There's a few things (Edit: actually, a lot of things) worth understanding here.
- Hop addition times are really not that relevant to boil time. For example, if you add
x grams of hop
A at 90 mins versus adding it at 60 mins, there is very little difference in the end result. So, boiling is not really about hops.
- A home-brew 90 minute boil is not the same as a craft brewery 90 minute boil. Certain techniques might be employed in a craft brewery that are unavailable to us.
- You can't generalise on boil times. Some styles you can get away with
y minutes while other styles boiled for
y minutes might fail.
- The lower the boil time (or, more correctly, the evaporation rate) the lower the kettle efficiency. This is due to your grains being washed with less water.
- Increased boil time allows some chemical processes to complete.
Why the 90 Minute Boil is Recommended
It's a safe time that works across all styles.
What if I Drop to 60 Minutes?
You will experience a decrease in kettle efficiency.
You may or may not, depending on beer style and your water conditions, experience clarity, attenuation or flavour problems.
What Should I Do/Consider?
Experiment but don't generalise or assume. There are many scenarios to consider. Here's two examples....
- Just because a certain minute boil worked on this style doesn't mean it will work on another.
- Just because a certain minute boil worked on this recipe doesn't mean it will work again (unless you can control your water & weather)
Oh, and
here is a link we can never post enough!
Hope that helps
,
PP
If you have found
the above or anything else of value on BIABrewer.info, consider supporting us by
getting some BIPs!