A couple questions the books & guides don't answer

[stoneform]

I've only brewed one batch thus far. It was an brown ale extract kit from my local store, and the best praise I can give it, was that it's drinkable. During the brewing process a couple questions came up that I hadn't considered before trying. If the style matters for the answers, I would love to try an imperial stout, porter, ESB or IPA.

1) How vigorous of a boil should I aim for while doing the bittering hop boil?
2) Should I ever squeeze the specialty grain or hop bag to "extract more flavor?"
3) Is a yeast starter really necessary with liquid yeasts?
4) I read somewhere, and can't find it now, that dry malt give more body over liquid extract. Is this true?
5) Of the beers I listed, using extract, which would be easiest to actually brew correctly?

 

[grimzella]

i can answer number 2). You Do Not want to squeeze the grain bag. not sure why but i have read enough books to know this is not done. number 3) I have never used liquid yeast, only the dry notty. I would think that you Would need a started with liquid.. just so you know you have enough cells. number 4) My boil was not a violent boil.. just a small rolling boil, just to keep things moving along. Sorry this is all i can help with right now.

 

[unionrdr]

I've only brewed one batch thus far. It was an brown ale extract kit from my local store, and the best praise I can give it, was that it's drinkable. During the brewing process a couple questions came up that I hadn't considered before trying. If the style matters for the answers, I would love to try an imperial stout, porter, ESB or IPA.

1) How vigorous of a boil should I aim for while doing the bittering hop boil?
2) Should I ever squeeze the specialty grain or hop bag to "extract more flavor?"
3) Is a yeast starter really necessary with liquid yeasts?
4) I read somewhere, and can't find it now, that dry malt give more body over liquid extract. Is this true?
5) Of the beers I listed, using extract, which would be easiest to actually brew correctly?

1)A good rolling boil is all that's needed for good hop utilization.
2)It's better to sparge the grain bag rather than squeezing. You don't wanna squeeze tannins out of the husks.
3)It is generally recommended to make starters for liquid yeasts. They have lower cell counts than dry yeast packets.
4)I don't think it is. I just use DME in the boil cause they don't darken like LME does in the boil.
5)An ESB or IPA would be easier at this point.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I have heard many people squeeze the bag but have also heard you can extract tannins this way. All you need is a nice steady boil, it does not need to be violent. You can pitch liquid yeast without a starter if it is a low gravity beer, but even then a starter is suggested so that the yeast are not stressed when pitched and to make sure it is still viable to use.

 

[StoneHands]

Most, if not all of your questions have been answered on this site in the past, so feel free to dig further.
1. Try to maintain a consistent boil throughout the whole boil. You want it turning over, but you don't want it splashing out and scalding you either. Find out what works for you, and maintain it. Helps knowing how much to expect with boiloff rate too.
2. This one has been beaten to death I think. Some say you'll get tannins if you squeeze, some say you get more flavor. I really hesitate to answer. (I'm really not trying to be a jerk, it's just you need to find out what works for you).
3. Probably necessary to get the best fermentation. You can do without a starter, but it may not give you the best results you could with a starter. Check out Mr Malty or Yeastcalc for guidance.
4. I would say it depends on the malt manufacturer. I would think that the extract is made to give a middle of the road fermentability (for instance, they mashed at 154 degrees). I'd say find an extract you like, and supplement the body with specialty grains as needed.
5. For your first beers, I'd stay away from anything imperial, they just take too long to get drinkable. A regular stout or porter, might help you hide some flaws with a little roastiness. An IPA, you can hide some flaws with hops. I would do whatever you like best, but stick to a "standard" gravity beer. 1.050 for instance.

I cannot stress this enough, keep your fermentation on the cool side. Ales need to be in the 60's IMO. Look up a swamp cooler. I use a spare cooler with water bath and keep putting in frozen water bottles to keep things on the cool side.

 

[homebrewdad]

I've only brewed one batch thus far. It was an brown ale extract kit from my local store, and the best praise I can give it, was that it's drinkable. During the brewing process a couple questions came up that I hadn't considered before trying. If the style matters for the answers, I would love to try an imperial stout, porter, ESB or IPA.

1) How vigorous of a boil should I aim for while doing the bittering hop boil?
2) Should I ever squeeze the specialty grain or hop bag to "extract more flavor?"
3) Is a yeast starter really necessary with liquid yeasts?
4) I read somewhere, and can't find it now, that dry malt give more body over liquid extract. Is this true?
5) Of the beers I listed, using extract, which would be easiest to actually brew correctly?

1. You want a "roiling boil".
2. Conventional wisdom has said no, that you'll extract tannings that make the beer astringent. Turns out this is not the case - you can squeeze the devil out of them with no ill effects. Tannins come from too high temperatures when mashing (and you are doing extract, so no worries there).
3. Not always necessary, but will go a long way towards giving you faster, more vigorous, healthier fermentation. Starts sound scary, but are stupidly easy (way easier than beer) to do - a little DME in some boiling water. Cool and pitch yeast. Shake it up when you walk past for the next day or two. Enjoy better beer.
4. I have read this, but cannot comment.
5. Pick your favorite style of those and go with it. Unless you get into funky adjuncts or fruit, I haven't seen that the process is terribly different.

 

[aidan]

i can answer number 2). You Do Not want to squeeze the grain bag. not sure why but i have read enough books to know this is not done.

This one seems to be a somewhat contentious one, a lot of people on this and other forums are saying that squeezing the grain bag leading to tannins/astringency is just a myth. Personally I go with a gentle squeeze and haven't noticed any ill efect on my beer.

 

[edecambra]

Honestly if all you did was a yeast starter from your list of questions your beer will be better by leaps and bounds. Fermentations is #1 most important phase for your beer. the brew day, i'd argue is second most important.

 

[TTB-J]

1. Rolling
2. Yes. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. I'm going to keep saying it until you guys hear me. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins...
3. Yes.
4. No.
5. IPA.

 

[rhamilton]

2. Yes. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. I'm going to keep saying it until you guys hear me. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins...

Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins. Squeezing the bag does not extract tannins.....

 

[hillhousesawdustco]

I think everyone has covered your questions pretty well. I will comment on the last item, concerning "which beer you should brew." I found that it was easier to make porters and brown ales when I first got started, as one previous poster said that style will cover up flaws a little better than other. This was particularly true in my case because I have very, very hard water and ESBs/Pale Ales/Etc came out quite harsh before I started meddling with my water profile.
Others mentioning fermentation are dead on- I think the best thing you can do when getting started is making sure your wort is appropriately cooled prior to adding the yeast, and having CONSTANT temperature control. A fermentation chamber is very, very nice to have. Sorry for the unsolicited fermentation advice!

 

[buzzbean]

For the yeast starter what size is your batch and who supplies your yeast? If you are using a wyeast smack pack you should be straight especially of it is a small batch, (5 gal or less).

Also, if you are happy with your results then keep doing what you are doing. Do a yeast starter because 1) your not happy and think that would help 2) your doing a high og beer and volume wise you need to 3) wtf, doing a starter sound fun.

I do biab and give the bag a bit of a squeeze, gotta get all those sugars! But it sounds like you are doing extract w/specialty grains. If that is the case I don't know what you would gain. I leave it to the more knowledgeable elders for the rest.

 

[stoneform]

Thanks all. Clearly I need to pay more attention to the yeast this time around. I know I didn't aerate the beer last time, so hopefully between better aeration and a yeast starter it will be not just drinkable, but actually good.