Getting wort to boil

bmass96 · Dec 8, 2018

I'm starting my first homebrew after a lot of time researching etc. - a double IPA is what I'm going for.

I'm having trouble getting my wort to boil. We only have a normal stove and it's been sat at the highest heat for quite a while now (talking just over 2 hours) and just will not boil - I've got a few bubble's but nothing like an actual boil. Have I done something wrong? Any advice for a complete newbie would be much appreciated!

foxbat · Dec 8, 2018

You must have reached the point where you're losing energy at the same rate you're putting it in. If you have a lid, put it on until it boils. If you have another large pan you could separate off some of the wort and boil it separately, combining with the main pot after each have boiled for the required time. Hops would go into the main pot as planned.

Bigcol49 · Dec 8, 2018

Hi!
If it's an electric hob, it will have a built-in simmerstat - the hob turns on and off to maintain the setting.

Ghillie · Dec 8, 2018

bmass96 said:
I'm starting my first homebrew after a lot of time researching etc. - a double IPA is what I'm going for.

I'm having trouble getting my wort to boil. We only have a normal stove and it's been sat at the highest heat for quite a while now (talking just over 2 hours) and just will not boil - I've got a few bubble's but nothing like an actual boil. Have I done something wrong? Any advice for a complete newbie would be much appreciated!

How much wort are you trying to boil?

I have a 2.4kW burner on my stove and it took absolutely ages to get 30L of wort to a boil. I lasted two brews with that as my heat source...

bmass96 · Dec 8, 2018

foxbat said:
You must have reached the point where you're losing energy at the same rate you're putting it in. If you have a lid, put it on until it boils. If you have another large pan you could separate off some of the wort and boil it separately, combining with the main pot after each have boiled for the required time. Hops would go into the main pot as planned.

Thanks for that! Chucked the lid on for a bit and managed to get it to a boil. Started the hop additions etc. now

Dutto · Dec 8, 2018

Welcome to The Forum!

The problem with putting the lid on is that you wish to drive off some of the less flavoursome elements in the wort and putting the lid back on means that they will just fall back into the pan!

I often lose over 5 litres on a 30 litre brew as it is supposed to be kept at a "rolling boil" for the full 60 minutes. It looks like this ...

Enjoy!

Duxuk · Dec 9, 2018

Boiling with the lid on should not cause problems with most types of base malt, such as Maris Otter. I used to have an electric stove and without the lid it wouldn't boil. We now have an electric Aga with a massive hot plate. Happy days!