My ingredients list. Help w/ easy DME recipes?

[BeBeer]

I am planning to brew my first ever batch of beer in a week (Rookie). Therefore, to begin my journey I would like to brew at least 2 types of beer & master them. I would like your suggestion on what to brew. I'm imagining 2 easy recipes with dry malt extract (Light : Made 100% from pale malt)

Important point here: These are the ingredients I have collected over a course of 2 months & getting anything else from where I live is not possible for now. So what are the recipes I can brew using these?
Any links to detailed recipes (temperature control, hop timing etc) will be gold to me & other folks, as I'll post my experience start - finish here.


Dry malt extract (Light : Made 100% from pale malt)

Hops:
Northern Brewer pellets
Cascade
British Fuggles
British Kent Goldings
Citra
Amarillo
Mosaic
Magnum

Yeast:
Safale S-04
Safbrew T-38
Safale S-33
Safbrew 33

Speciality Grains: (I don't have any other specialty grains while using DME)
Crystal 75L & 90L (1lb each)
Vienna malt (1lb)

Others:
Whirflock tabs, Irish Moss, Carbonation pills, 1Step Cleanser.

Thank you in advance!

 

[zzARzz]

Welcome to the fold! Based on what you have available, I included a simple extract with specialty grain recipe I made up below for an English Mild. If you haven't seen it already, the best place to start is with Palmer's online book How to Brew. There are sample recipes in it and it takes you step by step through the various methods of making beer. Another resource you may find helpful is Brew Toad (which I think used to be Beer Calculus, but it's an online program to help formulate recipes. Of course there are countless great recipes right here on HBT and the people here are usually really nice about answering any questions you may have. One thing, since I didn't see it on you list, you may want to get a hydrometer, test jar and cheap brewing thermometer if you don't have them already.

Style: English Mild
Type: Extract w/ Specialty Grains
Size: 5 gallons
Boil: 60 minutes
Equipment: 3 gallon pot / top-off
OG: 1.036
FG: 1.009
ABV: 3.5%
IBU: 16
SRM: 12+ (*see below)

Ingredients

Fermentables:
4 lbs -- Light DME*
8 oz -- Crystal 90L
8 oz -- Crystal 75/80L

Hops:
0.25 oz -- Magnum (14% AA) @ 60 minutes (this is purely for bittering)
0.50 oz -- Goldings (5% AA) @ 20 min
0.50 oz -- Fuggles @ 5 minutes

Yeast:
1 pkg -- SafAle English Ale S-04; rehydrated per package instructions

Other:
3 oz -- Priming Sugar (Dextrose) (or 4.5 oz of DME for priming)

Instructions

1. Steep grains in muslin bag in 2.5 quarts of water @ 155F for 30 minutes. Remove bag, allow to drain and add 1.75 gallons of water to the pot. Bring to a boil.

2. When wort begins to boil, remove from heat and stir in DME until completely dissolved (* Normally you wouldn't want to boil DME for a full 60 minutes, but because you are limited on extract and other color contributing grains, the longer boil will give your beer a much needed darkening through caramelization of the extract and wort). Bring back to a boil and add 0.25 oz of Magnum hops. Begin 60 minute countdown. Be sure to stir the bottom regularly to prevent any DME from burning on the bottom of the pot. This may also be a good time to rehydrate your yeast.

3. With 20 minutes left in the boil, add 0.50 oz of Goldings hops. With 5 minutes left, add the 0.50 oz of Fuggles.

4. At the end of 60 minutes, remove the pot from heat and cool the wort to 70F. Transfer to your fermenter, Top off to 5 gallons with sterile, cold water, aerate really well and pitch your yeast.

5. Leave in primary 14 days or primary 7 days and secondary 7-14 days, until FG is reached.

6. Bottle with 3 oz of dextrose priming sugar (or 4.5 oz of Light DME boiled in 1/2-1 cup of water for a few minutes and cooled to 70F) and age 14-31 days before opening.

