Brewing Master

Question:

    Why when I’m online checking out recipes for simple pale ales,  ( Cats Meow etc ),  many call for like 7, 8, even 9 pounds of malt. Than some even add 10-15 cups of  corn sugar and some honey or syrup to boot. I am a some what beginner,  ( about 1 brew year old ) but is this too much in the way of fermentables, ( most kits call for little more than 2-3lb of malt )  or is this the way to robust, hearty results?                                   Jeff

Response:

you may have to determine whether the recipe called for dry malt extract or liquid extract. Of course liquid malt extract will weigh more. mdh

Response:

   Why when I’m online checking out recipes for simple pale ales,  ( Cats Meow etc ),  many call for like 7, 8, even 9 pounds of malt. Than some even add 10-15 cups of  corn sugar and some honey or syrup to boot. I am a some what beginner,  ( about 1 brew year old ) but is this too much in the way of fermentables,

First of all, keep in mind that many recipes you see posted on the internet are from people with even less experience than yourself. IMO, the Cats Meow is pretty much worthless. Its recipes usually tell you nothing about the brewer (how long have they been brewing?) , or how good the batch turned out. Did it win a ribbon. Was it even drinkable? Were their tastes the same as yours? A suprising number of brewers post their recipes before fermentation is even completed. If you want to emulate a particular style, I suggest getting a book like ‘Designing Great Beers’, or one of the style books from AHA. Otherwise, find recipes that have good descriptions of the final results, or have won ribbons, or are from brewers that you know. ( most kits call for little more than 2-3lb of malt )  or is this the way to robust, hearty results?

A beer made with only 2-3 lbs of malt is a shandy.

Response:

What kind of malt? 7 lbs of liquid malt extract (LME) is in the ballpark for a basic Pale Ale.  9 lbs (of LME) is a little high, but not outrageously so (and it’s dead-on for an India Pale Ale). 7 lbs of dry malt extract (DME) is a little high… but again, it’s not out of line for an India Pale Ale. I would never add 10-15 cups of sugar to ANY beer.  Not even Strong Belgian Ales (which typically have a fair amount of sugar in them). That much sugar is going to give you thin, very alcoholic, cidery tasting beer.  If all you care about is getting buzzed, I suppose that’s OK… but most of us want to make beer that tastes good; the buzz is just a happy side effect! Avoid the kits that call for 2-3 lbs of malt, and lots of sugar.  These will not make quality beer. — – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     Why when I’m online checking out recipes for simple pale ales,  ( Cats Meow etc ),  many call for like 7, 8, even 9 pounds of malt. Than some even add 10-15 cups of  corn sugar and some honey or syrup to boot. I am a some what beginner,  ( about 1 brew year old ) but is this too much in the way of fermentables, ( most kits call for little more than 2-3lb of malt )  or is this the way to robust, hearty results?                                   Jeff

Response:

( most kits call for little more than 2-3lb of malt )  or is this the way to robust, hearty results?

Are these five gallon kits?   Or do they make less? For a standard 5 gallon batch, 6-7 lbs. of liquid extract is about right for a pale ale, while 8-9 is right in the ballpark for an IPA.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What kind of malt? 7 lbs of liquid malt extract (LME) is in the ballpark for a basic Pale Ale.  9 lbs (of LME) is a little high, but not outrageously so (and it’s dead-on for an India Pale Ale). 7 lbs of dry malt extract (DME) is a little high… but again, it’s not out of line for an India Pale Ale. I would never add 10-15 cups of sugar to ANY beer.  Not even Strong Belgian Ales (which typically have a fair amount of sugar in them). That much sugar is going to give you thin, very alcoholic, cidery tasting beer.  If all you care about is getting buzzed, I suppose that’s OK… but most of us want to make beer that tastes good; the buzz is just a happy side effect! Avoid the kits that call for 2-3 lbs of malt, and lots of sugar.  These will not make quality beer.

This might be a little OT, but I’m starting to lean toward the advice of no more than 25% sugar in a batch of beer, and never use it with extract, only AG.  I think the sugar just cannot hide any flaws that might be present from the extract. Cheers, Mike

Response: