4 Tips for Making Great Beer in 15 Minutes

[Silentdrinker]

@WoodlandBrew back up the 15 minute from pot to fermenter claim with a 15 minute YouTube video. And don't prepare any of your equipment, hops, yeast starters or addition in advance. Also, clean up should be in there since its part of the brew day. If this cannot be done, I call BS.
Then to top it off, submit that beer to competition and lets see the judges comments/score.
Until you can back the fluff ups with real proof not just, "my research indicates", it's nothing more than over hyped bs.
You can make good beer with extract, but you're claims are so over hyped they're teetering on the line of being a lie. There are a lot of half truths and "in a perfect world" scenarios.
I haven't read the book brewing classic styles, but if they claim they're award winning beers, and it's true that the recipes were ORIGINALLY all grain but converted to extract, you're backing your lies up with lies.
And I want you to fully understand that None of us are aposed to your claim that extract can be faster than all grain, but it's your over hyped claims that we all have an issue with.
The article is written in a way that makes me assume you think your audience is uneducated--especially how you try to sell the idea that all grain Brewers will bash you for this because we're "jealous" and you know this because you used to be one. PLEASE! that comment alone makes me discredit anything you have to say. Go sell your book to an uneducated crowd since that's your demographic.
Btw, do more research on using distiller water in brewing. It's not something you do. And buying bottled distiller water would sure as hell increase the over all cost of an extract beer--well beyond all grain. And to distill your own, will increase time beyond 15 minutes.

 

[broadbill]

@Silentdrinker: I actually buy the bit about distilled water although this is the first time I've heard it being used in extract brewing. If DME/LME is made by concentrating wort, then whatever mineral/salts present in the wort will also be concentrated. By using distilled water and assuming you reconstitute the wort to the same gravity, you should have similar levels of water salts as before the concentration step. If you use regular (salt/mineral-containing) water your reconstituted wort would have increased amounts as both the water and the DME/LME are contributing to the overall totals.
Your comment about extra cost and or time using distilled is are good points, however. I'll also add that distilled water isn't something you would want to use in AG brewing, specifically.

 

[CBelli]

@WoodlandBrew
"Is extract really cheaper than all-grain?
When doing a 5 gallon batch or less, for me it is. I have analyzed all of the consumables and losses such as ingredients, (malt, water, yeast etc) fuel, and trub and for me, extract comes out cheaper."
Lets see the numbers!
explain how trub is a consumable?

 

[ruddyscot]

Gentlemen,
Chill. Relax, Don't worry; Have home brew. I think there are very good points made here-- 15 minutes refers to "on the stove time". I may not use all his methods, but I sure will consider some, like the temperature / viability angle.
It seems that some respondents are being a bit to accusatory; something like tasting a beer freshly bottled beer and complaining that it's flat. He said there is more coming. . .

 

[Cyclman]

Sorry, but if you refer to your audience (all grain brewers)as condescending...but secretly envious don't be surprised when people have strong negative reactions. Basic Brewing has done some great videos on 15 minute beers, I am certain they can produce quality beer. There is plenty of documentation of NHC winners using extract.
Why the need to be on the attack of all grain? I do AG, BIAB, and occasionally extract, see no need to argue what's better.
Isn't the whole purpose of this forum to positively inspire people to think of things they wouldn't have thought on their own.

 

[preamble]

@WilliamWS
As told in the book, they started out making a book about making great beers using extract but ended up going a different way. Apparently you can make great beer with extract but I'll also be quick to point out that I never did

 

[Devilsnight]

Nice write up, I'd like to read more if your going to add to this. The only thing I'm really wondering is where your getting your extract for so cheap? I'm trying to think back to earlier times seems like extract was like 3 times the cost of grain. I paid like 70 cents a pound last time I bought 2row. I'd definately buy extract for that much!

