Amount of Extract to Use?

[Daedalus]

I know there are very specific means of knowing how much fermentable sugars to use but I'm looking for a general rule of thumb.

My confusion stems from a new book I got. Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff and John J. Palmer. It's a great book that discusses brewing in general, ingredients, and 80 BJCP styles with a recipe for each.

Looking at the recipes, it seems like the authors use a lot more LME and DME than I have in the past (whether it be from a kit or something I made up).

I've used a lot of MidWest kits and based a few of my own recipes off of them. I typically use 6 lbs of LME and include steepables and hops because that's what the kits typically use.

The recipes in the book usually call for more than 6lbs. More like closer to 9-10 for almost all styles.

I was under the impression that 6 lbs was about what you needed for a 5 gal batch (with about 7 gal boils) but now I'm guessing that I've been gimping the gravity of my beers greatly.

How much do you guys typically use (I know this is a difficult question because each style requires a specific amount)?

Thanks.

 

[Clann]

I use 6lbs + sttping grains all the time. 1.045 ish beer. Session beers are great!

 

[cullen]

According to Designing Great Beers, 1 pound of LME in 1 gallon of water will produce an OG around 1.038 (or 38 gravity units). If you want to brew a 5 gallon batch of California Common (OG 1.050, 50 gravity units), you'd need 5 x 50/38 = 6.6 pounds of LME (if LME is your only source of fermentables). If you're making 6 gallon batches, 6 x 50/38 = 7.9 pounds of LME.

For DME, the extract potential is 45 GU/pound (one pound in one gallon has an OG of 1.045).

 

[QuaffableQuips]

A general rule of thumb for extracts is 36 gravity points per pound per gallon for liquid and 43 or so for dry.

So, if you have a 5 gallon batch, 6 pounds of liquid extract would give you an original gravity of (36 * 6) / 5 = 43, so 1.043 or so. Similarly, 7 pounds of dry extract going into a 5 gallon batch would give an OG of (43 * 7) / 5 = 60, or 1.060.

Extracts differ in their actual content, but that would be a good ballpark place to start. Figure out your target OG, multiply by the number of gallons in your batch, and divide by the potential of the extract to get the weight you need.

 

[rayg]

The recipes in the book usually call for more than 6lbs. More like closer to 9-10 for almost all styles.

Sure the recipes are using malt extract? 9-10 lbs of grain
would be typical for most styles for 6 gal recipes like
Jamil likes to formulate. 9-10 lbs of LME would
be good for high alcohol beers like Scotch ales only.

Ray

 

[Daedalus]

Sure the recipes are using malt extract? 9-10 lbs of grain
would be typical for most styles for 6 gal recipes like
Jamil likes to formulate. 9-10 lbs of LME would
be good for high alcohol beers like Scotch ales only.

Ray

The book is tailored for extract brewing. All recipes are made with extracts but also have AG variations.

 

[Calder]

As noted LME = 36 points, and DME = 45 points as a good guide to recipe formulation.

10 lbs of LME in 5 gallons will give you a 1.072 OG, with the potential for around 7 to 7.5% abv.

If you steep specialty grains, they will increase the total gravity by about 4 points per gallon per lb of grain in a 5 gallon batch.

 

[Daedalus]

If you steep specialty grains, they will increase the total gravity by about 4 points per gallon per lb of grain in a 5 gallon batch.

So if I steep 1 lb of grain in 5 gallons it'll increase the gravity by 20 points?

Can you break that down for me?

 

[unionrdr]

Well,here's my 2c worth. I use a 3.75lb can of LME,3lb bag of plain DME,with 1-6oz of hops,depending on the style. They've been 1.046-1.050 on the OG. 1.010-1.012 on the FG,giving up to 5.9% by cooper's calculator. The other 7- or 8 calculators seem to figure lower.
so,anyway,that gives 6.75lbs of malts,that can be adjusted up for more gravity.

 

[Calder]

So if I steep 1 lb of grain in 5 gallons it'll increase the gravity by 20 points?

Can you break that down for me?

No. It will increase the total gravity points by 20. To figure out what effect it has on the the overall specific gravity, you need to divide by the volume of liquid. In this case, divide 20 by 5 = 4 points, so 1 lb of crystal in 5 gallons will add about 0.004 to the OG.

 

[beergolf]

Get some brew software and you can punch in ingredients to see what it does to the gravity.

The best investment you can make if you are going to continue to brew.

They all have free trials so you can try a couple to see which one you like best.

 

[QuaffableQuips]

Get some brew software and you can punch in ingredients to see what it does to the gravity.

The best investment you can make if you are going to continue to brew.

They all have free trials so you can try a couple to see which one you like best.

+1 to this, for sure.

 

[Daedalus]

Get some brew software and you can punch in ingredients to see what it does to the gravity.

The best investment you can make if you are going to continue to brew.

They all have free trials so you can try a couple to see which one you like best.

I've been using www.hopville.com. Any harm in that?

 

[QuaffableQuips]

I've been using www.hopville.com. Any harm in that?

None whatsoever! I use BeerSmith at home, but hopville's online calculator has been good to me when I'm away from my home computer. Such as when I daydream about brewing while I'm at work...

 

[Daedalus]

None whatsoever! I use BeerSmith at home, but hopville's online calculator has been good to me when I'm away from my home computer. Such as when I daydream about brewing while I'm at work...

This happens way too often here.

BTW is that Ritter as your avatar for real? Beer flavored chocolate? Is it readily available in Europe (I have relatives there that could ship me some).

 

[QuaffableQuips]

BTW is that Ritter as your avatar for real? Beer flavored chocolate? Is it readily available in Europe (I have relatives there that could ship me some).

Nah, it's a photoshopped image. I found it on the web a while back, but I can't remember where. I do love me some Ritter Sport!