Brewing Master

Question:

Question #1: Was I supposed to boil the water with the sugar already added?  I was nervous that some may have evaporated.

Sugar will not evaporate, only water.  If the water is clean, there is no reason to boil.  Dry sugar does not pick up outside contaminants well, you just need to dissolve it.  Corn sugar dissolves very well in beer directly if stirred gently.  Cane sugar, not so well. Anyway, I first bottled 2.6 gallons directly into my "Beer Machine," which is a contraption that will now be used primarily as a mini-keg device for my fridge. Question #2: This morning (I bottled last night) I noticed a few drops of beer had leaked from one of the corners of the 2 pieced beer machine.  Do I need to worry about spoilage or bacterial infection at this stage (considering the alcohol level of the beer)?  Should I attempt to clean, dry, and duct-tape the leaky corner?

I wouldn’t worry about infection, just clean up the leaking beer.  I would try to seal the corner, but nothing will really stick to a wet surface.  The best thing if it were dry would be Food Grade Sealant.  The DAP product found at places like home improvement and hardware stores and marked 100% silicon is rated as food safe after 24 hours. Take a peek at the "Beer Machine" here, just don’t buy one… http://www.beermachine.com I then proceeded to bottle the rest of the 5 gallons into 8 – 1 liter EZ-Cap (swingcap) bottles.  I left about 1.25 inches of air space (as Mr. Papazian recommends). Question #3:  Is the amount of airspace you leave in the bottle dependant upon the volume of the bottle?  I.E.- an 8 oz bottle requires less airspace, a 12oz bottle requires more, a liter bottle requires even more?  Or does the 1.25 inch standard work for all bottles?  What kind of krausen can I expect after I pour my first glass?

The headspace really doesn’t matter per bottle so long as the bottle is full, I always just try to hit the level of a commercially bottled product on anything I bottle condition. You mean what kind of Head can you expect.  Since it was a wheat beer, if you use a properly cleaned glass, and the beer carbonates properly, I would expect at a normal rate of pour to have 1/2" to 1" of head.  Pour slower, less head, pour faster, more head. Both the "Beer Machine" and the bottles are sitting in my basement at 69 F in the dark.  I can see no activity in the bottles or the beer machine. Question #4:  Should I be able to see any carbonation activity?  Is there a way to tell when some carbination action is going down?  How long should I let them sit in those conditions?  Then what?  To the fridge?  How long until I can…. DRINK THEM!!!!  YUM!

No.  Sometimes sediment in the bottom, but no real activity. No.  There is no real way to tell that I know. I vote 2 weeks and then try one. Then refridgerate a few every day and drink until you absolutely love them. When you run out, that usually would have been the perfect aging time. One last side note, the John Bull Unhopped Wheat Extract that I used was very dark in color.  My beer is now very dark in color.  It tastes like a good weizen, but it looks like a darker beer (almost red). I’ve read that as extract syrups get older they get darker. BTW- John Bull uses 55% Wheat, 45% Barley. Question #5:  Should I worry about this?  Will the age of the extract effect the taste as well as the color.

As a new brewer, I suggest you not worry about color. Yes, age of extract will effect the taste. Question #6:  Any other ideas/concerns here?  Do you think this will make a good final product?  I am serving it for my going away party, so I don’t want everyone to have a bad final memory of me.  I am concerned that no matter what it tastes like I will convince myself that it is good.

RDWHAHB Only you will be able to judge how well it turns out. Have some backup for the party in case it isn’t what you expected. Cheers, Mike

Response:

Are you talking about generic LME, or are you talking about a can of LME from a kit designed specifically to make a style of beer.

In this example we are talking about John Bull Unhopped Wheat LME. Would that be considered generic?  How about Briess?  Or Alexander’s Wheat? Generic light LME or dark LME should be essentially light DME or dark DME with water, so you can interchange them factoring in the 20% water difference. However, a can of LME from a kit designed to make a dark wheat beer (extreme example) is obviously going to have more specialty grain incorporated into it than a bag of generic DME.  If you went with DME, you’d have to add the specialty grains yourself to reproduce the dark wheat beer.