 

[jbob7171]

@ruddyscot 15 minutes "on the stove time" may in fact be what the author means, but that is not what he says in the article. Direct quote from the article:
"Without sacrificing quality, my brew day has been reduced to just 15 minutes, and I'm not using pre-hopped liquid malt kits."
99.9% of people will include setup and cleanup in their brew day. I think that's why people are so mad about this article, it's misleading. If only he clarified that boil time was 15 minutes, you'd see a lot less negativity.

 

[WoodlandBrew]

I would like to further apologize, this time specifically for one particular comment in my article:
--- Tell an all grain brewer that you made a great beer in 15 minutes and I bet his eyes will roll and he'll mutter something about extract in a condescending tone, but secretly he's envious. Trust me, I know, that's what I used to do. ---
This was meant to be humorous aside pointing the joke back on me. Honestly I think all-grain brewing is right for some people, extract brewing suits others better, and some people are better off just going to the liquor store. That judgment is not something I will decide for anybody beside myself, and I'll do my best not to judge others for their decisions. The comment was meant to capture the superiority that some (not every) all-grain brewer (often unintentionally) express. Before I started all-grain brewing, the message I heard was that all-grain brewing produced a superior product. What I am attempting to communicate is that I do not believe that is always the case.
If you are interested in the cost comparison between extract and all grain, I blew the dust, that had been accumulating for a couple of years, off of a draft blog post. This was a similar comparison to the one done for my book that is cited in the article.
http://www.woodlandbrew.com/2014/11/extract-vs-all-grain.html

 

[jbob7171]

@WoodlandBrew May I ask where you're buying your extract that you can get it so cheap (or is it that your grain is so expensive)? If I did a hypothetical 5.25 gal batch at 1.042 OG using Northern Brewer Prices (just a standard we all can relate too), all grain wins by a mile (assuming no bulk discount):
DME (5 lbs) = $24.95
LME (6.1 lbs) = $23.22
US 2-Row (8 lbs) = $14.32
I know everybody's lhbs pricing may be different depending on where you live, but it just seems all grain will always be a lot cheaper.

 

[Gavin C]

It would be nice to see an accurate title on this article.
4 Tips for Making Great Beer in 15 Minutes*
This is a little bit like the adverts for TV providers. eg Direct TV cost just $19 a month*
The asterisk denoting additional costs or in the case of brewing time not included.
Total time= Setup, Mash (delete for extract), heat wort to boil, boil, chill, transfer + pitch yeast, cleanup
There is no way setup, cleanup and heat wort to boil and transfer can be completed in 15 mins so even if the boil takes 0 mins this article is erroneously titled. id be guessing 60-90 mins might be doable with this technique. But that would not have the same impact in the title.
Also I have two kids, do AG BIAB and enjoy the process immensely from planning to drinking the end product. During the mash and boil I can play with them, feed them, clean up etc. There are a few steps where the process requires my undivided attention but the majority of the 4-5 hr process I can do other things.
This article has not taught me anything new nor has it enlightened me further on extract brewing. I too feel the tone of the article to be poorly thought out. I am a new brewer <10 batches so have plenty to learn here. Just not reading it in the article. Thanks to the author for posting though. I wish him every success.

 

[Ajgeo]

@WoodlandBrew I agree with jbob7171, your price comparison is wrong. You appear to use bulk extract prices, but not bulk grain prices. This is not an apples to apples comparison.
Why don't you adjust your all grain volumes to account for trub loss? Here is a good article on water volume calculation for all grain brewing: http://www.brew365.com/technique_calculating_mash_water_volume.php
You may need to use a bit more grain to account for losses, but not enough to make extract cheaper. All grain will be cheaper every time.

