Beer Forum

Yeah I know the show is old but I just listened to it on my way to work today for the first time. In the show Jamil's recipe calls for a 15 min boil but doesn't really explain why he uses such a short boil. As far as I can tell, since the beer is only 4 IBUs you really don't need to have bittering hops. BUT the recipe calls for pilsner malt and from what I have heard in several podcasts from the BN, having a 90 min boil is suggested for reducing the DMS caused by the pilsner malt. Why would this not be the case for this beer? Someone also mentioned that a shorter boil helps aid yeast/bacteria growth somehow...is this true?

From what i have learned/researched in this area (and I could be wrong), is that S-methyl-methionine (SMM) is an amino acid produced during the malting process (germination, kilning, etc). SMM is then converted to DMS (di-methyl-sulfide, a volatile compound) during mashing/boiling (basically further heating of the kilned grain). I am guessing that there are less worries to DMS formation due to a shorter boiling period and liimited SMM to DMS formation. Traditoinal Berliner Weisse are brewed in the "no boil" method, using a boiled decoction step process instead. With that being said I have brewed BW's before with15 min boils and have had DMS issues noted in competitions. Looking forward to tackling this one again soon! Good luck and hope I helped!