Real quick extract kit question

BeerBaron · 01-03-2007, 12:26 AM

Hi there, I've done a few of the liquid wort kits and they've turned out alright. I'm going to try an extract kit now though. My question is if I use a hopped extract kit should I still boil the wort before pitching the yeast, or will this cause a loss of flavor/aroma?

**Orfy** · 01-03-2007, 12:27 AM

Most of the pre hopped ones I've seen are no boil but It depends what the instructions say.

Not sure what the difference is between liquid wort and extract kits are. Do you mean Liquid malt extracts and dried malt extracts?

BeerBaron · 01-03-2007, 12:39 AM

The kits I've done so far are pretty much already brewed. They're 7.5 right up to 23 litres of wort in a bag. You just add water and yeast to the smaller ones and just yeast to the large ones.

**Yooper** · 01-03-2007, 12:47 AM

Well, my second batch of beer (after Mr. Beer) was a prehopped liquid extract with corn sugar added. It was pretty much undrinkable- I had a couple of friends who drank it. You do get some bitterness, but no flavor/aroma hoppiness at all. I think the recipe called for just dumping in in the fermenter and adding water and the called-for sugar. I don't recommend this- instead of sugar, I'd now add dry malt extract. And some hops, too. It was cidery and harsh and just not good at all.

It's just as easy to buy an UNhopped liquid malt, add water and boil and add hops. And it's about 100 times better. We can talk you through whichever you decide on.

Lorena

BeerBaron · 01-03-2007, 01:06 AM

The liquid kits I've done are the Baron's kits, and my roomates have tried some kits from a local micro-brewery. So far they've all been pretty good beer, better than I expected them to be thats for sure. But I've heard good things about extract brewing so I decided it was time to give it a try. I've got a Canadian red ale liquid malt kit and a kilogram of medium dry malt extract to use in place of the sugar it calls for.

**Yooper** · 01-03-2007, 01:11 AM

That sounds pretty good! Is your kit hopped or unhopped? Even if it's already hopped, you should add some hops and boil it. (We can help you figure out how to do that). It will make a HUGE difference.

Lorena