 

[richardtmorgan]

I'm fascinated by the idea of removing the need for cooling wort with extract brewing - also in reducing the time to get wort to a boil by making much less of it and adding a large part (or all) of the extract at the end of the boil. If the hops will really do their thing in the absence of the malt?
Since hop utilization decreases as OG increases (Palmer, How to Brew) then the maximum hop utilization ought to occur boiling hops with plain water(?). In which case that would cut down the cost of hops too - even if you still needed a 45 minute boil to get good bittering (it would be so efficient that 45 mins rather than 60 would be plenty).
I think the trub factor is to do with a greater loss of volume to trub in all grain vs extract - hence that's part of the equation of cost. So extract has lower trub losses and lower heating costs in it's favor (and lower equipment costs) and all grain has the price of grain vs extract in it's favor cost wise.
Regardless of comments about comparative cost and quality it's nevertheless interesting that there might be a couple of efficiencies for extract brewers that would save time and money (less time to boil - forget about how much less; lower fuel costs) and potentially better hygiene (instant cooling).
Certainly a thought provoking article and not worthy of some of the worst of the negative comments it has received.

 

[MDLXXX-BOC]

Brewers make wort, yeast makes beer. If you're just buying wort that someone else already made (extract "brewing")and boiling it for 15 minutes what are you really doing?

 

[FrozenOcean]

Hey man, sorry you're getting flamed so bad in here. I'm interested in what you've got to say, and I look forward to the other articles in the series.

 

[broadbill]

@MDLXXX-BOC: Many people get into the hobby brewing with extract. Many people stay in the hobby by brewing extract. I don't think its our place to tell them they aren't doing it right. So-to answer your questions: If they are making wort in 15 minutes they are brewing, just like the rest of us.
I could look at your cobbed-together cooler mash tun and turkey fryer setup and say you aren't really brewing either, standing in front of a 7 BBL stainless steel steam-jacketed system. Its all relative.

 

[broadbill]

@richardtmorgan: You don't have to wait for WoodlandBrew to tell you about how to do this....Charlie Papazian wrote about this method 30 years ago in the Complete Joy of Homebrewing. I'm sure he will have some refinement to the process, but lets not forget to give credit where due and recognize the fact this is retread topic.
WoodlandBrew: take this in the spirit in which it is given, but I think you could have done a much better job writing this and rolling this series out (Indicating that this is to be a series more clearly would have been a good first step!). Using this first article to lay out the idea and to "sell" the process would have been good, instead of throwing down some random techniques (rehydrating yeast, top-off water, etc.) with no other context for them.
Also, I think you need to be more in tune with your audience. When it comes to homebrewing, as a group you are going to find this audience very well informed and engaged. Don't expect that you are going to roll-out something that a bunch of other folks haven't already thought of. Many of us started homebrewing using the partial boil technique of CP's going on 30 years ago. I look forward to seeing what improvements you bring to the process (and why you do them), but be prepared for some push-back on your assertions. Good luck!

 

[frettfreak]

I am all for cutting down brew time where appropriate but i have to agree with a lot of comments. seems more like a shameless advertisement for a book and site than anything that is really helpful.
Look, commercial breweries (at least the HUGE ones) are all about efficiency and making their beer the cheapest, fastest way but still getting the results you want (IE: good beer) If this were all true, dont you think more commercial breweries would be practicing brewing in this manor instead of all grain, full boil, etc.??? I have had some pretty good extract beers, but i would challenge that the same beer brewed on a good all grain system with someone that knows their system and how to use it would produce a better beer. I dont know. as someone said, if you want a great beer in 15 min, go grab one at the store.

 

[MDLXXX-BOC]

@broadbill My question was: If you're not making wort but, simply buying wort that someone else made and boiling it a little while, you're not actually brewing so, what then is it that you are really doing? My question has nothing to do with the equipment used.

 

[mdbrewer1]

@MDLXXX-BOC When does any extract brewer become a big boy brewer in your mind? How long does one have to boil their wort to join the club or should we just call them 'boilers' and shoo them off to another forum? You're also ignoring everything that a brewer must do after the wort goes into the fermenter.
After finishing this reply, I've decided that you're either way too defensive or you're just trolling the extract 'brewing' crowd.

