LME, DME and how much extra extract in my boil can I get away with?

[frankdontsurf]

My fermenters are 5 gallons food grade buckets. My kettle is a 16qt, very thin stainless steel. I can only boil on a glass top for now. I think 3 gallons boil is my max.

Would I affect quality of my end beer by boiling 5 gallons worth of extract in 3 gallons and topping off the difference in the fermenter?

Am I better off with DME or LME?

 

[kh54s10]

The amount of extract you use depends on what beer you are trying to brew. Just adding more without balancing out with hops is not a good idea. Until you are comfortable brewing kits while learning about recipe creation I would stick with proven recipes or kits.

Most 5 gallon extract kits boil 2.5 to 3 gallons then top up with water to 5 gallons.

BTW, don't try to ferment a 5 gallon kit in a 5 gallon bucket. You need headspace for the krausen.

 

[frankdontsurf]

The amount of extract you use depends on what beer you are trying to brew. Just adding more without balancing out with hops is not a good idea. Until you are comfortable brewing kits while learning about recipe creation I would stick with proven recipes or kits.

Most 5 gallon extract kits boil 2.5 to 3 gallons then top up with water to 5 gallons.

BTW, don't try to ferment a 5 gallon kit in a 5 gallon bucket. You need headspace for the krausen.

I was not going to use a kit. I was going with a 65% DME and 35% Pils with whatever ratio of hops I have in my recipe calculator. My question is if I were to use 5 gallons of ingredients in and then top off would I be fine. But you've just clarified for me the fact that I can't really top off my 5 gallon fermenter. I would need to stay in the 3 gallon range, maybe 4?

 

[eadavis80]

YOu MIGHT be able to get away with fermenting 5 gallons in a 5-gallon bucket IF THE wort is mild gravity and you use a blowoff tube, but don't blame me if you wake up to a nasty ass mess!

 

[frankdontsurf]

YOu MIGHT be able to get away with fermenting 5 gallons in a 5-gallon bucket IF THE wort is mild gravity and you use a blowoff tube, but don't blame me if you wake up to a nasty ass mess!

I don't want a mess, and more than 3 gallons would be a problem for me anyway. I was just wondering if I would be able to without affecting the quality of the beer.

As well as if there is a difference in quality between Dry or Liquid malt extracts..

 

[Gnomebrewer]

You don't need to add all of the extract at the start of the boil. Try boiling half your extract, then adding the other half towards the end of the boil. Then main impact of a reduced volume boil is slightly lower hop bitterness - just use more hops (maybe 10% more than a full volume boil).

LME is generally better than DME if it's nice and fresh. DME is more shelf stable though, so it is the safer option if you're not sure how long the LME has been sitting for. LME from a high turnover shop is normally good.

 

[kh54s10]

If it were me, I would find a good recipe, then use a recipe building app to scale it for 3.5 to 4 gallons. I prefer extract with specialty steeping grains to give color and flavor. Either LME or DME are fine. As said DME has a greater shelf life, so if you are uncertain of the freshness of LME, use DME.

The reason for adding half of the extract at the beginning of the boil and the rest at the end has 2 purposes. The half at the beginning works with the hops to get proper utilization. Adding the second half near the end of the boil keep the Maillard reaction down, keeping the wort from becoming darker than wanted.

 

[frankdontsurf]

If it were me, I would find a good recipe, then use a recipe building app to scale it for 3.5 to 4 gallons. I prefer extract with specialty steeping grains to give color and flavor. Either LME or DME are fine. As said DME has a greater shelf life, so if you are uncertain of the freshness of LME, use DME.

The reason for adding half of the extract at the beginning of the boil and the rest at the end has 2 purposes. The half at the beginning works with the hops to get proper utilization. Adding the second half near the end of the boil keep the Maillard reaction down, keeping the wort from becoming darker than wanted.

Thank you