tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219005652464990693.post2453395061760202021..comments2023-10-21T14:17:23.854+01:00Comments on Black Cat Brewery: The BoilThomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09734969599278020673noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219005652464990693.post-81862818197906211342009-01-12T12:40:00.000+00:002009-01-12T12:40:00.000+00:00Great article.Great article.Bionic Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00630751922629714247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219005652464990693.post-80434075423083445762009-01-11T22:54:00.000+00:002009-01-11T22:54:00.000+00:00Boak, The one hour boil seems to be a compromise b...Boak, <BR/><BR/>The one hour boil seems to be a compromise between the length of time to do what needs to be done and the cost of carrying out the boil. Ideally the boil could do with being longer for colloidal stability but it would be costly and a great deal of water would be evaporated. As for the hops, wort is not a suitable medium at all. In better conditions a far shorter boil could be carried out.<BR/><BR/>As for decoction; I have no experience of it but I do know that it is/was carried out on under modified malts with high protein content and the various heating steps increased extract from otherwise poor malt. The amount of time required for boiling would have been empirically established for specific malt types I imagine, depending on the extent of modification.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09734969599278020673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219005652464990693.post-39095299574566214002009-01-11T13:13:00.000+00:002009-01-11T13:13:00.000+00:00This is very useful stuff. I've ranted before on ...This is very useful stuff. I've ranted before on how different home brewing guides tell you that a long boil is necessary for x, or the exact temperature is essential for y, but they never seem to back it up with any actual science.<BR/><BR/>I've often wondered why "an hour" is the default time for a boil. Or, for that matter, when decoction mashing, all the homebrewing books always talk about bringing the decocted mash to the boil and boiling it for 15 minutes. Why 15, and not 10 or 30?<BR/><BR/>All of that said, I do see brewing as a bit like making a nice curry. I'm sure one can go into lots of detail about the precise spice measurements, the exact time you caramelise the onions for, but when all's said and done, you add a lot of nice stuff together and get something tasty...Boakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17657725007230709027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219005652464990693.post-62242122690498061812009-01-09T12:07:00.000+00:002009-01-09T12:07:00.000+00:00That's a good point, but much of the info I have g...That's a good point, but much of the info I have gathered comes from modern brewing texts written by brewers who have all worked in large commerical breweries where accountants have a large say in what goes on. If the length and cost of boiling could be reduced without effecting quality it would be done.<BR/><BR/>The boiling practise I described is for home brewers and micro brewers along with larger regional brewers. The really big guys can use fancy things like Merlin systems and post fermentation bittering with iso alpha extract which reduces boil time.<BR/><BR/>The Merlin system is amazing. It involves cascading the wort over a metal symbol shaped device that is heated to several hundred degrees centigrade. The wort briefly contacts the metal is rapidly boiled, alpha acids are isomerised and break material forms without the need to bring a vast volume of wort to the boil. So if you have the money, bringing a big ol' pot of wort to the boil is indeed an archaic means of producing beer.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09734969599278020673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219005652464990693.post-86138036328150528202009-01-09T10:58:00.000+00:002009-01-09T10:58:00.000+00:00Great article Tom.How much of this do you think is...Great article Tom.<BR/><BR/>How much of this do you think is "onions in the varnish" manufacturing processes that had a purpose at the time but now are no longer needed? For example with mead old books have you boiling stuff for hours whereas some new books say not to bother boiling at all.<BR/><BR/>Brewing is such an old craft that vestigial practices have to have been picked up over the centuries.Iamreddavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02768287658329807075noreply@blogger.com