I am brewing again after a seven year layoff (kids and family). In the past, I had good results with extracts and then gradually tried all grain brewing and had nice results. The equipment was lost in the move and I just started again and brewed a nice extract recipe last week with new equipment. I am trying to decide where to go from here. A couple of questions:
1. If I use the bulk extract from my homebrew supply store, will all the beers taste similar even after accounting for different specialty grains and hops?
2. I use a large stockpot for the boil and get about 3 gallons or wort by the end of the boil. Is a wort chiller really necessary? My technique is to add cold filtered water to the primary along with the wort and then seal and put in the fridge until the temp comes down. I know about facilitating a good break, but query if there is a substantial risk if the wort is sealed and allowed to cool on its own.
3. What about creating a starter and using the sediment from one of the recent bottles to resuscitate the yeast and then using it for the next batch? I think I used this technique with success in the past, but can't remember
Thanks for feedback
1. If I use the bulk extract from my homebrew supply store, will all the beers taste similar even after accounting for different specialty grains and hops?
2. I use a large stockpot for the boil and get about 3 gallons or wort by the end of the boil. Is a wort chiller really necessary? My technique is to add cold filtered water to the primary along with the wort and then seal and put in the fridge until the temp comes down. I know about facilitating a good break, but query if there is a substantial risk if the wort is sealed and allowed to cool on its own.
3. What about creating a starter and using the sediment from one of the recent bottles to resuscitate the yeast and then using it for the next batch? I think I used this technique with success in the past, but can't remember
Thanks for feedback