 

[MDLXXX-BOC]

@mdbrewer1: It's not a matter of how long one is taking to brew; It's a matter of whether you are actually making wort or simply buying wort that someone else made. Brewers don't make beer. Yeast makes beer. Brewers make wort. I understand that once the yeast is pitched into the wort there are some important factors that affect the quality of the eventual beer but, at that point the brewing is done and fermentation is taking place. I'm not trying to shame anyone for using extract. But, when we lose sight of the fact that brewing, in its essence, is MAKING extract, i.e. converting starches into fermentable sugars, we get claims that one can brew a wort in 15 minutes. No! The brewer who actually made that extract took a whole lot longer than 15 minutes to brew it. Forgive me if my tone is coming off as offensive. That's not my intention. I haven't said anything about "big boy brewers" or suggested anyone should go somewhere else. To answer your first question: "When does an extract brewer become a big boy brewer (sic) in your mind?" I say, when he mashes malts that he got from a big boy maltster.

 

[MDLXXX-BOC]

Scroll back up to the article and read tip #one. Why is it that there is no need to add minerals to the distilled water? Answer: "Because extract contains minerals from the ORIGINAL BREWING PROCESS." (emphasis mine)

 

[TheBrewingBear]

There are some interesting dogma-breaking points here. More details on how to handle specialty grain steeping and how to change your approach to hop bitterness versus flavor would be helpful. Some sample recipes would illustrate your approach.

 

[Beek]

As someone who has been on this forum as an observer for years, I am so sad to see the way some of you people are treating the author of this article. You've been meaning, offensive, and incredibly condescending. A lot of you are lucky I'm not an administrator or you'd be finding a new forum to troll. Also to say an extract brewer is not a brewer, really pisses me off. A lot of us got started with extract and if someone was to tell me back then that I'm not a brewer or that I'm not brewing until I go all grain, I may have given up right then. This hobby should bring us together not rip us apart. So for the sake of the future of our hobby, think before you speak.

 

[MDLXXX-BOC]

I quite honestly apologize for any offense taken from my comments. I seem to have trouble saying what I'm trying to say without stirring up emotions and pissing people off. I'm a frequent visitor of the O.P.'s blog and have learned a lot from his research, and look forward to seeing more stuff from him here. I am a new member here but, I am not a troll (unless I don't really understand what a troll is, in which case maybe I really am a troll) and, as I said before, I have no interest in shaming someone for buying malt extract. The only reason that I point out the distinction between buying extract and brewing extract is that there is just something eerie about the whole concept of the original post. How far can you take that approach and still say you are brewing? What if some day someone were to offer a smackpack of yeast and concentrated wort that you just open and pour into a carboy full of distilled water? My assertion is that brewing (in regard to the process of making beer) is a very specific thing, i.e. converting starches into fermentable sugars (mashing). Again I sincerely apologize for any offense I have caused by saying so; However, so far, I haven't heard anyone refute my assertion--only that it's offensive.

 

[jbob7171]

I don't see any trolls in here. I see engaged home brewers asking legitimate questions on the bold claim of making beer in 15 minutes that the article wasn't able to answer. Maybe the next articles in his series will do just that. We shall see.
Telling people you would kick them off the site for disagreement, asking serious questions, and offering constructive criticism (which some may view as harsh, I guess) is a little over the top.

 

[benbradford]

I find the beauty of this hobby to be in the recipe development and the proprietary feelings that come with pulling something out of thin air and over the course of a few weeks turning that thought in to a truly special liquid that I have never before experienced.
If I want to make a 15 minute beverage I will make cider. This is still misleading when I consider the extra hours involved in cleaning and bottling.
I enjoy reading about brewing with extract in the manner that it is easier and requires less equipment therefore attracting new brewers into the hobby, however, to take place the emphasis that an abbreviated version of extract brewing is superior to all grain seems ludicrous at best.

 

[dstar26t]

For Briess DME, they brew it at 16P and their water has 63 ppm SO4, 28 ppm Cl and "moderate hardness" which I assume to be 90 ppm CaCO3 (wiki shows moderate hardness as 61-120 ppm CaCO3) with 26 ppm Ca and 6 ppm Mg. If you brew at 8P, you half those quantities if using all distilled water. If you brew at 12P, you use 75% of those quantities and so on.
Nate