maxx233
Member
I know this has been addressed before, but I can't seem to figure out (confidently) the questions I have. This will be my first time brewing and I've decided to jump ahead to full boil and then try to go AG soon. I have an 8 gallon brewpot, chiller, etc and my extract kit is a True Brew Bavarian Hefeweizen. It has two cans of malt extract, and two 1oz packets of hops pellets (3%au) - the recipe targets 5 bitterness units and calls for me to add 1oz of hops for a 30 minute boil, and the second oz of hops for another 15 minute boil.
I know I need to reduce the hops used in the recipe because of better utilization, but here are my questions:
I know I need to reduce the hops used in the recipe because of better utilization, but here are my questions:
- If I'm calculating in BeerSmith correctly, a single 5 gallon boil for 50 minutes with only .5oz hops will give me the 5 bitterness that the original recipe calls for. Am I doing that right?!?
- Alternatively if I use .5oz hops for 20 minutes, and then add .5oz hops for another 10 minutes it still gets me 5 bitterness units, but at two different stages in time as the recipe calls for. What's the advantage of doing it this way, other than saving 20 minutes and not being able to save the extra .5oz hops?
- What about the malt extract... Do I still need to put one can in at the beginning, and the second can in later as the recipe calls for, just adjusted for a shorter boil? Or can I do it all at once? Again - why or why not?
- Do I need to use less of the extract as well? I gather the rules don't bend as they do with hops - or do they?