What is the Late Extract Method?

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chase

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I've heard this technique mentioned a few times but I don't know what it is.
 
I believe that is where you add your extract in the last fifteen minutes of the boil to minimize carmelization that darkens your beer. You have to be careful with your bittering hops additions because the lower gravity will extract more alpha acids from the hops and increase your bitterness.
 
Fingers said:
I believe that is where you add your extract in the last fifteen minutes of the boil to minimize carmelization that darkens your beer. You have to be careful with your bittering hops additions because the lower gravity will extract more alpha acids from the hops and increase your bitterness.
I'm sure you're right about the carmelization, but from what I've seen, the main purpose is to lower the boil gravity when you're only doing a partial boil, that way you get more IBUs out of your hops.
 
It will keep the color of your brew lighter. However you need to add some extract at the beginning of the boil in order to get better hop utilization.
 
Put in about half of your extract as you normally would, then put in the remainder with about 15 minutes to go.
 
use the forums search feature. these questions have been covered numerous times in the past.
 
homebrewer_99 said:
I only use 1 lb of malt in 1.5 gals of water...fewer hops...add the remaining malt during the last 15 mins which is usually not boiled, but steeped.

So let me get this straight. When you add the rest of the malt with 15m left, you don't restart the boil? You just let it steep?
 
chase said:
So let me get this straight. When you add the rest of the malt with 15m left, you don't restart the boil? You just let it steep?


take the kettle off direct flame to prevent scortching
slowly add remaining malt until fully incorporated
place kettle back on flame
knock out @ 60 minutes
 
I put mine back on the burner and let it return to a boil, however the clock keeps ticking. It usually only gets back to a boil for about 5-10mins of the remaining time.
 
Interesting. Why not bring it back to a boil, and then boil for the remaining 15 minutes?
 
You are going to darken the beer doing that.
Also a chance of scotching and caramelising.

The things you are trying to avoid.

You can also drive of the hop aroma.
 
chase said:
So let me get this straight. When you add the rest of the malt with 15m left, you don't restart the boil? You just let it steep?

I found that I could never get it back to a boil on my stove, and that affected the flavor from my late hop additions. I also learned that the extract doesn't need to be boiled, just pastuerized. So now I add the rest of the malt at flameout and let it steep for 10 - 15 minutes before I start cooling it.
 
It seems that there is no standard technique for this, so I will play around with it and see what works for me. Thanks for the tips.
 
IowaStateFan said:
I found that I could never get it back to a boil on my stove, and that affected the flavor from my late hop additions. I also learned that the extract doesn't need to be boiled, just pastuerized. So now I add the rest of the malt at flameout and let it steep for 10 - 15 minutes before I start cooling it.

Yup..you're basically just making sure that it's good and pasteurized. When I did late additions I just tossed the remaining DME in during the last 5 and returned the pot to the burner....this was the last time, no scortching or color issue: (slightly lighter in person w/o the flash)
Nutbrown005.jpg
 
Ooh. What's that brewt00l?

Whatever it is, it is light. I've never had an extract brew come out that light. Even a kolsch. Guess that means I'm doing late additions from now on.
 
One more question: what about specialty grains? Do you still do those before the boil? How does that affect the color?

Okay. That was really two questions...

Post 100!!!
 
Those are gorgeous homebrewer! I'll see how my "Slow Saturday APA" comes out, which was my first late-addition attempt. If it works like you say it does, it'll help stifle my desire to go AG (I think I want to go AG because I've had so much trouble with extract. Hah! I really just need to work out the kinks in my extract technique. Like not using anymore LME, using starters, and do late-additions).
 
chase said:
It seems that there is no standard technique for this, so I will play around with it and see what works for me. Thanks for the tips.

BRILLIANT!!

Enjoy a Guiness while you are waiting on your home brew.
 
chase said:
Ooh. What's that brewt00l?

Whatever it is, it is light. I've never had an extract brew come out that light. Even a kolsch. Guess that means I'm doing late additions from now on.