 

[hector]

It's much better to add 20-30% of your DME at the beginning of the boil and the rest after 45 minutes of boiling in order to get rid of darkening effect and the Twangy flavor .

Be very careful while using Safale S-04 . Always keep the fermentation temperature at
low 60's F (under 18 C ) in order to keep your Beer free from off-flavors .

Hector

 

[zzARzz]

I agree with hector's suggestions/corrections. Maybe do 1lb of the DME at 60 and the other 3lbs at the 15 minute mark, being sure to remove it from the heat each time (sorry; I've been doing all-grain long enough that I forget some of the extract no-no's ).

S-04 is supposedly good to 77F, that's why I figured you should be able to keep your fermentation temp stable at 70F without getting into an overly complicated method of temp control your first time out, but if you can keep it in the mid to low 60s easily that would be ideal.

The Mild recipe is nice in that you'll be able to do a full 5 gallons without running out of anything. If you scale your recipes back to 3 gallons you may even be able to get 3 brews out of what you have.

 

[BeBeer]

Thank you SO very much! It's really nice of you to post such a detailed explanation. Once I'm a pro I'll definitely contribute to the folks here

Some N00b questions:

1. Steep grains in muslin bag in 2.5 quarts of water @ 155F for 30 minutes. Remove bag, allow to drain and add 1.75 gallons of water to the pot. Bring to a boil.

Q1) Should I steep both the grains at once? (Crystal 90L & 75L)
Q2) What exactly does "bring to boil" mean? Are we looking at a specific temperature?

2. When wort begins to boil, remove from heat and stir in DME until completely dissolved

Q1. Are we looking at a specific temperature for the boil to add in DME?

4. At the end of 60 minutes, remove the pot from heat and cool the wort to 70F. Transfer to your fermenter, Top off to 5 gallons with sterile, cold water, aerate really well and pitch your yeast.

Q1. Should 70F be achieved once the cold water is added or before adding it?
Q2. How do I aerate? (Found a video) youtube.com/watch?v=8MTTGsUOwBw

5. Leave in primary 14 days or primary 7 days and secondary 7-14 days, until FG is reached.

Q1. The temperature where I live hovers around 77F. Should I use a refrigerator to ferment?

Thanks again!

 

[hector]

You can steep both of your Crystal malts together .

The Temperature at which water begins to boil is related to the height from the See . Therefore , water doesn't begin to boil always at the same temperature everywhere .

I mean , you don't need to look for a specific temperature for boiling . Apply a medium-high heat and wait until it begins to boil . You will see big bubbles coming upwards in the Pot .

It doesn't need to be a vigorous boil , since it's an Extract batch .

Keep in mind that you shouldn't add all the DME at once .

The more important thing I'd like to notice is that if you're really going to use Safale S-04 , NEVER let the fermentation temperature reach above 65 F ( 18 C ) , since you're going to brew a Beer which doesn't contain any roasted malt/grain and it doesn't have a high IBU .

By such a Beer , if you use Safale S-04 and the temperature reaches above 18 C ( 25 C in your case ) , you'll definitely have a Beer full of nasty off-flavors .

I've used this strain several times at different temperatures and have useful experiences .

I would brew this batch with a higher original Gravity , by using S-04 . I think 1.050 would be a good choice for you , since you're using DME and crystal malt .

Hector

 

[BeBeer]

Keep in mind that you shouldn't add all the DME at once .

The more important thing I'd like to notice is that if you're really going to use Safale S-04 , NEVER let the fermentation temperature reach above 65 F ( 18 C ) , since you're going to brew a Beer which doesn't contain any roasted malt/grain and it doesn't have a high IBU .

By such a Beer , if you use Safale S-04 and the temperature reaches above 18 C ( 25 C in your case ) , you'll definitely have a Beer full of nasty off-flavors .

Thanks very much Hector! Yes, I'll keep these points in mind while brewing. Would have never know these finer points...

 

[Channel66]

Don't forget to crush your specialty grains if they aren't already

 

[woozy]

Some N00b questions:


Q1) Should I steep both the grains at once? (Crystal 90L & 75L)

Yes

Q2) What exactly does "bring to boil" mean? Are we looking at a specific temperature?

