i assume he's asking this because no one ever write here on the forum about brewing with extract only. if you were to read the recipes posted here, you would be forgiven for thinking that beer can't be brewed with extract only. markowe, let us know if this is wrong.
regarding adding sugar: depending on your final gravity and the taste of the resulting beer, adding some sugar might be a good idea. but again i'd try to make a batch without any and see how that ends up. you can add sugar to your second batch, if needed.
do you have a hydrometer? that is probably the most important piece of equipment you can acquire. it will answer your question "how much extract should i use?" (answer: use as much as needed to achieve your desired Original Gravity, say 1.045).
You got it in one - not just here on the forum, but just about everywhere. I just can't find a bog-standard "recipe" (yeah, I know it's not rocket science) for a simple brew like I described. I will be using a hydrometer, yes, I have winged it up to now, but sure - it's just, I guess I was after a ballpark figure to aim for, I don't have any idea of what sort of FG to expect or what to start from.
if you can get a sack of 2-row then i'd look into all-grain brewing - much more interesting than extracts (or at least you could do a combo, some AG and some extract). this forum also has lot of info about roasting your own grain.
depends on the extract. if it is indeed similar to "standard" liquid extract, 8 pounds for a 5 gallon batch should is about what you're aiming form. that should give you an OG of 1.058, and depending what yeast you use and how well the fermentation goes you would end up with a beer with 5.5 - 6% alcohol. use less if you don't want a beer that strong, but i wouldn't go much higher than 8 for a first batch. and if your extract is different from "standard" brewing extract (more or less fermentables), then where your beer will end up is anyone's guess.
BTW, are you Serbian, or an expat?
Oh, definitely, down the line I intend to buy a big old sack and roast up what I need - someone else in the thread linked to a site which I have also seen on my travels, with all the instructions you need for making speciality grains. I mean, it's just a case of having an oven thermometer and keeping an eye on things. Though I understand home roasting never quite comes out like the commercially-produced stuff. I am pretty sure I will quickly move on to partial and all-grain very quickly. I just want to get the very basics right and see what my baseline flavour is. Your 8 lb/5 gallons roughly tallies with what I was thinking, but I guess I will go and tinker with one of those brewing calculators. This stuff does give percentages of maltose, dextrose, fructose etc. so that might be another way to get a rough idea.
I am both half-Serbian and Brit expat, work that one out
If that's the case you'll be alright.
I just started roasting my own malts last year using
THIS guide. He even shows how to make crystals and special b, by partially starting the conversion process and then roasting the grain with the sugars present.
This was medium amber roasted iirc 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
That guide also shows you how to make sweetmalts too, not just malts that add color.
*nod*, that's the guide I've seen too, looks all too simple really. Yes, it adds another step to the whole process, but I guess makes it that bit more "your own work". Plus I would just roast up a few kg of several different types, it's not like you have to do it every time.
Many people make SMaSH beer. Single Malt, Single Hop. Nothing wrong with a base malt only beer. It will still be beer and there is a great chance that it will still turn out very tasty, even without crystal malt or roasted malts. Just depends on what YOU like.
BrewerinBR and I made up a SMaSH IPA once with wort from Bells that they said was "only 2-row" and Chinook. Tasted great.
Sometimes simple is better.
Right, I'm sure it can be, and like I say, I want to see what my basic flavour is before I start experimenting with anything more complicated. I know of only a few other people in these parts who have tried brewing with this stuff and the verdict has been inconclusive.
Also, Do you have a source for hops and yeast?
These are as essential to make beer as grain is.
Edit: looks like I am late to the party with the roasting grain thing
The more the merrier
But I totally agree, I am going to get a 40kg sack of malt in (around $22
) and see what happens. Hmm, I just discovered that they refer to it as "Pilsener malt" - hmm, kind of not surprising as all the beers round here are basically generic European lager-type beers. I am kind of leaning towards British-type ales - another possible problem, not sure how well those Pilsener grains lend themselves to creating different speciality grains.
As for hops and yeast, ha, another good question - yes, I have plenty of yeast brought over, mostly S04, which ought to keep me going. Hops are a little tricky - there used to be great fields of them until the foreign breweries took over and started importing them. I have found hops in the form of tea, which I have already tried in a previous batch and which gave a nice bitterness though were a bit lacking in taste - can't identify them right now. Will probably get those brought over in dry form (can't beat 'em, join 'em). Brewing hops are still sold here, but only in dirty great sacks, costing the earth
Thanks for all the tips!