Ok so this is going to be my first brew. I'm going to use a basic coopers ale no boil beer concentrate. However i have read in multiple places that adding in malt extract instead of sugar is a better choice. I know this may sound stupid but i'm not exactly sure what this means. Does it mean once you add the coopers can you should add more extract. If so what kind and how much? And is it really true that you shouldn't boil and no boil kit? any help is really appreciated! thanks
- Cal
OK, most beer doesn't have any dextrose or sucrose in it all (some do, like high alcohol beguims, but not standard ales like APAs or lagers like pilsners). The sugars in a normal ale or lager are from the grains only (maltose), so if you were an all grain brewer or a proper brewery you'd mash the grains, then ferment it as they come out of the lauter tun adding no other sugars at all.
If you want to make a decent home brew, you can do similar, by not adding any sugar, but adding extra malt extract (1kg dry or 1.25kg liquid)
If the style is supposed to be thin and you're doing a cheap brew, you could add some dextrose with the malt. Likewise I wouldn't add heaps of malt, if you're impatient and want to drink the beer quickly, using too much malt makes the beer very sweet without aging it for a while. So you could use dextrose if you want the beer stronger than 5% (ie 1kg malt for 5%, plus 300g of dextrose to bump it up to 6%), or want to drink it quickly (dextrose fully ferments, so you get alcohol without sweetness in young beers).
eg.
My super pale ale had 1.4kg dry malt extract and was strong and sweet when young. My other one has 600g malt and 400g dextrose and was lighter in finish and easier to drink when younger.
As far as boiling the kit, I would only do it for under 10min if you were adding heaps of hops, was anal about sterilization and you were boiling it in the full 20L volume of water to mix it in well.
If your making just a brew with no added hops, using cold tap water for make up water, didn't have a stock pot large enough to boil the whole wort, there's no reason to boil the kit can.