Late extract

When using a kit with a grain bag, LME, and DME: What is the suggested way of adding the extracts? The directions say to boil for an hour, but many of you add extracts as late as possible. So what is the proper method? When to add? Does dry/liquid matter regarding when to add?

Drop the DME first - at the beginning of the boil. Then you can wait up to 15 minutes left in the boil to add the LME - or you can add it at 30 if you want the beer to turn out a little darker. Not the ONLY way - but A way to do it - but DME is always first.

brewinchef_fairfax said:

Drop the DME first - at the beginning of the boil. Then you can wait up to 15 minutes left in the boil to add the LME - or you can add it at 30 if you want the beer to turn out a little darker. Not the ONLY way - but A way to do it - but DME is always first.

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Always? Reasoning?

I've heard LME first, DME at the end...

Dme Doesn't darken as readilly as LME,which also produces that cooked extract flavor. So I use DME in the boil,LME at flame out while it's still boiling hot. This will keep the flavor cleaner & the color lighter by not letting the LME caramelize in the boil.

freisste said:

Always? Reasoning?

I've heard LME first, DME at the end...

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Because LME darkens more than DME.

I would totally simplify my additions, and add a pound of DME at the beginning of the boil for every gallon boiled. So, for a 2.5 gallon boil, that's 2.5 pounds. I'd not worry about it being exact- two pounds of DME would be good enough.

Then boil according to the recipe, and and all the rest of the extract at flame out.

The reason I like adding it at flame out is because when I've added it with 15 minutes left, it's stopped the boil and then I had to reset my timer for hop additions.

It's easiest to just turn off the flame and stir/whisk in the extract. It's plenty hot enough to pasteurize it.

Unionrdr and Yooper,

Thanks for the clarification. After reading it, I already knew it, but I was confusing myself when I read the original post.

Thanks again.

you're welcome.

Additional question on this issue. I understand the coloring issue, but is the idea of including a minimum amount of ME at the beginning of the boil for hop effectiveness?

Good hop utilization is part of it as well. But mainly to get lighter color & cleaner flavor.

CUrchin said:

Additional question on this issue. I understand the coloring issue, but is the idea of including a minimum amount of ME at the beginning of the boil for hop effectiveness?

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Not sure if I understand the question or not (looks like unionrdr and I are answering different questions).

I have heard that you NEED some sugars in your boil to get good hop utilization. However, I have also heard that people have gotten good results boiling hops in plain water and adding all the extract at the end. No experience with an A to B comparison.

Some extract at the begining makes for better hop utilization,but it seems to me too much can have the opposite effect. I use 1.5-2lbs of plain DME in 2.5-3.5 gallon partial boil for hop additions.

I was wondering the extreme case of boiling hops and then throwing all the ME in at the end of the boil. It certainly makes sense to me to have some malt sugars in the boil for the hops. I'll have to read up on hops utilization. Thanks for responding.

Just speaking from my own experience, but your hops will utilize just fine in water and/or just the grain tea from steeping. In fact, this is how I do extract batches on the rare occasion that I do one. I agree with Yooper that the ~15 min add is a major PITA, and requires that you kill the boil. I just steep grains in pot while I heat the boil kettle. Before the boil, I ass the grain tea and boil as usual, adding the LME/DME at knockout (I'll add any KO hops after the ME is mixed in). I've gotten great results doing this.

freisste said:

Always? Reasoning?

I've heard LME first, DME at the end...

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For the reasons the other guys have mentioned here..

True. I took to using the fresh grain wort from my PB/PM BIAB batches to do hop additions. As the mashed wort is about 50% of the fermentables,it seems to work just fine for all hop additions. It allows me to save all the extract for a late flame out addition. I can get a light lager/pils color doing this now.

How do you all recommend dealing with the wort chiller when adding the dme at flameout? I tried this on one of my last batches and felt I couldn't mix the dme properly with the wort chiller kind of being in the way.

Any easier way of handling this?

carlk47 said:

How do you all recommend dealing with the wort chiller when adding the dme at flameout? I tried this on one of my last batches and felt I couldn't mix the dme properly with the wort chiller kind of being in the way.

Any easier way of handling this?

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Yes. Don't use the boil to sterilize the coil, just soak it in a bucket of starsan. At knockout, add ME, stir it all the way in then throw the chiller in.

Also, the IC does not need to be boiled for 15 minutes to sterilize it. It will be sterilized much faster and cooler than that. So if you shut off the heat, dump your extract in, stir it to dissolve, then add your IC to sterilize on your walk to the spigot, it will be sterilized when you get there.