I’ve heard of boiling the first 2 gallons down to 1 pint and adding it back to the wort. Is this just to add a caramel taste to the beer?
Pretty much so, although I don’t know if “caramel” is exactly the right description. And in Skotrat’s classic recipe, I think it’s a gal. that gets boiled down, not 2.
ETA: After looking at the recipe, it seems like the 2 gal. boildown is for an 11 gal. batch. I’ve always done only 1 gal. for a 5-5.5 gal. batch.
it definitely adds a level of richness to the malt flavor - I can’t say its definitely caramel tasting however - but I have used this technique in Skotrat’s recipe and my old ale with great success.
always done 1gal → 1 pint per 5 gallons - be sure to watch the boildown carefully once it gets below a half gallon as it can get away from you in a hurry and create a huge mess. Also, be sure to either collect more runnings or add water to keep your volume what you planned.
+3
boil it down until you’re scared!
Yeah, that boiled down pint is like syrup! And darn tasty too!
This is my favorite response in a very long time. 