Custom Extract

Has anyone here made a custom brew using an extract and mixing random hops, and yeast for a custom flavor? I mean it is a brewery site some I sure everyone has lol, any advice on what to look for in hops or extracts? I'm a big fan of ambers and light ales. I will enjoy a good Ipa everything now and then tho

I brewed this extract beer and loved it:

John Bull IPA.
23L - 11/10/15 - 31/10/15
Re-pitched Gervin Yeast (Wilko) + 1tsp YN
1kg Youngs Beer Enhancer + 120g honey
25g Perle Hops + 5g Aurora - 20m boil, tea and bag added to FV
OG:1061 - FG:1009 - 7%

Williams Brewing has several LME's that are a good base for a brew. Some of them are blended with specialty grains for a particular style of beer. One of my favorites is their Nut Brown Ale. I use Willamette hops at 60 minutes to get a BU:GU ratio of 0.3, and US-05 yeast. 4.5 gallons to the fermenter using their 6 lb LME pouch.

Some of the non-blended extracts are good, too. They have one that's all pale ale malt - I use it for APA and English Special Bitter. If you look through their catalog, you'll get plenty of ideas.

Ok cool. Any specific advice on hop usage

I just brewed a three gallon extract batch using:

4lbs extra light DME
And all citra hops at various times plus some to dry hop.

The taste before bottling was good and I anticipate after bottling will be too.

Anthonie said:

I just brewed a three gallon extract batch using:

4lbs extra light DME
And all citra hops at various times plus some to dry hop.

The taste before bottling was good and I anticipate after bottling will be too.

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Keep me posted on this sounds like it'll be a good one

I used to like taking a Cooper's can & making other beers from them. Here's a couple examples from my recipes listed under my avatar;
Sunset Gold APA-
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=254376
BuckIPA-
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=288640
Buckeye Bitter-
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=569071

unionrdr said:

I used to like taking a Cooper's can & making other beers from them. Here's a couple examples from my recipes listed under my avatar;
Sunset Gold APA-
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=254376
BuckIPA-
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=288640
Buckeye Bitter-
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=569071

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How is the Bucks IPA

foley178 said:

Ok cool. Any specific advice on hop usage

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I usually keep it simple. I like Simcoe for bittering and finishing in the APA - around 0.62 BU:GU ratio. Willamette for bittering and finishing for the special bitter - around 0.66 GU:BU ratio. 1 oz of hops in a hop stand for each. Naturally, all these to be adjusted for your taste. I do my hop stand at a fairly high temp and get significant bitterness from it, but it's easier to predict the bitterness by doing it at 160 - 170F so that all the bitterness comes from the boiling hops. Or you could do the more traditional flavor and aroma hop additions late in the boil, followed by dry hopping. It's all up to you.

Ok thanks

foley178 said:

How is the Bucks IPA

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Well, with columbus, nugget & cascade, hops, it'll have familiar flavors in a more sessionable IPA. Easy to throw together for a pipeline filler.The Munton's (English) plain light DME has a flavor that reminds me of caramel biscotti. But you can change the hops around to get different flavors that way. A member named Kblandfo loved it so much he & his buddy were brewing 10 gallon batches of it! I named it BuckIPA for Ohio, the buckeye state where I live.

unionrdr said:

Well, with columbus, nugget & cascade, hops, it'll have familiar flavors in a more sessionable IPA. Easy to throw together for a pipeline filler.The Munton's (English) plain light DME has a flavor that reminds me of caramel biscotti. But you can change the hops around to get different flavors that way. A member named Kblandfo loved it so much he & his biddy were brewing 10 gallon batches of it! I named it BuckIPA for Ohio, the buckeye state where I live.

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I enjoyed this back story may try brewing 👍

I like using either golden lme or pilsen lme for my base... then i will steep 2-3 lbs of specialty grains depending what im shooting for... on your hop schedule the basic rules are the higher the alpha the higher the bittering... 60-30 min imparts bittering, 30-15 min will impart some bittering but more flavor, and 15 or less will impart just a touch of bittering and most of your nose... you have to ask what you are going for in the brew...