Hefe
:mug:
 
chase said:
It seems that there is no standard technique for this, so I will play around with it and see what works for me. Thanks for the tips.


Something I learned pretty quickly - there are plenty of wrong ways to brew, but there is no one right way to do it. There are LOTS of right ways. And quite a few wrong ways (which are to be avoided).
 
debaniel said:
Something I learned pretty quickly - there are plenty of wrong ways to brew, but there is no one right way to do it. There are LOTS of right ways. And quite a few wrong ways (which are to be avoided).
Hmmm... What do you mean wrong ways?
13970-wortchiller.jpg
 
how do steeped grains affect OG and hop utilization? i'm using the strangebrew software, which seems to handles steeped grains as if they're being dissolved in the boil. correct me wrong, but wouldn't they have no affect on the OG of the boil upon removal?
 
newhomebrewer1 said:
how do steeped grains affect OG and hop utilization? i'm using the strangebrew software, which seems to handles steeped grains as if they're being dissolved in the boil. correct me wrong, but wouldn't they have no affect on the OG of the boil upon removal?

Steeping grains would have very little effect on the sg. You're getting color and some flavor, but little fermentable sugars. Shouldn't affect your hops utilitzation at all, since it doesn't significantly raise the sg.
 
Oh my word! What is that? That is so freaking funny. I can't even follow all the hoses. If I didn't know better I'd think it was an attempt to make a home distillery with a garden hose! There are so many jokes to be made about that pic, Polish jokes I might add! (no offense to the Polish) That's just freaking wierd, I mean I'm so impressed I want one, not sure how it works, but I want one just for the "Shock and Awe" effect!

Schlante,
Phillip

5 Is Not Enough said:
Hmmm... What do you mean wrong ways?
13970-wortchiller.jpg
 
I believe it is a counterflow chiller. Wort is coming out of the pot via the copper tube that I'm assuming was started by siphon, where it then travels into the carboy. The copper enters the hose that is being fed with cold water, off camera in the lower left, that is draining in the sink, mid left. :rockin:
 
Brewsmith said:
I believe it is a counterflow chiller.
Correct
Brewsmith said:
Wort is coming out of the pot via the copper tube that I'm assuming was started by siphon
autosiphon(in the pot)
Brewsmith said:
where it then travels into the carboy. The copper enters the hose that is being fed with cold water, off camera in the lower left, that is draining in the sink, mid left. :rockin:
Pretty damn close, water in from upper left, drains(lower left) to my floor drain off camera. CFC's feed coolant against the flow (hence - counterflow). The CFC is set up for rigging on my bigger pot with a drain on it, but I just wanted to try it for a small batch here...
 
this space intentionally left blank.

(sorry, ignore this post. wrong thread)
 
I've been using the late extract method for a while now, and I've found it will get you much closer to the color you are looking for than adding extract at the beginning.

Also, unless you are making a big, big beer, you can't even tell the difference in the bitterness. I think some people recommend 60-80% of hops for a late extract batch as a general rule of thumb, but it won't hurt to add hops as you normally would.

I made two batches of wheat beer back to back, one with early (normal) extract and one with late extract. The first one ended up an almost brownish color even though I stirred regularly. The second one was a perfect yellow-gold. also, as far as my palate could tell, they were the same bitterness - and the second beer has gotten more compliments on flavor than the first.

I do bring the wort back up to a boil and really make sure I get rid of any clumps - like you would get with DME. and then stir for a little while after burnout.

-Ed
 
Call me dumb.

My reading comprehension isnt the best. Hey Im drinking... And I think its safe to admit this here on this site.

Here goes.... add 2 times the hops and boil 30 minutes for this late LME method? Correct?
 
stormtracker said:
Call me dumb.

My reading comprehension isnt the best. Hey Im drinking... And I think its safe to admit this here on this site.

Here goes.... add 2 times the hops and boil 30 minutes for this late LME method? Correct?


I don't know the answer to this question/comment, however i just want to give you some props for drinking already. It's 12:00 somewhere!
 

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