I see, thanks!

Response:

It’s more like DME is LME without the water.  You can use DME anywhere you would use LME, just use 20% less.  As for recipes, I’d have to go back a few years in my notes to when I was brewing extract, but you could just take one of your LME recipes and substitute DME.

Anyone have their notes handy? We are looking for a GREAT tasing IPA brewed from DME exclusivly (no LME)…. Thanks!

Response:

Are you talking about generic LME, or are you talking about a can of LME from a kit designed specifically to make a style of beer. In this example we are talking about John Bull Unhopped Wheat LME. Would that be considered generic?  How about Briess?  Or Alexander’s Wheat?

Wheat LME is probably 60% barley and 40% wheat.  Generic DME is going to be 100% barley.  I don’t know of any wheat DME. John. —                            *** John P. Kolesar ***            *** Head Administrator, Monty Python’s Flying Talker ***

Response:

Are you talking about generic LME, or are you talking about a can of LME from a kit designed specifically to make a style of beer. In this example we are talking about John Bull Unhopped Wheat LME. Would that be considered generic?  How about Briess?  Or Alexander’s Wheat? Wheat LME is probably 60% barley and 40% wheat.  Generic DME is going to be 100% barley.  I don’t know of any wheat DME. John.

Try:  www.morebeer.com. I used to get it there. Medford, NY swap net.optonline to reply via e-mail

Response:

We sell Munton’s dry wheat extract.  It is 55% wheat, 45% barley. Ireks was the last producer of 100% wheat extract.  I am not aware of any others for the homebrew market. — Dan Listermann Check out our E-tail site at www.listermann.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Are you talking about generic LME, or are you talking about a can of LME from a kit designed specifically to make a style of beer. In this example we are talking about John Bull Unhopped Wheat LME. Would that be considered generic?  How about Briess?  Or Alexander’s Wheat? Wheat LME is probably 60% barley and 40% wheat.  Generic DME is going to be 100% barley.  I don’t know of any wheat DME. John. —                            *** John P. Kolesar ***            *** Head Administrator, Monty Python’s Flying Talker ***

Response:

2 tbsp Vanilla Extract (Artificial)

In a hefeweizen? Heat and hold at 115 F for 15 minutes, add .25 of hops. Heat and hold at 145 F for 30 minutes, add .25 of hops. Heat and hold at 165 F for 30 minutes, add .25 of hops. Boil for 10 minutes and add remaining hops

All this heat-and-hold stuff is definitely superfluous for an extract recipe.  Just get it up to the boil and boil it a good hour if you extracts are unhopped. Question #1: Was I supposed to boil the water with the sugar already added?  I was nervous that some may have evaporated.

relax, doesn’t matter this stage (considering the alcohol level of the beer)?  Should I attempt to clean, dry, and duct-tape the leaky corner?

I’d try to keep it clean, but duct tape probably isn’t going to help.  Fish aquarium silicone (food safe) might be of more use.  Or just let it leak and keep cleaning it. Question #4:  Should I be able to see any carbonation activity?  Is there a way to tell when some carbination action is going down?  How

you said you put it in plastic bottles?  When they get good and hard you are good and carbed I’ve read that as extract syrups get older they get darker. BTW- John Bull uses 55% Wheat, 45% Barley.

syrups are also darker by nature of the way they are produced as opposed to powder Question #5:  Should I worry about this?  Will the age of the extract effect the taste as well as the color.

slightly, but i’m gonna bet that vanilla is going to affect it more (not sure what kind of hefeweizen you’ve ever had with vanilla in it) Question #6:  Any other ideas/concerns here?  Do you think this will make a good final product?

You seem to like it  That’s usually all that matters. cheers, -Alan

Response:

Okay, simple question (I hope).  Is LME just DME with water added?  Or does it have more good stuff in it (like specialty grains)?

