wort loss during the boil

[fifebrewer]

I did my first AG brew with my new setup last night (second one ever). All was going well until the boil. for sum reason my PDI would not read over 87oc. I had it set to heat to 100oc. because of this the heating element was on full constantly for the full 90minuet boil. as a result of this I ended up losing 5L during the boil.

Questions:-

1. Any ideas whats wrong with my PDI (I haven't had a chance to fiddle with it yet) this is the one I have. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110999141439

2. at the end of my boil I had 15L of liquid left my target OG was 1042 it was reading 1058. I added some water and got it down to 1042 and have ended up with just under 20L of liquid I was using a 25L recipe. What affect will this have on my beer?

3. how much liquid do you lose during the boil? is this a normal amount?

4. and possibly most importantly WILL MY BEER BE OK :pray: It has started to ferment but not as quickly as my last beer.

Hope my next brew goes a bit smoother.

Thanks

 

[pittsy]

hi , no idea on pid . brew 23l and i need to boil around 30/32 liters depending on boil length so at least 7L lost , you brew will be fine , it would of been better if not watered down etc but you got to do what you got to do , it will be less hoppy now too .

 

[Hawks]

Hi

can't help with the PID side, mine is still in its box awaiting some inspiration.. :whistle:

How much did you start with - 20% evaporation rates are pretty common homebrewing - IIRC ideal is around 10 - 12 %

Liquoring back is very common in commercial breweries and many homebrewers do it due to constraints on pot size etc - that much sounds like quite a lot to my mind - but you'll still have beer ( which is surely the main thing ) :thumb: and starting AG is a learning curve which you are well and truly on - so well done that man, think of it as experience :

 

[hairybiker]

Your element SHOULD be on 100% during the boil, unless it is vastly over sized for the brew length (e.g. 6Kw for 23l) You need a ROLLING boil not a simmer.

I brew with a 2.4Kw element and start with 6.5 Gal of wort for a 5Gal result (you can convert to l by *4.5) over 90min.

 

[Awolphotography]

In addition to the above to boil wort you will need a temperature in excess of 100 degrees, normally 102-104. The is due to the sugars in the wort, just think how hot sugar syrup is before it boils.

As for the PID, have you calibrated your probe?

 

[Swift Pint]

Not sure about the PID, but I guess it might be worth seeing if it need calibrating?

You obviously had a decent boil, 5l boil off sounds about right. It means that next time you can adjust and start with more water.
I guess the shortfall between the recipe of 1.042 for 25l and you getting 1.042 with 20l might arise from lower efficiency in the mash, or maybe stopping sparging too soon?

Are you using the PID to measure / control your mash too? If so, then its definitely worth checking its reading the right temp.

 

[guyb]

My last few brews:

several 25L brews with an average collection of between 15-19L
25L brewlength, and ended up with 12L :wha: :wha: :shock: liquored back to about 21L, with just above the gravity I was expecting.
couple of 25L brew lengths, and ended with 19L both times :grin: which is what I have begun to expect as part of the boil off, hop absorption, trub/break material and general "losses".

So 6L is about right, if the gravity is higher then you can add more water - either pre-boiled, bottled, or from the tap (i've done it from the tap without issue for years without issue).

I swapped to a narrower boiler to see if that made a difference, which it appears to.

Your beer will be fine, if you think about it, this is exactly what you do to the can kits - the wort is boiled down to a concentrate.

 

[bunkerbrewer]

Yep, I can easily lose 8L during my BIAB brews - 0.5 L/kg to the grain, 3L per hour to the boil and 2-3L losses to hops, trub and deadspace. I aim for 23L into the FV and generally start with about 30-32L depending on grain bill.

The best advice I read before going AG was to keep really good notes for every brew - volumes and gravity at each stage especially. After about 5 brews you start to get much better at predicting this stuff.