Liberty Pale Ale-3

Recipe specifics:

Style: American IPA
Batch size: 5.0 gal
Boil volume: 5.5 gal
OG: 1.073
FG: 1.018
Bitterness (IBU): 64.4
Color (SRM): 20.9 (actually a bit darker)
ABV: 7.2%

Grain/Sugars:
4.00 lb Light DME, 39.5%
3.00 lb Light DME, 29.6%, boil for 15 min
1.62 lb Crystal 80L, 16.0% (1 lb 10oz)
1.00 lb CaraPils, 9.9%
0.50 lb Crystal 135-165L (British), 4.9%

Hops:
1.00 oz Magnum (AA 10.0%, Whole) 60 min, 32.8 IBU (homegrown so this is an estimate)
1.00 oz Citra (AA 13.0%, Pellet) 8 min, 14.5 IBU
1.00 oz El Dorado (AA 15.3%, Pellet) 8 min, 17.1 IBU

Yeast/Misc:

Irish Moss, 1.0 unit(s), Fining , boil 10 min
Nottingham, 1.0 unit(s), Yeast

2-3 pounds of hops? That'd be a hop Zar Bomba! and in my experiences, 20 minutes down to about 8 minutes is for flavor. 3-5 minutes for aroma.

the 2-3lbs mark was for steeping grains, not hops...

I vary the amount of hops based on the AA and the IBU I am shooting for... I use BrewR on my phone for the calculations, haven't tried beersmith out yet on the puter.

I have liked starting with a light extract and adding my steeping grains for the body and color and had good success... I do full boil extracts as it gives better calculations and utilization, so when I steep i bring the full 6+ gallons to 150 and steep between 150-160 for 45-60 min before going to boil and adding the extracts, a pseudo BIAB.

Made this one with my left over odd amount of hops. Very yummy and one of favorite beers, if I could only remember what went in it.


Edit.. Found my hop list
1 oz Nugget 30 min
0.5 oz Willamette 15 min
0.5 oz Willamette 10 min
1 oz Nelson Sauvin 10 min

Every once in a while I'll throw together whatever surplus ingredients I have laying around and make a frankenbrew. In a few of them I wasn't even sure what the hop species were. They have all been surprisingly good.

robbyhicks said:

I like using either golden lme or pilsen lme for my base... {then i will steep 2-3 lbs of specialty hops} depending what im shooting for... on your hop schedule the basic rules are the higher the alpha the higher the bittering... 60-30 min imparts bittering, 30-15 min will impart some bittering but more flavor, and 15 or less will impart just a touch of bittering and most of your nose... you have to ask what you are going for in the brew...

Liberty Pale Ale-3

Recipe specifics:

Style: American IPA
Batch size: 5.0 gal
Boil volume: 5.5 gal
OG: 1.073
FG: 1.018
Bitterness (IBU): 64.4
Color (SRM): 20.9 (actually a bit darker)
ABV: 7.2%

Grain/Sugars:
4.00 lb Light DME, 39.5%
3.00 lb Light DME, 29.6%, boil for 15 min
1.62 lb Crystal 80L, 16.0% (1 lb 10oz)
1.00 lb CaraPils, 9.9%
0.50 lb Crystal 135-165L (British), 4.9%

Hops:
1.00 oz Magnum (AA 10.0%, Whole) 60 min, 32.8 IBU (homegrown so this is an estimate)
1.00 oz Citra (AA 13.0%, Pellet) 8 min, 14.5 IBU
1.00 oz El Dorado (AA 15.3%, Pellet) 8 min, 17.1 IBU

Yeast/Misc:

Irish Moss, 1.0 unit(s), Fining , boil 10 min
Nottingham, 1.0 unit(s), Yeast

Click to expand...

robbyhicks said:

the 2-3lbs mark was for steeping grains, not hops...

I vary the amount of hops based on the AA and the IBU I am shooting for... I use BrewR on my phone for the calculations, haven't tried beersmith out yet on the puter.

I have liked starting with a light extract and adding my steeping grains for the body and color and had good success... I do full boil extracts as it gives better calculations and utilization, so when I steep i bring the full 6+ gallons to 150 and steep between 150-160 for 45-60 min before going to boil and adding the extracts, a pseudo BIAB.

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The way you worded it within the brackets, you said " specialty hops"...oops. I use BS2.2, but some of the styles I brew still aren't " exactly" listed in the new BJCP download I got. My PM's are turning into " mostly mashes", with maybe 2lbs or a hair more of extract at flame out.

Got it... I swear I looked back on it on the putter and it said grain but sure as heck says hops... thanks for the catch... that ipa recipe mostly falls within the ipa category but the better brewers in the local club have said it would do better as an apa...