LME is made by boiling a wort down and evaporating water. DME is made by spraying wort into a hot box and the water evaporates away into the air and the powder collects on the bottom.  Kind of like a snow maker at a ski hill. cheers, -Alan

Response:

Question #4:  Should I be able to see any carbonation activity?  Is there a way to tell when some carbination action is going down?  How long should I let them sit in those conditions?  Then what?  To the fridge?  How long until I can…. DRINK THEM!!!!  YUM! It is too bad that there arn’t any clear signs of what is going on in those bottles.

One quick and easy method to keep an eye on the bottle-conditioning carbonation level is to keep a couple plastic pop bottles on hand…. i.e., PET bottles like the ones Pepsi or Coca Cola come in.  Be sure to clean the caps scrupulously in order to keep any of the soft drink smell/taste out of your beer!  Fill these in the same manner as the rest of your brew, keep them side by side with all the bottles.  When the plastic bottles are rock-hard– that is, when you are unable to squeeze a dent in the bottle –the whole batch will be fairly well carbonated.  You can also bottle with the two-liter size PET’s.  These make great take-alongs for picnics, family/friends gatherings, bar-b-ques, back-yard parties, etc.  To serve from one of these you do have to pour the whole thing into a large pitcher or something so the yeast sediment won’t get stirred up too much, but it works very well. — –DAsh with 7119)

Response:

If using extract would you always use unhopped DME on an unlimited budget? I have never heard of a hopped DME.  I really never suggest anyone used a prehopped extract.  How can you possibly know what the hopping level or type is?

I have never heard of unhopped DME either, I just wanted to assure you that I would always use unhopped.  But you didn’t answer my question… Is DME better than LME for all purposes?  Should I never buy LME again? If you are in Wisconsin, you might check out www.nbrewer.com, but there are plenty of others.

Any experiance with nbrewer’s featured LME products?  Alexander’s Malt Extract Syrup and Northern Brewer Extract?  The selection seems grim comapred to http://www.midwestsupplies.com .  Did you check out that site?  I mainly want to know if they are overpriced or not. Thanks!

Response:

Neither LME or DME has enzymes in it, so it’s a wash there.  I started out using LME also, because that was what most recipes called for.  But once you go to light, unhopped DME and specialty grains, you realize that’s the way to make an extract beer.  More control, more freshness, easier to handle..give it a try.  You can even use an LME recipe, just use 20% less DME (since it isn’t part water).

Okay, simple question (I hope).  Is LME just DME with water added?  Or does it have more good stuff in it (like specialty grains)? Can you recommend an Ale recipe (preferably an IPA) using ONLY DME? What kind of hops?  Wyeast?  Specialty grains? Thanks!

Response:

I have never heard of unhopped DME either, I just wanted to assure you that I would always use unhopped.

Argh… haha, I meant "I have never heard of hopped DME either." Sorry for the confusion.

Response:

It’s more like DME is LME without the water.  You can use DME anywhere you would use LME, just use 20% less.  As for recipes, I’d have to go back a few years in my notes to when I was brewing extract, but you could just take one of your LME recipes and substitute DME. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Neither LME or DME has enzymes in it, so it’s a wash there.  I started out using LME also, because that was what most recipes called for.  But once you go to light, unhopped DME and specialty grains, you realize that’s the way to make an extract beer.  More control, more freshness, easier to handle..give it a try.  You can even use an LME recipe, just use 20% less DME (since it isn’t part water). Okay, simple question (I hope).  Is LME just DME with water added?  Or does it have more good stuff in it (like specialty grains)? Can you recommend an Ale recipe (preferably an IPA) using ONLY DME? What kind of hops?  Wyeast?  Specialty grains? Thanks!

Response:

Neither LME or DME has enzymes in it, so it’s a wash there.  I started out using LME also, because that was what most recipes called for.  But once you go to light, unhopped DME and specialty grains, you realize that’s the way to make an extract beer.  More control, more freshness, easier to handle..give it a try.  You can even use an LME recipe, just use 20% less DME (since it isn’t part water). Okay, simple question (I hope).  Is LME just DME with water added?  Or does it have more good stuff in it (like specialty grains)?

