Cost of the boil.
- Thread starter Chippy_Tea
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Cwrw666
Landlord.
I remember, many years ago, an elderly eccentric being interviewed on the radio. He'd made a full body suit out of an electric blanket and so didn't need to heat his house at all.
user 44889
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Never checked and never will.
Cheyne_brewer
Regular.
With just one pint in the pub being around £4.50 it makes our costs irrelevant. A pint or a batch - let me think 
alefric LeHendz
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Happened to be putting on a brew the day after our smart meter was installed and it turns out the hob uses about 20p per hour, which was a pleasant surprise actually
I made a Simcoe pale ale yesterday with full sunshine on the solar panels. They were kicking out between 2.2 and 2.3 kWh throughout so that one probably cost me nothing. Different in the winter or on a cloudy day though.
MrRook
Landlord.
According to the IBU calculater that I use, in a five gallon 1.050 wort, it takes 1 ounce of 9.9% hops to get 39 IBUs in 60 minutes. It takes 1.3 ounces to get 39 IBUs in 30 minutes.
I've been experimenting with hop oils, using isohop for bittering takes away the need for a boil thus I'm also using the 'raw brewing' method.
But I do boil all my water pre-brew, this is because it proved the best results after lots of try and error with various water treatments
But I do boil all my water pre-brew, this is because it proved the best results after lots of try and error with various water treatments
Thatscold
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Brewed 42L today, 80 min boil. Having just bought a new 13kg propane bottle I thought I would calculate the cost of the gas used on today’s brew.
Refill cost £45.
Gas used 1.6kg
Cost of gas £5.54
Gas cost per pint, roughly 8p
shame I can’t capture the gas I generate per pint consumed….
Refill cost £45.
Gas used 1.6kg
Cost of gas £5.54
Gas cost per pint, roughly 8p
shame I can’t capture the gas I generate per pint consumed….
Agentgonzo
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I've experimented with this latest brew.
In theory, "you don't need a rigorous boil" as long as the boil is sufficiently agitating the hops, and "the need for an uncovered boil is a myth" because all the bad volatiles (DMS etc) have a sufficiently low boiling point that they still get driven off past the lid.
Anyway, long story short, I left the lid on the Grainfather today (it still has a 2" hole in it that steam escaped from). With the insulated jacket for the boiler, I ran at 35% power for the boil today.
Let's see how it turned out. (I didn't do this to save money, just curious whether it affects the beer)
In theory, "you don't need a rigorous boil" as long as the boil is sufficiently agitating the hops, and "the need for an uncovered boil is a myth" because all the bad volatiles (DMS etc) have a sufficiently low boiling point that they still get driven off past the lid.
Anyway, long story short, I left the lid on the Grainfather today (it still has a 2" hole in it that steam escaped from). With the insulated jacket for the boiler, I ran at 35% power for the boil today.
Let's see how it turned out. (I didn't do this to save money, just curious whether it affects the beer)
Interested to hear how it turns out, because if it doesn’t affect the beer, it’s saved money!
Sadfield
Landlord.
I think you've missed the point in "the need for an uncovered boil is a myth".
Bolsover Brewer
Well-Known Member
So would I.
The boil isn't just about hops,and I would like to see evidence an uncovered boil is a myth. A covered boil will condensate DMS on the lid. even with a 50 mm hole. A more violent boil will drive off volatile's, all the DMS doesn't get driven off during the boil a lot of whats left is removed during fermentation.
Also a good vigorous boil denatures the protein, a timid boil will encourage the protein to from a scum on top of the wort instead of breaking it up.
If you want to experiment just try shorter boils.
Agentgonzo
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That's just the lid the GF comes with! I wasn't really trying to investigate the myth completely, just leaving the lid (with a hole) on. It meant my utility room was less like a sauna at the end of the boil than normal.
Agentgonzo
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I dispute this. DMS has a low boiling point (30-40°). It may initially condense on the lid and drop back, but pretty quickly, the water condensing on the lid will raise the temperature of the lid to roughly 100°. This means the DMS can't condense on the lid and will continue to get driven off as normal.
Anyhow, I will let you all know how it turns out. It's not a real experiment (no control to compare it to), but interesting for me at least (and others).
My primary reason for it wasn't to test the theory, or even save electricity... It was too prevent the utility room getting filled with steam!
Agentgonzo
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Sadfield
Landlord.
Bwahahahahahaha.... He even admits this experiment was inconclusive.
Agentgonzo
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