About Malt Extract

[biertschi]

Hello everyone,

I am new here and this is my first post. I am also quite new at homebrewing.

I'd like to ask sth to the people here who are much more experienced at homebrewing than me.

I am talking to a supplier and he has 2 kinds of malt extract. And he says that with the one of them, I can brew Czech pilsner, lager or ale. Do you think this is possible?

He already sent me the chart of its characteristic. It says:


colour: honeyed (demerara)

smell: typical malted, honeyed without undesirable smell

taste: typical malted, sweet, honeyed, without undesirable taste

consistence: thick liquid, honeyed consistence

description: liquid candit malt extract is made of czech malt – pilsen type (unroasted malt) and drinking water, inspissated in special vaporizer; Malt extract does not contain any GMO component; The malt extract does not contain any BAA( biologically active additives).

additives: without any additives, conservative substance, pigments or artificial aromas

solids (refractometric):... 81,0±1%
maltose in solids............ 50,0±10%,
glucose in solids .............. 9±2%
fructose in solids.............. 3±2%
proteins ............................. 6,0±1%
minerals .......................... 1,2%
fat .................................... 0,1%
density 20°C...................... 1,39 – 1,41 g/ml
colour ................................ 18-26 EBC
diastatic activity ............. 350±50 W.K.
pH............................. 5,2 - 5,8
Pb.............................. 0,004 mg/kg
Cd.............................. 0,001 mg/kg


Thanks in advance and sorry for my English

 

[agrazela]

Sounds like a pilsner malt extract to me. As-is, probably best for pilsner or light colored lager. With some steeped character grains, would be fine for an ale.

 

[unionrdr]

A Czech pilsen at that. Maybe add some steeping grains as used in lagers, ditto on the hops & use WL029 kolsch yeast for a " hybrid lager"?

 

[biertschi]

Thanks for your replies. So, obviously it's pilsner malt extract. Do you think I could make lager with it if I use the correct hop and yeast with it? (without any steeping grain) And if I try it, what type of lager would it be?

 

[frazier]

What kind of beer(s) do you like to drink?
What equipment do you have? Will this be a typical 5 gallon batch?

It's hard to answer your question without knowing a bit more about your preferences and capabilities.

Cheers!

 

[biertschi]

Hello frazier, thanks for your reply.

I've been using the starter kit of Mr.Beer but I ordered a new one an it's on the way. It has almost 8 gallons capacity but probably I'll brew 6 gallons at most.

Well, in the country I live in, beer is not a big culture and it's not that easy to find that many varieties. And the ones that we have are all imported and expensive. That's why I am always open to try new kinds.

I am just trying to find out what I can do with this liquid malt extract. