I'm browsing through Brewers Friend recipes, specifically looking at NEIPAs.
With a few exceptions they are mostly 60min(+) boils even though they don't have bittering additions at the start of the boil (as-per the low-bitterness of the style). The first hop addition tends to be at the whirlpool, or towards the end of the boil (e.g. 60min boil with first hops @ 10min).
Why would you boil a beer like this for that long? Is it just to raise the OG?
Great question. Your guess is most likely correct -- they just want to keep the original gravity raised where it would normally be. Shorter boil time will not concentrate the malt sugars as much.
There are also other theoretical benefits of a longer boil, including DMS reduction, haze reduction (not really a problem in NEIPA though!), improved sanitization (ditto, assuming the NEIPA will be dry hopped later to wazoo anyway!), etc.
But I think you're right about the OG thing. That, or the recipe designer really doesn't even know why they boil an hour, they just do because it's what they learned and what they always do. Maybe that's the real reason!?
Cheers.
Mainly to drive off DMS, which has mostly occured by about the 45/50 min mark, 60 min just makes sure you have driven off the DMS. To sanitize you need about 20 min, the main reason for 60 min is it is optimal for time vs Alpha acid extraction, which is not a huge concern in a NEIPA.
If you wanted to go for a 45/50 min boil you probably could with no ill effects.
Just adjust for the change to evaporative losses.
