adding malt extract in the last 15 minutes of the boil?

advantages/disadvantages to adding earlier?

I usually boil my wort chiller for the final 20 minutes, i'd hate to be trying to stir in 6lbs of malt around it.

phat tire ale recipe from northern brewer.

Boil about 1/3 for the full boil and the rest for the final 10 minutes.

Reason is mostly for color as LME caramelizes to a darker color.

I have found zero disadvantages I except for yours LOL

Benefits include lighter color, reduced caramelization of the extract, and better hop utilization. Add about half at the beginning of the boil, add the rest with about 15 minutes left, add your chiller to the boil, and then start the final 15 countdown.

The earlier you add the extract, the more caramel taste you get.

You don't need to boil your wort chiller for 20 minutes. 5 minutes is sufficient to sanitize it, or you can keep it in a bucket of sanitizer during the boil and drop it right in when you turn off the heat.

Late additions are the way to go. One word of caution: be careful doing a late addition if you are brewing a kit. The improved hop utilization can push you out of style. You will want to adjust your bittering hop addition down to 1/2 to 2/3 of what is called for if you are brewing a recipe that assumes a 60 minute extract boil. For instance, I did a Blonde ale PM with a late addition over the weekend. The kit I was doing called for 3/4oz of Perle for 60 which would have given me over 25 IBUs with a late addition. I dropped that down to 1/2oz and tossed the leftovers in at flameout for aroma instead which kept me at around 20 IBUs.

If you have BeerSmith or other brewing software you can enter the recipe into it and see the effect of a late addition. Under the extract ingredient there is a checkbox for a late addition, when you check it it recalculates your hop utilization and color based on the late addition.

I turn the heat off and remove the pot from the burner at 45 mins then add the remaining malt and steep for 15 mins.

I don't take it back to a boil.

+1 on not having to boil the chiller for 20 minutes...My last batch I had the chiller hose come off and by the time I got it back together I could only boil it for the last 5 minutes. Just be sure it is clean before going in.

do the same late addition ideas apply to dme as lme?

Yes, they would, but I would hold off the LME for last since they are already hopped and too dark.

homebrewer_99 said:

Yes, they would, but I would hold off the LME for last since they are already hopped and too dark.

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Not always. When I brewed extract, I usually used LME, and it was always un-hopped LME.

well, i won't be using any LME, so.... thats why i was asking.

BarleyWater said:

Not always. When I brewed extract, I usually used LME, and it was always un-hopped LME.

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OK, fair enough...many, if not most, canned LME are pre-hopped...

I've brewed 2 kits so far, both were unhopped LME, purchased from Midwest Supplies.

The gravity reading on my first kit was stuck at 1.020 after 2 and a half weeks in primary. I read in other posts that the carmelization from boiling the LME for 60 minutes could have reduced the amount of fermentable sugars in the brew and caused the fermentation to end prematurely.

So I tried the late addition on my second batch. Boiling the wort is much easier without the LME since there was no chance of a boilover.

I added the LME, waited for it to start boiling again and then put the chiller in for about 10 minutes.

PRO's:
Better hop utilization
Lighter color
Prevents extract "twang" taste
Fewer boilovers
More fermentable sugars for the yeast

CON's
???

Seems like late addition is the way to go, wonder why the kits tell you to boil it for the full 60 minutes??

Badger454 said:

Seems like late addition is the way to go, wonder why the kits tell you to boil it for the full 60 minutes??

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I've heard that in some of the new kits, some retailers have instructions for the late extract method. Maybe austinhomebrew.com is one of them, but I don't know that for a fact. I just know that I've heard that one or some of them are doing that now.

I think they tell you to boil for the entire 60 minutes just because it's more idiot proof that way. Hops and malt go in for 60 minutes, then the additional hops at prescribed times. When I first started brewing, believe me, I needed as much help as I could get! I really needed something "idiot proof".

YooperBrew said:

When I first started brewing, believe me, I needed as much help as I could get! I really needed something "idiot proof".