No. We mean "bring to a boil" in the most common and intuitive sense. Should be a full and rolling boil. Watch out that it doesn't boil over though.

Q1. Are we looking at a specific temperature for the boil to add in DME?

Again, no. Here's a secret. The DME does not need to be cooked, processed, or coverted by heat in any way. In fact you want to *avoid* cooking the DME. That is why they are advising you to put as much of the DME as you can at the end; to *avoid* cooking the DME.

The boil is only for the purpose of the hops. If you didn't use any hops (for example if you were using a mr. beer or a coopers kit) you wouldn't boil at all and would just add the extract to warm water and pitch the yeast.

Q1. Should 70F be achieved once the cold water is added or before adding it?

It doesn't matter. You pitch the yeast when the wort is about 70.

BUT... counterintuitively, the laws of physics say you'll will cool the wort of faster if you add the cold water *last* than you would if you add it *first*. (I really didn't believe this at first.)

Q2. How do I aerate? (Found a video) youtube.com/watch?v=8MTTGsUOwBw

Stir and shake the snot out of it.

Q1. The temperature where I live hovers around 77F. Should I use a refrigerator to ferment?

You definitely need some cooling device. The temp of the fermentation will be about 10 degrees higher than the air so you'll be fermenting in the high eighties and that's .... well, it's not good.

If you have a refridgerater to ferment in the 60s fantastic. Otherwise you can rig up a swamp cooler like thing or keep the fermenter in a tub of water and swap out ice bags daily.

You'll want to get something to read the temp of the fermentor. Maybe a stick-on thermometer strip or a terrarium themometer. Adhere it to the outside of the fermenter and you'll be fine.

 

[BeBeer]

You definitely need some cooling device. The temp of the fermentation will be about 10 degrees higher than the air so you'll be fermenting in the high eighties and that's .... well, it's not good.

If you have a refridgerater to ferment in the 60s fantastic. Otherwise you can rig up a swamp cooler like thing or keep the fermenter in a tub of water and swap out ice bags daily.

You'll want to get something to read the temp of the fermentor. Maybe a stick-on thermometer strip or a terrarium themometer. Adhere it to the outside of the fermenter and you'll be fine.

Thanks, invaluable info! I have a spare refrigerator, that'll take of this. Will fiddle around with the temp controls & get a feel of it before I ferment.

Cheers!

 

[Channel66]

Thanks, invaluable info! I have a spare refrigerator, that'll take of this. Will fiddle around with the temp controls & get a feel of it before I ferment.

Cheers!

Pick up a cheap temperature controller for your spare fridge, they are really easy to use and you can control your temps more accurately.

Something like this, though this is only one of the many options

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EXROSE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[BeBeer]

Pick up a cheap temperature controller for your spare fridge, they are really easy to use and you can control your temps more accurately.

Something like this, though this is only one of the many options

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EXROSE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Ah, yeah makes so much sense. Thank you!

 

[zzARzz]

An immersion, counterflow or plate chiller (3 different devices with increasing complexity in their usage; try getting an immersion chiller first) would be the best way to cool your wort, but a simple method that works very well is to make a salt-water ice bath by filling a stationary tub or sink with cold water, dissolve about 4 or 5 tbsps of table salt in the water and dump in a bunch of ice with it. The salt will allow the water to get really cold.

Then you take your brew pot with the hot wort in it and set it in the water. Make sure you don't put a lid on it (!) and keep stirring both the wort in the pot and the water outside the pot and it should cool in a reasonable amount of time. 90F to 70F is the range that seems to take the longest to accomplish (at least in my experience) so once it hits the 80-90F mark it would be a good time to dump your cold, sterile top-off water into the wort to finish it off.

 

[Channel66]

....

Then you take your brew pot with the hot wort in it and set it in the water. Make sure you don't put a lid on (!)...

Lid always on while cooling when possible.