Are you talking about generic LME, or are you talking about a can of LME from a kit designed specifically to make a style of beer. Generic light LME or dark LME should be essentially light DME or dark DME with water, so you can interchange them factoring in the 20% water difference. However, a can of LME from a kit designed to make a dark wheat beer (extreme example) is obviously going to have more specialty grain incorporated into it than a bag of generic DME.  If you went with DME, you’d have to add the specialty grains yourself to reproduce the dark wheat beer. John. —                            *** John P. Kolesar ***            *** Head Administrator, Monty Python’s Flying Talker ***

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Question #4:  Should I be able to see any carbonation activity?  Is there a way to tell when some carbination action is going down?  How long should I let them sit in those conditions?  Then what?  To the fridge?  How long until I can…. DRINK THEM!!!!  YUM! It is too bad that there arn’t any clear signs of what is going on in those bottles. One quick and easy method to keep an eye on the bottle-conditioning carbonation level is to keep a couple plastic pop bottles on hand…. i.e., PET bottles like the ones Pepsi or Coca Cola come in.  Be sure to clean the caps scrupulously in order to keep any of the soft drink smell/taste out of your beer!  Fill these in the same manner as the rest of your brew, keep them side by side with all the bottles.  When the plastic bottles are rock-hard– that is, when you are unable to squeeze a dent in the bottle –the whole batch will be fairly well carbonated.  You can also bottle with the two-liter size PET’s.  These make great take-alongs for picnics, family/friends gatherings, bar-b-ques, back-yard parties, etc.  To serve from one of these you do have to pour the whole thing into a large pitcher or something so the yeast sediment won’t get stirred up too much, but it works very well.

Awesome ideas!!!!  That should be one of the books I’ve read!! Thanks!

Response:

Okay… lots of good info here.  Thanks for taking the time to explain all of this stuff guys.  I’ve read two books and "howtobrew.com" and I still miss the boat on a lot of details. DAsh:  Would this be considered a Partial Grain Extract Beer?  Thanks for the great recipe!  One question, when you "rinse" the grain you mean "remove it from the pot," right?  I read somewhere that you can use a nylon to steep your specialty grains.  Would I be better off buying some of those special bags? These are the specialty grains right? 1.00 lb. Toasted Vienna, ~8L (see directions) 1.00 lb. Crystal  10L They need to be "cracked," please elaborate. Thanks alot!!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Here’s one that I came up with several years ago that many of my friends keep asking me for more of.  It’s fairly simple to brew up.  If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. Foggy Day’s Golden Elixir   Category         :  India Pale Ale   Method           :  Extract   Starting Gravity :  1.065   Ending Gravity   :  1.016   Alcohol content  :  6.3%   Recipe Makes     :  5.0 gallons   Total Grain      :  9.00 lbs.   Color (srm)      :  9.8   Hop IBUs         : 57.4 Malts/Sugars:  7.00 lb. Extra Light Dry Malt  1.00 lb. Toasted Vienna, ~8L (see directions)  1.00 lb. Crystal  10L Hops: 1.50 oz. Nrthrn Brewer    7.5% 50 min boil 1.50 oz. Cascade          5.8% 10 min boil 1.50 oz. Cascade          5.8% 10 min steep (***adjust the amount of Cascades if using 2001’s crop!!!***) Extra Ingredients:    2 tsp Gypsum    2 tsp Brewer’s Salts    1/4 tsp rehydrated Irish Moss Notes: Or, for a bit lighter-bodied brew, boil 6 lbs Extra Light Dry Malt and then add 1 lb light honey in the aroma hop steep. —-This recipe assumes your kettle is large enough to hold a minimum of 5 gallons.  A large canning kettle is perfect for this.  Since I brew on an electric range, I use a heavy-guage wire trivet between the burner element and the bottom of the kettle to cut down on carmelization of the malt sugars.  It also allows the heat to be more evenly distributed which provides better control of the boil. Directions: is done the day before you brew, the nut-like flavor will be more pronounced– yummy! Crack all specialty grains and place in 1 gal. cold water in brewpot with gypsum.  Raise water temp. to 155