Yeah, that does look like an APA hop schedule at that.

unionrdr said:

The way you worded it within the brackets, you said " specialty hops"...oops.

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I fixed it to read correctly... Thanks for the catch...

foley178 said:

Has anyone here made a custom brew using an extract and mixing random hops, and yeast for a custom flavor? I mean it is a brewery site some I sure everyone has lol, any advice on what to look for in hops or extracts? I'm a big fan of ambers and light ales. I will enjoy a good Ipa everything now and then tho

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Amber and light ales are a good base to experiment with.

I usually start with about a pound of DME per gallon (or 1.25 pounds of LME) to get a session strength beer. Then about .25 oz per gallon of hops (4-6% AA) at 60 minutes and another .25 oz per gallon between 30 and 15 minutes. Pick a yeast and use the optimum temperature for it.

If you like English styles, then pick English hops like East Kent Golding or Fuggle. For more American styles, then Cascade, Amarillo, or Citra. Or try some other European hops that you add at 0 minutes or dry hop.

Or try one of the New Zealand or Japanese hops at 15, 0 or dry hop. That will be unique. It doesn't really matter what you use at 60 minutes to bitter.

If you're experimenting with hops, try American Ale yeast to keep it a little plain. If you're experimenting with yeast, then don't add any hops after 15 minutes - you'll get more yeast aroma.

Ericbw,

What are some examples of Japanese hops. I'm flying to Japan soon maybe I could craft some Japanese style beer before getting there.

Also does anyone know how to tell what grains go good together for a partial mash brew. Is there a grain substitute for extra light DME? I've been told 2 row malt but I don't know if there is different kinds of 2 row malt or what the deal is. I'm a bit lost.

Thanks in advance.

you can combine a lot of different grains for a partial mash. Virtually any style of beer can be brewed as a PM. As for the extra light DME, 2-row with some pilsner malt imo.

Anthonie said:

Ericbw,

What are some examples of Japanese hops. I'm flying to Japan soon maybe I could craft some Japanese style beer before getting there.

Also does anyone know how to tell what grains go good together for a partial mash brew. Is there a grain substitute for extra light DME? I've been told 2 row malt but I don't know if there is different kinds of 2 row malt or what the deal is. I'm a bit lost.

Thanks in advance.

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I guess the only one I know of is Sorachi Ace. I was thinking Pacific Jade was Japanese, but it's from New Zealand. I don't know that Sorachi Ace is really "Japanese" in terms of beer style. Brooklyn makes a Sorachi Ace saison that is very un-saison and very good.



Extra light DME is probably either American 2-row or a mix of 2-row and pilsen. Briess Golden Light has some carapils in it. So if you add to it or swap some out for a partial mash, you should try to match what is in the extract.

Example: If I had a recipe that used extra light DME as the base, and it was a light beer, then I would probably use pilsen OR 2-row if I were using grain. If it was anything other than a light colored beer, I would be ok with using 2-row. (And 2-row is usually what is meant by "base malt" unless it is otherwise specified.)

When you do a partial mash, you're going to use some "base malt" to add sugar AND to get enzymes that will convert starch to sugar. You'll also use some "character grain" that will add flavor, color, and body and may or may not need to convert.

I have to be honest, other than the fact that you can make larger batches for a little less money, I don't really see the value in partial mash brewing. I think extract with steeping grains is a good way to make beer, and I think that all grain is a good way. But the effort of mashing part of it and still using extract just seems like you're getting the worst of both worlds.

My suggestion would be to take an extract (extra light or golden light) and then use some steeping grains. It is VERY similar to mashing, but not as exact.

Base + specialty/character grain + hops + yeast = your own beer recipe

I think of it like there are categories like this:

Crystal/caramel
toasted (like chocolate)
dark roasted (like roasted barley or black patent)
biscuit

If you pick one from each category, you'd be ok. As you get to understand it better, you can vary the ratios or pick 1, 2, or 3 of them. But I think about 2-4 oz of any of them per gallon of beer is about normal. Ish? Does that make sense?

there are styles & characters you can get with PM that you can't with extract. I've gotten so far into it that mine have become mostly mashes with as much as 8.5lbs of grains & about 2lbs of extract. PM uses the same grains as AG, just not as much. so a lot more possibilities exist in PM vs steeping.

Ericbw: I see what your saying and agree with you. I mostly would like to do a partial mash so I can try out the mashing technique and because I have a mixture of grains and extract laying around my apartment.

