Experimenting with an extract Pale Ale kit...

Hey guys. Just my second thread ever!

Anyways, I started out like a lot of people, with a Mr. Beer Kit. I still have 2 extract kits from them left over from my early buying binge, and one of them I've decided to try some experimenting with.

This is for a 2.5g batch.

Current ingredients:
1 can West Coast Pale Ale HME
1 can tart cherries
dry yeast packet that comes with can

Now, that might make a decent beginners pale ale, but I have some other ingredients that I think would make it more interesting. Here are the other ingredients I'm thinking about adding:

1oz Amarillo hops, pelleted (thinking boil half for initial fermentation, dry hop the other half?)
1lb Plain Light Extract (Munton's DME)
1lb Plain Amber Extract (Munton's DME)
1lb Plain Wheat Extract (Munton's DME)

So my question is, besides the hops, do you think I should use any or all of the DME's? If so, do I need to boil them along with the hops, or do I boil the hops, then add both the canned and dry extract at flame off, before adding to the fermenter?

For the hops, how long of a boil would you recommend? I'm not looking for much, if any, added bitterness, mostly some added aroma and flavor. I was thinking a 10-15 minute boil, tops.

Lastly, when should I add the cherries? Should I add them to the wort when it first goes into the fermenter, on top of the wort in the primary after a couple weeks, or should I rack onto the cherries and dry hop in a secondary fermenter after 2,3, or 4 weeks on primary?

Sorry for so many questions, but I'd like to have the best chances of making a decent beer with experimentation. Oh, yeah, I will be fermenting this in a 3g ported better bottle, and I have a second 3g ported better bottle for secondary ferm if I need it.

thanks!
Conner

Anybody? I know its a crappy Mr. Beer can of extract, but does this at least look like it could improve it into a better beer, or am I wasting ingredients?

Add the Extract half at the beginning half at the 30 minute mark OR later. This will help retain the color of your beer. The cherries go in the secondary and should probably be boiled with water and added in some kind of bag to contain the sediment. Just an FYI most of what your asking can be found using the search feature above.

I don't know about dry hopping a fruit beer, or even adding too much hops to the boil -- seems like you might have some conflicting aromas/flavors. Maybe check out the IBUs of fruit beers you like vs. the hopped extract you've got?

ong said:

I don't know about dry hopping a fruit beer, or even adding too much hops to the boil -- seems like you might have some conflicting aromas/flavors. Maybe check out the IBUs of fruit beers you like vs. the hopped extract you've got?

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Well, I've been thinking that I want to do the cherries in a secondary fermenter, and not leave the beer on them very long. I want to add cherry flavor, but not overwhelm the pale ale with it.

As far as the hops go, I have 1 oz of hops, but I don't need to use it all. I know that the few Mr. Beer HME's that I've used, there really isn't much hoppiness to them at all, so I want to add a little bit just to bring it out in the finished product more.

Alright, looks like I'm gonna scrub the cherry and extra hops out of the pale ale and save them for a future wheat beer.

I'm thinking I might add the pound of Plain Light DME along with the can of HME though, to give it more abv. and body. Sound ok?

unionrdr said:

How big is the can? And 1oz of Amarillo isn't too bad for 2.5G. Just boil it no more than 15-20 minutes for flavor. The amount of DME used will depend on how big the can is & how strong you want the ale to be. And whether the can is pre-hopped or not.

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The can of Pale Ale extract is a 20 oz can. The fruit is a 14.5 oz can of pasteurized/extract/whatever.

The can of Pale Ale IS pre-hopped. I don't know how strong the flavor is because I've never made it before. I'm just wanting to add the DME because, otherwise, I have to add either Mr. Beer Booster, or plain sugar to up the abv. Why do that when I can add a lb of DME to add both abv AND more body/flavor?

I was essentially thinking I would add 1lb of the DME. I just wasn't sure which one I should add, although the plain light seemed like the most obvious choice for a Pale Ale.

Yeah, I guess I was saying I'd do either the hops or the fruit. I imagine either would be very nice on its own. Does the kit list the expected IBUs?

Expected IBU's from JUST the can of pale ale HME is supposed to be 22, I think. With a 2.3%abv and SRM of 3.

I don't like really really bitter beer, but honestly, I'm just now starting to figure out the whole IBU think, and which beers are higher and lower. I want to try the pale out to see if I like it.

The first batch I did combined the Bewitched Red Ale (IBU 12) HME, and the Mellow amber UME (IBU 84???). It wasn't overly bitter to my taste, had very nice flavors.

I think I'm going to order a wheat kit, and do a cherry wheat with the cherries. I'll probably do the PA with just the normal kit and some DME (probably the Plain Light), or possibly add some of the hops, maybe just a half ounce dry hopped, or right at flame out.

unionrdr said:

Boil the water,add the DME & then add the hops for 15 minutes. See how that tastes to you. Then you can better judge from there. Experience is a good teacher...

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I think that's what I'm going to do. I will boil EITHER the 1lb of Plain light, or 1lb plain light and 1lb amber DME for 15 minutes, with 0.5oz of Amarillo. Then turn heat off, add the can of pale ale, stir well, chill, and dump in fermenter. Then, after 2 weeks, I will add the remaining 0.5oz of Amarillo to the fermenter, and let go 2 more weeks. Then bottle.

Sound good?