Sparging with DME

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Dirty_Dylan

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Meowland
Hello,
I am trying to make my first homebrew this weekend. I could only get hold of DME and was just wondering do you need to sparge with extract or do you only do this step with grains?

Dylan
 
Maybe you mean steeping bag? I used to steep a bit of grain when I brewed with extracts...but definitely no "sparging" bag needed.

Are you brewing with a kit? Did it include a small amount of crushed grain?
 
You won't need one today, no. But if you're headed to the LHBS you may as well pick a couple up, they're cheap and you never know when you'll forget one later on...
 
It is not from a kit. I bought all the equipment seperately and am trying to brew a beer that calls for actual grains, however I could not get my hands on any. The local homebrew shop only had malt extract I would like to brew with actual grains, but I will try with the extract fo now until I can find some :).
 
What? Your lhbs doesn't carry any grains?

it's called "Going out of business this week Brewing".

OP, as far as strainer bags, go to home depot or Lowe's and get paint strainer bags and boil them for 5 minutes before using. works the same, but $2.99 for 2 instead of $4-5 for 1 for the 5 gallon.
 
It is not from a kit. I bought all the equipment seperately and am trying to brew a beer that calls for actual grains, however I could not get my hands on any. The local homebrew shop only had malt extract I would like to brew with actual grains, but I will try with the extract fo now until I can find some :).

What kind of homebrew store does not have grains?

Not trying to be a smart-ass. But it is a legitimate question. Me recomendation is to either find a different homebrew shop or use one of the many on-line shops.

Steeping grains are not necessary for making homebrew but they sure make it a hell of a lot better to drink.
 
What equipment did they sell you to make an all DME beer ?
Did they give you any idea on how to use what you purchased?
Did they sell you yeast and priming sugar?
How much DME and what kind did you buy?

bosco
 
You will some more equipment to brew all grain beer. It's not horribly complicate but it does take more steps. Mash Tun, Hot Liquor tank and few other things. Do some research on here and you will figure it out.
 
No sense in confusing the issue with all-grain discussion.
The important thing to figure out is what recipe the OP is attempting to follow, and what ingredients he has on hand.
A very basic extract recipe would consist of malt extract, hops, and yeast.
How much and what type of each depends on what you're trying to accomplish.
 
Hey, thanks for all your posts. I don't live in a very big city so we only have the one homebrew shop. They pretty much only sell the pre-made homebrew where you just add sugar and yeast and your done. I think I will have to buy things on line from now on. They did not really give me any Idea on what to do but I did do some research online before I went in there so I think I have a fairly good idea about what I'm doing. I have a fermenting keg and a big electric boiler. I have yeast, hops, fermenting sugar and spray dry wheat.
 
Do NOT attempt to brew this by yourself. People could be seriously injured. Contact your local brew club and someone there will be happy to walk you through it.
 
Do NOT attempt to brew this by yourself. People could be seriously injured. Contact your local brew club and someone there will be happy to walk you through it.

What? I don't think he said he's going to be boiling gasoline... OP, if you haven't read any books I'd suggest "How to Brew" by Palmer, or "The Joy of Homebrewing" by Papazian. I learned a ton from those when I was starting.
 
How about listing the following:

What kind of DME do you have ?
How much of it do you have ?
What hops do you have and how much of it ?
Do you have water that is good enough to brew with ?
What kind of yeast do you have ? (dry-liquid) How much ?

With that information maybe someone will be able to give you a plan to follow, some better information on how you could make your beer and how you should go about bottling it when it is ready.

bosco
 
Frodo said:
What? I don't think he said he's going to be boiling gasoline... OP, if you haven't read any books I'd suggest "How to Brew" by Palmer, or "The Joy of Homebrewing" by Papazian. I learned a ton from those when I was starting.

Spray Dry Wheat is highly combustible and deadly if not prepared properly!
 
bleme said:
Spray Dry Wheat is highly combustible and deadly if not prepared properly!

So is powdered creamer.. But you don't see people running and hiding from it.
 
DME, like many fine powders that are high in sugars and carbs are safe, but if you get a puff of any of them near an open flame or a spark you can run into a mess.

Best advice to the OP or anyone not familiar with the Idiosyncrasies of DME (affinity for moisture - tendency to clump-etc ) is to add it with the flame off until you get used to managing the stuff.

Think.. Three gallons of boiling wort, flame going full blast, in one hand is a half a bag of DME that has grabbed the steam and is clumping up inside and outside the bag, the other hand is trying to get the clumps that are rolling around in the wort to break up with a spoon. Turkey fryers are safe as long as you know what you're doing, 5 gallons of boiling wort on a stovetop is safe as long as you know what you'r doing--anything is possible.

Murphy's Law..

OMO

bosco
 
So "Dylan" claims he has been researching for a while but: he created an account just to start this thread, misuses every term in the book, hails from Meowland WAS, shops at a LHBS that doesn't carry grain or give basic instructions, won't answer any of your questions regarding what exactly he has or what he is trying to brew.

I think it is pretty obvious he is playing you guys for fools. I don't buy his story at all, thus my 'alarmist' remarks.
 
I've been to Meowland, man they do NOT like dogs there! Cool place otherwise. Woof.
 
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