Portion of extract to reduce caramelizing?

Is there a technique of adding only a portion of your extract in the begining of the boil then adding the rest towards the end to help reduce caramelizing.

The primary thing I know to reduce caramelizing is to ensure you don't have the pot on the burner when you add your extract, and then be sure to mix thoroughly before adding back to the burner. If you add it on the burner, the denser extract will sink to the bottom and scorch, darkening your beer, and possibly giving a caramelized/burnt off taste.

I also tried adding part of my extract after my boil in my most recent brew. I did this more to ensure better hops utilization, but it's also good to keep beer lighter. I will say, if you're using DME, ensure it boils, so it goes through a hot break. I used part DME and part LME, boiling the DME for my hop boil, and adding the LME just after flame out and letting it heat up to sterilize it before chilling the wort.

yes, it's called late extract addition.

So Can you do late extract additions with any beer? Is it to reduce the chance of caramelized taste? If so how do I go about doing this technique on my next extract batch?

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homebrewed505 said:

So Can you do late extract additions with any beer? Is it to reduce the chance of caramelized taste? If so how do I go about doing this technique on my next extract batch?

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I like to put at least 1/2 of the extract in at the end of the boil. I've done it at flame out, but many people will add it at 15 minutes left in the boil to make sure it's boiled a bit. I've found that flame out is more than hot enough to pasteurize/sanitize it.

So yooper your saying I can steep my grains, then bring to a boil add half of my LME, and add my hops all at the correct times. then the last thing I would do is add the second half of my LME. What about corn sugar my kit comes with two bags of LME and one bag of corn sugar when would I add the corn sugar? just follow the recipe?

I have two 3.3 bags of LME and one 1lb bag of corn sugar. its not for priming because I also have that bag. I will not be using since I dont bottle. I have been reading if i do a late addition will it affect the hops utilization. like the hop tase? will it be more hoppy?

homebrewed505 said:

I have two 3.3 bags of LME and one 1lb bag of corn sugar. its not for priming because I also have that bag. I will not be using since I dont bottle. I have been reading if i do a late addition will it affect the hops utilization. like the hop tase? will it be more hoppy?

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Generally, it may be a bit more bitter (not hoppy, though), but there is some debate about that and whether to reduce the hops or not. In my experience, for a low IBU beer like a cream ale, reducing the bittering hops only by about 15% or so works well. But for most "regular" beers, you don't have to reduce the bittering hops.

If you post your recipe, we could be more specific!

Im at work but so not 100% on the recipe but here goes. Its a India brown ale (hybrid between ipa and brown ale) I got it from American Brewmasters. It has 6.6 lbs of LME light munich malt i think. then a 1 lb bag of munich malt grain. then another bag of specialty grains not to sure. 1 lb bag of corn sugar. and 1 oz of bittering hops, 1 oz of flavor and 1 oz for aroma. I think I got it all. and it came with two packs of dry yeast and it called for both to be pitched at the same time

homebrewed505 said:

Im at work but so not 100% on the recipe but here goes. Its a India brown ale (hybrid between ipa and brown ale) I got it from American Brewmasters. It has 6.6 lbs of LME light munich malt i think. then a 1 lb bag of munich malt grain. then another bag of specialty grains not to sure. 1 lb bag of corn sugar. and 1 oz of bittering hops, 1 oz of flavor and 1 oz for aroma. I think I got it all. and it came with two packs of dry yeast and it called for both to be pitched at the same time

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Ok, that's a nice hoppy "biggish" beer. I'd mash the munich and other grains, then bring it up to the boil volume and start to boil. I'd add a couple of pounds of the LME and then add the sugar and the rest of the LME near the end of the boil. The boil may stop for a bit, and that's ok, but you may want to add the LME and sugar before the flavor hops, bring it back to a boil then add the flavor hops and proceed.

Update to the recipe

3.3 lb light malt extract
3.3 lb light malt extract
1 lb light munich malt
steeping grains
6 oz chocolate malt
6 0z crystal 120
1 lb of corn sugar
1 oz magnum bittering
1 oz centennial flavor
1 oz centennial aroma

Irish mosh

two packets or dry yeast.

Hope this helps you guys help me.

ok so mash grains bring to a boil and one bag of LME and bittering hops. then before I add flavor hops add the sugar and remaining LME. then add my aroma hops. Is this sound alright i just want to confirm before i do something wrong. I got a 5oz pack of priiming sugar can i add that with the corn sugar to increase abv a bit?

homebrewed505 said:

ok so mash grains bring to a boil and one bag of LME and bittering hops. then before I add flavor hops add the sugar and remaining LME. then add my aroma hops. Is this sound alright i just want to confirm before i do something wrong. I got a 5oz pack of priiming sugar can i add that with the corn sugar to increase abv a bit?

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Well, mash the grains, remove them, and then bring to a boil. You probably have that understood, but I didn't want to confuse anybody reading this.

