Beginner understanding of brew recipes

Hey everyone.

So i'm pretty new to this. Got a brew kit for christmas, and my first batch should be ready for bottling this saturday. I'm already hooked and want to move onto other recipes!

My problem is I'm not sure if I follow the standard recipe sheets well enough.

http://www.beersmith.com/Recipes2/recipe_227.htm

so following this, besides the more advanced stuff like adjuncts and the moss, I'm looking at putting the grain, both kinds of extracts in to boil for 45 mins, as well as the hops???

Is there any problem with all of them having to go in at the same time? Like the dme wont gunk up the grain bag and stop it from steeping properly?

Should I sparge, or "teabag" the grain as well?

How would i find out how much water to use?

I'm not saying im going to be making this particular recipe, but it looked like something I could understand at least a bit. Guess i'm just a bit overwhelmed on the order of things.

Any help would be appreciated

You don't want to boil the grain.

extract with specialty grain brewing is pretty easy. bag the grain and soak it in 150*F to 160*F water for about 45 minutes. Remove the bag and rinse it with some more water into the pot. Then discard the grain, heat the water to a boil and then add the extract.

Thanks!

The hops would go in with the extract then as well? I think the confusion with the grain came with my being canadian. 150f? I couldn't even guess how hot that is, but apparently it's under 100C. So it's like making grain tea, and adding the extract as a fermentable?

If it actually works out to be as easy as I'm imagining this may be my next step. I do hope to move to all-grain at some point, but for now this will work.

I should have finished that thought.

Once the extract is added, wait for the big foam-up of the wort to come and go (the "hot break").

This is when you start timing the boil and adding hops.

The amount of water used for this kind of brewing is not super critical. You can use a full 5 gallons of water or much less. When I did my first batches, I boiled only about 2.5 gallons of wort.

Then I dumped it into the fermenter and added clean cold water to bring it up to 5 gallons.

KFBass said:

150f? I couldn't even guess how hot that is, but apparently it's under 100C.

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150-160*F == 65-70*C.

KFBass said:

So it's like making grain tea, and adding the extract as a fermentable?

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Yup.

Hey there, welcome to the best hobby ever! I recommend you start reading this website (its like an e-book) from beginning to end before you even start that batch.

http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

This is honestly the best thing to read to start, as it goes through everything. Some of the scientific parts you will not retain immediately, but it does talk about kit brewing etc....

This helped me IMMENSLEY when I first started.

Thanks. I've been checking that out, in google results mostly. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself sometimes, thinking big like we all do I imagine.

This forum was a godsend though. Big up to all you guys! There arn't as many homebrewing stores in Ontario, at least my part of Ontario. Mostly wine places, not as much beer. Unless there is an awesome seedy underbelly I'm frequently missing.

Lol, well goog results is how I started too. This site is AMAZING. And the primary reason for the is the community, its pretty much the only forum I have been on that isn't one big flame session. It inspires even me, who can be admittedly sarcastic, to offer unjudging advise and information exchanges

There is something about making beer that brings folks together in harmony...

Anyway, I too definately got ahead of myself as well. That site will help a huge amount. Do you plan to try All Grain first, or Partial Mash? Or even Extract?

KFBass said:

There arn't as many homebrewing stores in Ontario, at least my part of Ontario. Mostly wine places, not as much beer. Unless there is an awesome seedy underbelly I'm frequently missing.

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I'm just getting started as well, but in Hamilton there's Brew Time on Upper James just south of Rymal. I'm letting them brew a batch for me right now, and they have the basic equipment and supplies.

Brewing isn't rocket science, but you do need basics. Read that on-line book by Palmer and start brewing some of the best beer you will ever taste.
Well do you get Beaus that far south? Only the best craft brewer in Ontario.

BTW welcome to all the newcommer Canadians.

krkelly said:

I'm just getting started as well, but in Hamilton there's Brew Time on Upper James just south of Rymal. I'm letting them brew a batch for me right now, and they have the basic equipment and supplies.

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I will have to check them out for some supplies! Thanks!

Welcome indeed! I wanted to add another suggestion, a book that's available through Amazon.ca: Homebrewing For Dummies. I've been brewing since last April, and I've read all of the introductory books that are usually suggested (John Palmer's "How to Brew", Charlie Papazian's "Complete Joy of Homebrewing", and even "The Alaskan Bootlegger's Bible"). I just read the Homebrewing For Dummies book, and found it to be very good at presenting an overview of the process and still giving you enough depth to not overwhelm.

I havn't ever seen Beaus, but I'm a newcommer when it comes to really exploring craft beers. I knew a while ago that the mass produced crap wasn't for me, but as far as looking into the local stuff it's slowly coming around.

KrKelly where you from? I'd love to get together and swap some recipes/techiniques.

as far as homebrewing for dummies goes, I actually work PT in a chapters/indigo. I've been reading that on my breaks. As well there is an interesting book called "Extreme Craft Brewing" that i found super helpful.