Brewing Concentrate size?

[honkongphoo3y]

Question Brewsters,

I started brewing a few weeks ago and already brewed 2 batches (their success has yet to be determined). I have a smaller kettle so the boils are from concentrate (2-2.5 gallons). My question is.. why would I ever want to boil a smaller concentrate if I have the room to say boil 3 gallons vs 2 or 2.5 like the recipe calls for. Does the larger concentrate (smaller boil) impact the effectiveness of the isomerisation of the alpha acids because a larger concentrate of sugars makes it more difficult for the alpha acids to dissolve? Looking at a hop utilization chart this seems to be the case (higher gravity --> decreased hop utilization). Going forward.. I think it would make sense to boil as much as possible in my kettle.. and then post cool down of the wort add the difference to make a 5 gallon batch.

Also seems logical when straining the concentrate from the kettle to the fermenting bucket that I would lose some concentrate.. and the smaller the concentrate the more watered down the final product. I guess I could compensate by adding more hops...or maybe I'm over analyzing this negligible impact.


Appreciate your thoughts.

[spiderwrangler]

While not a lady brewer, here are my thoughts on your questions:

why would I ever want to boil a smaller concentrate if I have the room to say boil 3 gallons vs 2 or 2.5 like the recipe calls for.

If you have the capacity to do it, go for it but make sure that you aren't running close to boiling over. There may be some slight differences depending on how the original recipe was formulated. Make sure you can measure volumes in your vessels at some point, either in the kettle or in the fermentor.

Does the larger concentrate (smaller boil) impact the effectiveness of the isomerisation of the alpha acids because a larger concentrate of sugars makes it more difficult for the alpha acids to dissolve? Looking at a hop utilization chart this seems to be the case (higher gravity --> decreased hop utilization).

Yes, there is an effect, but it may be due to higher gravity meaning more 'other stuff' that impacts solubility and utilization rather than it being strictly due to sugar concentration.

Going forward.. I think it would make sense to boil as much as possible in my kettle.. and then post cool down of the wort add the difference to make a 5 gallon batch.

Again, if you can, I don't see a downside.

A

lso seems logical when straining the concentrate from the kettle to the fermenting bucket that I would lose some concentrate.. and the smaller the concentrate the more watered down the final product. I guess I could compensate by adding more hops...or maybe I'm over analyzing this negligible impact.

I think less than losing hops when you are trying to leave trub behind, you are going to be losing more sugars in the trub of a more highly concentrated boil, which will affect the OG of your batch after you add water to bring it up to volume.