Boiling low gravity wort

[soupdragon]

Evening all

If I were to boil a low gravity wort of around 1.010/1.015 ( ish ) and didn't need any bittering from the hops just flavour. Could I get away with a short boil time of around 15 mins?
The reason behind the query is that I only have a small boiler ( 14 ltrs max ) and am wondering how it would work if I did a normal 90 boil with the bulk of my wort with my bittering hops. Then while that is cooling I could boil the batch sparged wort with my flavour hops for just 15 mins.
So with the sparge being a much lower gravity I was wondering if hot break would be that much of an issue?

Cheers Tom

 

[robsan77]

Not sure I'd do that. You could maybe sparge short so that you have a more concentrated wort, then top up the fermenter with treated or pre boiled cooled water.

 

[soupdragon]

Hi robsan77

I'm only thinking out loud really. At the moment I do partial mash/partial boils then add liquid extract and the ballance of my water in the fermenter.
I'd like to go fully all grain without having to buy a bigger pot to boil in. I've got a big enough mash tun but the stumbling block is the 15 ltr stock pot I boil in. I suppose I could simply split the boil into two sessions but that would add a good 2 hours to my brew day. Mind you, if the final beer is really going to be so much better then it might be worth it :)

Cheers Tom

 

[evanvine]

You still need to achieve the "Hot break", nothing to do with hops!

 

[soupdragon]

Hi evanvine

I realise that.
Up to now I have always boiled for 90 mins and for the main part of my boil I will still do so. However I've read that the actual break begins with the formation of the brown scum that apears at the start of the boil. They say that 5-20 mins after that you have your hot break. I think it was " How to brew " by John Palmer where I saw it 1st. He mentions that the speed of the break depends on the vigour of the boil and the amount of protein contained in the wort being boiled. As the sparge will be of a much lower gravity I thought it might work saving me a good 2 hours on my brew day :)

Cheers Tom

 

[evanvine]

A very rought and ready indicator is when the boiling wort take on a bright and sparkling character, the "hot break" has been achieved!

Best of luck Tom, I wish you well. :thumb:

 

[soupdragon]

It's not something I'll be trying until the brew after next ( still got another hop trial to do ). If I'm not happy about how the wort looks after 15 mins I can just leave it boiling until I am. In all honestly I was just hoping for a short cut but in reality I think it will take at least 60 mins to get anything like a good break.
But hey, I won't know unless I give it a go :)

Cheers Tom

 

[Aleman]

However I've read that the actual break begins with the formation of the brown scum that apears at the start of the boil. They say that 5-20 mins after that you have your hot break. I think it was " How to brew " by John Palmer where I saw it 1st.

JOHN PALMER IS WRONG!!!!!

If the hot break was achieved 5-20 minutes after the formation of the brown scum commercial breweries (always looking to save pennies) would only boil for that long!

It is very easy to prove (get a big collection of shot glasses), take a shot glass full of wort at 5 minute intervals throughout the boil . . . line them up. . . you will gradually see finely suspended particles form which get bigger and bigger, . . . the point in the boil where they no longer increase in size and the wort is visibly 'bright' is the hot break . . . This does depend on boil vigour but is rarely achieved before 60 minutes

 

[evanvine]

+1 to Aleman. :thumb:

 

[soupdragon]

However I've read that the actual break begins with the formation of the brown scum that apears at the start of the boil. They say that 5-20 mins after that you have your hot break. I think it was " How to brew " by John Palmer where I saw it 1st.

JOHN PALMER IS WRONG!!!!!

If the hot break was achieved 5-20 minutes after the formation of the brown scum commercial breweries (always looking to save pennies) would only boil for that long!

It is very easy to prove (get a big collection of shot glasses), take a shot glass full of wort at 5 minute intervals throughout the boil . . . line them up. . . you will gradually see finely suspended particles form which get bigger and bigger, . . . the point in the boil where they no longer increase in size and the wort is visibly 'bright' is the hot break . . . This does depend on boil vigour but is rarely achieved before 60 minutes

Hi Aleman

The more I read on the subject the more I realise that you are right about John Palmer's article.
I'll probably still end up doing something along those lines though but more like at least 30/45 mins for the boil. As I've mentioned, the wort I'll be boiling will be low gravity. The truth is though that break is break, there might not be as much in the part I'm concerned about but it's there non the less

Cheers Tom

 

[evanvine]

The truth is though that break is break

Protein haze is still protien haze, and that's the truth!

 

[soupdragon]

I'll find out in a couple of months when I have finished a hop trial that I'm half way through. Got one more brew to do then I can start on this sparge boil thing.........

Cheers Tom