Boil w/lid or w/o lid

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

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brewhaha
Light Lager
Light Lager
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2002 10:07 am

Boil w/lid or w/o lid

Post by brewhaha »

Hello, Could someone tell me what is the correct way to boil, can one use a lid during the boil or should the lid be left off while boiling ? Also could you tell me why ? Thanks..
Team Beer
Light Lager
Light Lager
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Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2001 6:20 pm

Boiling

Post by Team Beer »

I usually boil without the lid on to visually help avoid boilover. After I kill the heat I will put the lid back on to avoid any contaminates to enter.
BillyBock
Imperial Stout
Imperial Stout
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Location: Ohio

Boiling

Post by BillyBock »

I only use the lid to help achieve the boil, after that it comes off until the boil is complete. At that point, I cover the kettle to keep stuff from falling in since I brew outside.

John Palmer, in his on-line book "How to Brew" says, "Once you achieve a boil, only partially cover the pot, if at all. Why? Because in wort there are sulfur compounds that evolve and boil off. If they aren't removed during the boil, they can form dimethyl sulfide which contributes a cooked cabbage or corn-like flavor to the beer. If the cover is left on the pot, or left on such that the condensate from the lid can drip back in, then these flavors will have a much greater chance of showing up in the finished beer."

It's a good source of info and is at www.howtobrew.com

v/r
Bill
andytv
Double IPA
Double IPA
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DMS & Diacetyl

Post by andytv »

Boiling with a lid will likely cause DMS (corn/veggie) and/or diacetyl(butterscotch) off-flavors in the beer which are scrubbed out during the boil. The compounds, which are released from the beer with the water vapor will re-condense on the lid and drip back into the batch.

I think it was "mesa maltworks" who posted an interesting story about rolling rock beer and DMS.. it would be worth looking for. Alos, there were several posts on diacetyl and DMS in the past.

Prosit,

Andy
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