ctalbot
Active Member
I apologize if this belongs in the beginner's forum, but since it's directly related to extract brewing (even if it's beginner questions ), I thought I should post it in here.
I started brewing this summer with basic extract kits -- the 1.9kg liquid extracts from Coopers and the like that come with a yeast packet. Add water and sugar, and done. That kind of stuff. The first was a stout, which is just about gone now. The second was a blonde beer, which has spent a week conditioning in bottles. I opened one last night, and the flavours are weak.
Up until now, I've just been using the can of extract, water and dextrose (boiled together for an hour) and then the yeast. I want to move on to extract-based recipes so I can hopefully start making better homebrews.
I've been thinking of starting by taking a kit (my next is a Canadian red ale) and adjusting it with malt extract syrup (for the red, I'm looking at amber malt extract syrup) and trying to increase the taste and bitterness with hop pellets. Basically, I want a maltier and hoppier taste.
Does it make sense to do this as a step between the kits and extract recipes? If so, what's the general rule of thumb for how much of the syrup I should add to the boil?
Chris
I started brewing this summer with basic extract kits -- the 1.9kg liquid extracts from Coopers and the like that come with a yeast packet. Add water and sugar, and done. That kind of stuff. The first was a stout, which is just about gone now. The second was a blonde beer, which has spent a week conditioning in bottles. I opened one last night, and the flavours are weak.
Up until now, I've just been using the can of extract, water and dextrose (boiled together for an hour) and then the yeast. I want to move on to extract-based recipes so I can hopefully start making better homebrews.
I've been thinking of starting by taking a kit (my next is a Canadian red ale) and adjusting it with malt extract syrup (for the red, I'm looking at amber malt extract syrup) and trying to increase the taste and bitterness with hop pellets. Basically, I want a maltier and hoppier taste.
Does it make sense to do this as a step between the kits and extract recipes? If so, what's the general rule of thumb for how much of the syrup I should add to the boil?
Chris