However, the grains I have are a cluster of carapils, Crystal and Carafoam, all mixed together, so I'm not sure what I can make with that. I also have some extra light DME laying around. Any suggestions?

I would shoot for a basic amber... just light on the hops... maybe shoot for about 20-30 ibu... if youve got a recipe calculator you can adjust batch size what youve got or do a 5gal batch and add to what youve got... carapils and carafoam arent going to impart much flavor or body the crystal will give some caramel color and flavor...

Thanks for the suggestion. But what is the purpose of carapils and carafoam? It's seems like the two aren't very useful.

Also I have a 3 gallon batch so I planned to use the amount of grains necessary to replace the original amount of DME I was using by converting the extract to grain.

Carapils & carafoam are for body & head retention. You won't need but about 1/2lb of those.

unionrdr said:

there are styles & characters you can get with PM that you can't with extract. I've gotten so far into it that mine have become mostly mashes with as much as 8.5lbs of grains & about 2lbs of extract. PM uses the same grains as AG, just not as much. so a lot more possibilities exist in PM vs steeping.

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I would call that all grain they you're tweaking with extract. Just like if you made a dubbel that was grain and candi sugar. You'd call that "all grain."

I think what you do is pretty close to AG. You could easily do smaller batches and leave out the extract.

Anthonie, how much of your grain mix do you have laying around and how much of your light dme? What options do you have for hops that need used up?

Anthonie said:

Thanks for the suggestion. But what is the purpose of carapils and carafoam? It's seems like the two aren't very useful.

Also I have a 3 gallon batch so I planned to use the amount of grains necessary to replace the original amount of DME I was using by converting the extract to grain.

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If you're using Munton's extra light (?) then I would use whatever 2-row is available to you. I use Briess because it's cheap and available. That's probably close to their extra light.

How much DME is in the recipe you have? Basically, a pound of DME per gallon gives you 1.045 original gravity. Assuming 70% efficiency with grain, you get about 1.025 original gravity with a pound of grain and a gallon of water.

You need 1.8 pounds of grain to get the same gravity as a pound of DME. PER GALLON.

I would either skip the random mix of grains altogether, OR add about 3-4 oz per gallon (9-12 oz total) to your mash. If you're just experimenting, ok, but it doesn't really teach you anything, because you'll never have that mix of grain again (because it is pretty much unknown what the ratios are and what kind of crystal).

ericbw said:

I would call that all grain they you're tweaking with extract. Just like if you made a dubbel that was grain and candi sugar. You'd call that "all grain."

I think what you do is pretty close to AG. You could easily do smaller batches and leave out the extract.

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It's not exactly the same as adding candi sugar. I just raised the PM amount in order to cut the more expensive extract amount. Close to AG, but still PM if any amount of extract is used. AG can & is tweaked with extract to get the OG sometimes. I'm using the extract as part of the recipe/flavor/color profile.

unionrdr said:

It's not exactly the same as adding candi sugar. I just raised the PM amount in order to cut the more expensive extract amount. Close to AG, but still PM if any amount of extract is used. AG can & is tweaked with extract to get the OG sometimes. I'm using the extract as part of the recipe/flavor/color profile.

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I think the line of differentiation should be if your fermentables are more than 50% extract, then it is a partial mash. Anything else is just augmenting a grain batch. And the things you're doing are more complicated in some ways than what some all grain brewers do.

Especially with rare or extinct beers. Trying to match the flavors & colors of them with modern grains is interesting, to say the least. But over-all, not all that complicated. Mash, sparge, boil, hop additions, cool, ferment.

Anyone have a relative easy / cheap IPA recipe with extract?

Look in the recipe section under IPA. And remember that any recipe can be converted to extract.

If there's a specific beer you like, there might even be a clone recipe in that section.

foley178 said:

Keep me posted on this sounds like it'll be a good one

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My hop schedule:

.6oz citra full boil (60min)
.6oz citra 30 min
.6oz citra 15 min
.6oz citra 10 min
.6oz citra 5 min
1.2 oz citra dry hop 7 days

This is very hoppy which I like. Next time I may take out the 30 minute, leave the 60, and reduce the rest of the times to 10,5, and 0. I do believe the dry hop is key to this beer. Also on second thought of you want to get into a partial mash carafoam or Crystal may level out the bitterness of it is added in with the extra light DME. Just some thoughts.