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madman960 · 11-11-2012, 03:19 PM

Sent email to my lhbs for Biermunchers Centennial Blonde extract recipe. Here is the recipe I sent followed by his response. I have only brewed 1 Mr. Beer kit. This will be my second batch. I could possibly do a BIAB if I had step by step instructions. If BIAB is recommended I can email my lhbs with the ag recipe. I normally get a reply within 30 min even on weekends and holidays.

5.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 83.3 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 16.7 %
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (45 min) Hops 7.8 IBU
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (20 min) Hops 5.1 IBU
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (10 min) Hops 2.5 IBU
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (5 min) Hops 1.4 IBU
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale

My aau's on my hops are a little lower, cent 8.7 cascade 6.9 recipe cost 31.25 with dme. 28.25 with 6.5 lbs lme

Should I use the DME OR LME or just do a BIAB?

Here is the equipment I have:

I currently have:

1) 6 gallon stainless steel pot
2) 7.5 gallon aluminum pot
1) Propane burner assembly
1) digital thermometer
1) 5 gallon water cooler
1) 10 gallon water cooler
1) 6 gallon pressure cooker
1) 2.5 gallon brew keg (Mr. Beer)
Will pick up star san auto siphon capper caps etc when I pick up recipe kit from lhbs.

Thanks for any help.

Bill

madman960 · 11-11-2012, 05:59 PM

How do his lower AAUs affect the recipe? Still trying to learn the science part.

Bill

**BigJim_inFLA** · 11-12-2012, 12:47 AM

If your hops have lower alpha acids then you need more hops. For example, for the first hop addition the math would go like:

0.25 oz of Centennial x 9.5 = 2.375 / your Centennial 8.7 = 0.272, so to keep the same bitterness contribution from that first hop addition you would use 0.27 oz. of your 8.7% Centennial. Do the math for each addition to get the correct amounts. This really is a small difference in this instance. Hope that helps you.

Jim

madman960 · 11-12-2012, 01:08 AM

So if I understand correctly the Cascade would be .25x 7.8=1.95/ 6.9= .282 or .28 oz of Cascade per addition.

Also is DME better or LME or is it just a matter of preference?

Thanks;

Bill

inhousebrew · 11-12-2012, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madman960

So if I understand correctly the Cascade would be .25x 7.8=1.95/ 6.9= .282 or .28 oz of Cascade per addition.

Also is DME better or LME or is it just a matter of preference?

Thanks;

Bill

There are a couple of differences I can think of.

DME can last for a very long time so you don't need to worry about whether or not it's fresh. It can get a little messy though because it gets very sticky when wet. So pouring it into a steaming pot can get a tricky.

LME can age more quickly so there is some worry about turnaround depending on how much product your LHBS moves. Probably not a problem, but it's something to think about. When adding LME you really need to be careful not to scorch it on the bottom of the pan where it sinks to. You need to remove it from the burner then add and stir it thoroughly. The other thing about LME is that it can drop the temp quite a bit because you are adding so much of it so it's kind of annoying.

madman960 · 11-12-2012, 01:34 PM

The lhbs said 95% of his customers use LME. He also recommends I stick with extract for a few more brews. He also does not stock Nottingham yeast. Which yeast is a better replacement; fermentis or safeale? Does the LME come in a can or a pouch or a jug? Would warming it up in hot water keep the temps from dropping as much?

Thanks again;

Bill

WoodlandBrew · 11-12-2012, 01:44 PM

It sounds like you have more than enough volume in your kettles for BIAB. It's really pretty easy. All you need now is a bag. A five gallon paint strainer bag works nice. The sticky for BIAB on this site is a great place to start.

Here's my humble setup. Much smaller than what you could do:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/09/biab.html

madman960 · 11-12-2012, 03:00 PM

I have been reading up on BIAB here for a while. There seems to be a debate on whether or not to sparge.

That is a good setup you have. The pot under the grains looks similar to my large pressure cooker.

How much time should I give myself for BIAB? I know extract is about an hour.

Thanks;

Bill

WoodlandBrew · 11-12-2012, 03:20 PM

From setup to a clean kitchen in the end it takes me about 4 hours. However, there is about 2 hours of time where you are just waiting. During that time I'm normally bottleing, labeling, or doing some other task. Although, extract brewing takes me at least 2 hours with getting to a boil, and then down to pitching temperatures. If you extract brew in an hour, then you're just adding the mash time up front. It sounds like you can get your temperature up and down quick, so maybe you are looking at closer to 3 hours.

madman960 · 11-12-2012, 04:00 PM

Awesome. I will try BIAB. Which yeast should I get from my lhbs? He no longer carries Nottingham. He has Fermentis or Seafale. I have read through Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde post and seen that US05 or US56 or Wyeast 1056 used but not sure what effect either has on the beer if any.

Thanks again for the help.

Bill