ageing through the development of melanoidins.

 

[clib]

Flavour and colour development. As with food, browning gives a depth of flavour.

This also gives better resistance to the effects oxidation and ageing through the development of melanoidins.

Sure. For stronger, keepier brews.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Flavour and colour development. As with food, browning gives a depth of flavour.

This also gives better resistance to the effects oxidation and ageing through the development of melanoidins.

Is that for a 90 or 60 minutes boil?

 

[Jim Brewster]

Short boils for me too for pale ales and wheat beers, 20/30 minutes boil on stovetop BIAB method. Hops go in as soon as I've finished the sparge. Brewed a 6% stout yesterday and boiled for 60mins but that is a rare exception.

 

[An Ankoù]

Would like to do 90 minutes with al mine but I tend to compromise by first wort hopping of a 60 plus boil. The "plus" being the time for late hopping, ranging from 20 mins to 10 mins, so minimum boil is 70 mins.

 

[The Baron]

I have not done 60 or 90 minute boils for years. I do 45 minutes and find it fine I compensate for the lower boil off with less water and generally do not do early bitter hops any more except for probably English Bitter/Ales but even then I usually put my hops in no earlier than 25 minutes and get my bittering from my late addition/whirlpool hops. I also add ascorbic acid to combat oxidation at kegging time

 

[Sadfield]

Is that for a 90 or 60 minutes boil?

For any boil length. The longer the boil the more wort darkens.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I also add ascorbic acid to combat oxidation at kegging time

How much? I'm curious to start doing this for minikegs to make them last a day-or-more longer once tapped