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I know what you mean. So far I've read a couple books, scoured the internet, watched some instructional movies and I feel as though I've only scratched the surface.

thanks for al the input everyone, very educational. i agree, i've read alot, but it's tip of the "real brew world" iceberg.

so here's my inventory, i'm doing a full boil:

Fermentables

1lb pilsen DME 60min
6lbs amber malt syrup 15 min

grains:
.50 victory malt
.50 briess caramel 60

hops:
1 oz. Perle (60 min)
1 oz. Hallertau Select (15 min)

If you choose liquid yeast

Wyeast #1762 Belgian Abbey II. Optimum temperature: 65-75° F.

so I should stick with adding the malt at 15 min, I like the idea of less twang taste, it's the only thing that's disappointing in my beers so far-maybe i'll a little earlier for a darker color. also, b/c its a full boil, i'll add .5 oz of pearl 60 min and the remainder at 15 with the hallertau. less bitter the better.

btw, drinking a weihenstephaner vitus tonight for the first time, incredible smooth for a 7.7% beer. i really like the 16.9 oz bottles for my homebrew.

I'm about to start a partial boil, extract pale ale. Beersmith says that I'll get around 35 IBU's with a late addition of the LME vs. 15 with a early addition. (those numbers are off the top of my head and approximate)

I'll let you all know how it tastes (in 6 weeks of so). The late addition of the LME seems to be a great way to get more out of your hops.

Beernewb said:

thanks for al the input everyone, very educational. i agree, i've read alot, but it's tip of the "real brew world" iceberg.

so here's my inventory, i'm doing a full boil:

Fermentables

1lb pilsen DME 60min
6lbs amber malt syrup 15 min

grains:
.50 victory malt
.50 briess caramel 60

hops:
1 oz. Perle (60 min)
1 oz. Hallertau Select (15 min)

If you choose liquid yeast

Wyeast #1762 Belgian Abbey II. Optimum temperature: 65-75° F.

so I should stick with adding the malt at 15 min, I like the idea of less twang taste, it's the only thing that's disappointing in my beers so far-maybe i'll a little earlier for a darker color. also, b/c its a full boil, i'll add .5 oz of pearl 60 min and the remainder at 15 with the hallertau. less bitter the better.

btw, drinking a weihenstephaner vitus tonight for the first time, incredible smooth for a 7.7% beer. i really like the 16.9 oz bottles for my homebrew.

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I think that if you're doing a full boil, that the benefits of late addition would be negligible. It's a great tool for partial boils, but in a full boil, I'd add all the extract at the beginning, and consider adjusting the hops if the recipe is for a partial boil.

I'm a noob and I haven't thought of or heard of late extract addition until now. It sounds late a great idea, especially for the brew I'm doing tomorrow. I recalculated for the late addition on Beersmith, and wow, what a difference on the hop utilization. I'm doing three gallon boils when I brew and with the late addition of the extracts, I'm knocking down the hops I'm using by almost 1/2. While I'm here, another noob question. With the late additions, should I just slowly pour the LME and DME in or should I stir them in. Should I really be afraid of HSA, alot of conflicting info.

JerD said:

I'm a noob and I haven't thought of or heard of late extract addition until now. It sounds late a great idea, especially for the brew I'm doing tomorrow. I recalculated for the late addition on Beersmith, and wow, what a difference on the hop utilization. I'm doing three gallon boils when I brew and with the late addition of the extracts, I'm knocking down the hops I'm using by almost 1/2. While I'm here, another noob question. With the late additions, should I just slowly pour the LME and DME in or should I stir them in. Should I really be afraid of HSA, alot of conflicting info.

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When you add the extract, remove the pot from the burner (so that the extract doesn't fall to the bottom immediately and burn there) and add the extract. Stir very well, then put it back on the burner. You won't get HSA, not from adding extract and stirring turn the boil.

i guess my fear with that is the twang taste-i've definitely noticed that in my first two brews--it seems consensus is that the late lme addition will minimize that. any personal experience?

YooperBrew said:

I think that if you're doing a full boil, that the benefits of late addition would be negligible. It's a great tool for partial boils, but in a full boil, I'd add all the extract at the beginning, and consider adjusting the hops if the recipe is for a partial boil.

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