Partial boil extract beer in the kitchen questions

[Glenn]

Seems the wife-module is hell bent on trying this. I know the vast majority here are all-grain brewers, but I DO know there is some partial boil experience here as well. Anyway...

• We have a four gallon stock pot. Once we use this for wort, can it be safely cleaned and used for food again?
• From the reading I've done, it seems hop utilization could be a problem. Would it be better to throw more hops at it than the recipe calls for, or do as some suggestions I've read and only add part of the malt to the boil, with rest of the malt added as a "late malt addition" at flame out?
• Cooling the wort...how cool do I need to get the wort if I'm adding two gallons of 35 degree water to the wort? I guess I'm wondering if by adding two gallons of very cold water if it's possible to get the wort too cold.

[meisel]

Boil as much of the volume of wort as possible for best hop utilization, consider doing a 3 gallon batch, you'll yield less but have better results.

Yes you can use the boil vessel for other foods with a quick cleaning and rinse.

I would not chill by adding water/ice, your hop utilization will suffer. Instead do the ice bath method in a sink or tub, it will take longer to cool, but again, you'll have better results.

[BourbonDrinker]

I primarily do extract brewing.

Your just cookin' grain. Your stock pot will be fine.

I usually do a big boil 3+ gallons in a 6-7 gallon stock pot from a turkey fryer. Sometimes I only ad about 1/3 of the extract up front and the rest 15 minutes form the end of the boil. Sometimes I follow the instructions implicitly. Depends on whether I remember to modify the recipe or not. Some mornings I'm just not thinking too clearly.

I usually let my wort cool to about 100° and than add enough water to bring it to 5 gallons. This usually parks it right around 70-75°. This method does take a lot of ice to get it cooled down. The water addition I do is usually around room temperature because I never remember to chill water ahead of time---but this also guarantees I don't get the wort too cold.

[JMcG]

I'd say try to approximate the pre-boil OG called for in the recipe in the boil so your utilization should be roughly the same, then add the remainder of the extract 15 min prior to end of boil to sanitize. If you're making late hop additions you may just have to throw in some extra for aroma and flavor, but I think the primary thing is enough utilization for bittering. Water (previously boiled or conditioned) can be added to cool the wort and bring to volume. You may still have to wait until it cools to pitching temp.
jim

[Steve Brown]

I do partial mash, partial boil. I steep my adjuncts in two gallons of water, and try to calculate thermal mass so that when I drop the mesh bag with the grains it ends up about 148 - 150F. I steep that for 30 minutes, then rinse the grain with hot water to get about three gallons. Add DME/LME while heating to a boil, add hops and start the clock when it reaches a boil. (I boil 60 minutes, some people say to boil 90 to get rid of all the DMS in the extract. Other people make a hop tea, then just add the extract the last fifteen minutes to get the hot break and sanitation. This can avoid scorching issues, sticky boil-over problems, and saves some energy.) Hop to your heart's content!

I cool in an ice bath in the sink and drop big chunks of ice made from either distilled or pre-boiled water and frozen in sanitized, covered containers into the stock pot. Then with about a gallon of cold water in my primary, I pour the wort through a colander to catch the hops and to help aerate. Depending on the temperature at this point, I either add another chunk of ice or cold water to bring the fermenter up to volume.

For IPAs with Wyeast 1056 or WLP001, I shoot for 60F when I pitch big into 5.5 gallons. Oxygenate or aerate more prior to pitch. I don't think you can get the wort too cold; at that volume it will warm up easier than you can cool it down unless you've got room in a fridge for your primary - or if it's winter. Just make sure that your wort is warmer than your pitch - if warm yeast hits cold wort, it'll get shocked and it takes a while to start feeding; if slightly chilly yeast hits relatively warmer wort, it gently wakes up surrounded by food. (It must be like waking to the aroma of breakfast bacon for yeast!) The temp will rise as fermentation takes place. Starting cooler with this particular yeast brings out fruitiness, and I try to control the ramp with wicking. (Wrap a cold, wet towel around the fermenter.) I like the first week to stay about 62 - 65F, then finish it about 70F. (For other varieties of yeast and other styles of beer, I refer to the pamphlet that describes the yeast.)

For your bullet points (IMO):
- it's more important that the pot is clean *before* using it to make beer: make certain all of the fats and oils are gone before using it to make beer.
- I err on the side of hops!
- say you're shooting for five gallons at 65 degrees. 3g(85F) + 2g(35F) = 5g(65F) So, you'd want three gallons of 85F wort. But if it's cold, it'll warm up. It'll warm during fermentation regardless. (BTW, this is maybe the best use of algebra, ever!)

[Lucile]

Just to put in my $.02 -

Cooling the wort in an ice bath in the sink: you can speed up the process (without adding ice directly to the wort) by agitating the wort in the pot. I stick a long-handled spatula in the pot and tweak it every so often so I can keep the liquid moving a bit (transferring the hotter liquid closer to the outer edge of the pot, near the ice bath). I keep the lid on the pot and only move the spatula a little - it's not a perfect seal on the pot, but it's good enough.

Finally, I can calculate if I've gotten the wort cool enough, given the addition of cooler water, using this web site (why look up the equation when someone's already scripted it into a web page for me?):

http://www.brewheads.com/tempchange.php

Lisa