It only needs to be off for the boil to drive off DMS. Leaving it off while chilling greatly increases the chance for infection.

Not sure who told you that chilling with the lid off is important. But they were wrong.

 

[zzARzz]

Lid always on while cooling when possible.

It only needs to be off for the boil to drive off DMS. Leaving it off while chilling greatly increases the chance for infection.

Not sure who told you that chilling with the lid off is important. But they were wrong.

So, BeBeer, here is your first taste of the "who's in what camp" arguments that spring up from time to time around the brewing community. There are two minds on this issue: The first being that while chilling wort you should keep the lid on to prevent any air-borne infections and the second that you should keep the lid off while chilling to both help the wort chill faster and to prevent trapping a compound called Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) which forms when condensate from either the boiling wort or cooling wort is allowed to drip back into the pot. DMS can cause some nasty, cooked vegetable flavors in your beer that is generally considered to be undesirable.

There are pro and con arguments on both sides with evidence and experience supporting each. I personally never keep the lid on my pot while chilling because I do it in an indoor area that is free from drafts and I'm more than confident in my ability to keep my area and equipment clean and sterile. In 30+ batches I've never had so much as a speck of infection nor have I had an issue with DMS which, frankly, I'm more concerned about, especially since my yeast starters will crowd out anything that may have gotten into the wort long before it has a chance to take hold. This is supported even further by the fact I recently had a stout that has been sitting in a carboy for nearly half a year, chilled with the lid off, and there was no sign of any infection or off flavors from DMS.

So mostly it comes down to whether or not you feel the area you will be chilling in is a bastion of microbes and you think you can keep yourself and your equipment clean with a decent sanitizer. Starting out it may be a good idea to err on the side of caution as Channel66 suggested, but I can only say that, in my experience, I've not come across any evidence to suggest that I'm wrong.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/cooling-wort-top-off-89271/

http://homebrew.stackexchange.com/questions/6036/risk-reward-question-should-you-leave-the-lid-off-while-chilling-wort-that-is-h

 

[BeBeer]

Brewday guys! Wish me luck!!!

 

[BeBeer]

Completed my first brew and have kept it for fermentation.
During the process I made a couple of mistakes and would like to know what effect it will have on the beer.

1) Due to non-availability of wort chiller and the temperature where I live being in the mid 80F I couldn't cool the wort to 70F and pitched in the hydrated yeast at 82F . I added cool water but was unsuccessful to get to that temperature. (Have deviced a better plan for the next brew)

NEVER let the fermentation temperature reach above 65 F ( 18 C )

2) I am fermenting it in a refrigerator where the temperature fluctuates between 55F (13 C) to 62F (17 C). I'm making sure it doesn't go over 65F (18C). Does this temperature fluctuation have any effect on the beer?

Otherwise everything went according to the instruction written here.
Thank you again!

 

[BeBeer]

Any suggestions on the above please?

 

[DoctorMemory]

Pitching at 82, while not optimal, probably won't have any long-lasting effect. And temperature swings in the range you said are nothing to worry about either. I don't have any kind of temperature-controlled fermentation chamber, but my basement is a fairly consistent 68, and I manage to crank out some fairly awesome beer!

 

[BeBeer]

Hi guys, finally it's been 2 weeks since it's been in the primary. I can still see a few bubbles popping up (around 6-8 per minute). Good time to bottle right?
How much priming sugar should I add? I referred Palmers and here is what I came up with. Does this sound good?
I'll be storing the bottled beer at 65F. Cane sugar of 2oz for my 5 gallon batch. (Boiling it in water before adding)
Thank you again everyone!

 

[Bithead]

Has the gravity been steady for a few days? That's when fermentation is complete and you can bottle.

 

[BeBeer]

Has the gravity been steady for a few days? That's when fermentation is complete and you can bottle.

Yes it had been steady for 3 days. Thanks will bottle it.

 

[BeBeer]

Final product!
Tastes good, but has a strong bitter aftertaste. Guessing it was because I dumped the trub into the fermenter.