You can add the 5 ounces of priming sugar if you want. I probably wouldn't in this batch, since you're already adding a pound of sugar to the beer.

ok so no extra sugar got it. And I am going on vacation in a few days so you think leaving it in primary for three weeks will be good then when i get back ill transfer to secondary and cold crash for a week then keg. sound good

homebrewed505 said:

ok so no extra sugar got it. And I am going on vacation in a few days so you think leaving it in primary for three weeks will be good then when i get back ill transfer to secondary and cold crash for a week then keg. sound good

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Yes, that sounds great!

yooper thanks agian for the great advice

yooper another question when i add my hop additions should i use hop bags? and if i do when i transfer to my primary can I put the hops bags in the primary so the hops stay in the with beer or do i pull them and leave them out?

homebrewed505 said:

yooper another question when i add my hop additions should i use hop bags? and if i do when i transfer to my primary can I put the hops bags in the primary so the hops stay in the with beer or do i pull them and leave them out?

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I don't use hops bags, but you can if you want. If you use them, take them out before you put the beer in the fermenter. You can also strain (like with a big sanitized strainer) if you'd rather. For me, I just throw the wort into the fermenter and let the hops debris settle with the rest of the trub after fermentation is over. It's a matter of personal preference- I usually choose the easy way.

If you choose to use bags, make sure that the hops are very loose in the bag, using more bags if you have to rather than packing the hops in the bag tightly. The hops need to be in contact with the boiling wort. A tightly packed hops bag will reduce hops utilization.

ok so if you dont use bags and dont strain the hops. why couldnt I put the hop bags in the primary isnt it the same thing? I just dont want to loose any flavor. Ill probably not use bags or strain

homebrewed505 said:

ok so if you dont use bags and dont strain the hops. why couldnt I put the hop bags in the primary isnt it the same thing? I just dont want to loose any flavor. Ill probably not use bags or strain

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Well, if people use bags the reason they do it is to avoid putting the hops debris into the fermenter. No reason at all to go to the trouble of using a bag to prevent spent hops going into the fermenter, and then putting the bags in there anyway!

But they would be in bags not just in suspension? Ill take your advise ill prob just not use bags or strain cause I want the hops is the primary

homebrewed505 said:

So if you dont use bags and dont strain what is different if i used bags and added them to primary. wouldnt it be the same thing?

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Well, possibly. But I don't strain (unless there are a ton of leaf hops that may clog a siphon later) and the hops debris then falls to the bottom with the trub and the beer can be racked of of it. I'm not in the camp that you can extract vegetal flavors with hops debris in the trub, but I wouldn't do that for a lager where you want the "cleanest" product out you can make.

Let me phrase it this way, then- what would be the advantage of using hops bags, and then tossing them into the primary anyway? I guess I'm trying to understand why that would even be something someone would consider doing as there would be absolutely no benefit.

You don't really want the hops in primary. It's just that it probably won't cause any problems if they are in there. I'm not going to spaz about hops debris in the fermenter, when it will settle out with the trub. But I"m also not one of those who preach to leave the beer in the fermenter for a month. I'm pretty relaxed and easy going. My beers are usually in the fermenter for two-three weeks or so. Usually two weeks, but I don't sweat it if it goes a bit longer.

I was just thinking if i pulled them out before primary maybe i would lose some flavor from the hops and if i put them in the primary at they will be in bags and i can pull them out when i go to secondary I guess the same thing as them settling in the trub. but your right it doesnt make any sense to put them in bags if your just gonna put it in the primary.

homebrewed505 said:

I was just thinking if i pulled them out before primary maybe i would lose some flavor from the hops and if i put them in the primary at they will be in bags and i can pull them out when i go to secondary I guess the same thing as them settling in the trub. but your right it doesnt make any sense to put them in bags if your just gonna put it in the primary.

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Once the hops are boiled, they don't "do" anything for you anymore, and in fact have been accused of giving off vegetal flavors if left in primary. Most of my beers are hoppy ales, so even if there was a slight off-flavor from them, I wouldn't notice! But for a lager or even a cream ale, I would strain the wort or let it settle and rack off of it.

Hot break is said to cause some off-flavor as well, but I've never really strained it out or had any issues with the break material (and the hops) going into the fermenter. Like I said, it's not that it should be in there. It's just that it probably won't hurt if it is!

Yooper said:

Once the hops are boiled, they don't "do" anything for you anymore, and in fact have been accused of giving off vegetal flavors if left in primary. Most of my beers are hoppy ales, so even if there was a slight off-flavor from them, I wouldn't notice! But for a lager or even a cream ale, I would strain the wort or let it settle and rack off of it.

Hot break is said to cause some off-flavor as well, but I've never really strained it out or had any issues with the break material (and the hops) going into the fermenter. Like I said, it's not that it should be in there. It's just that it probably won't hurt if it is!

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Ok thanks yooper I brewed it today put the hops in bags. Wort is in primary. Estimated gravity was 1.073 I only got1.060? Oh well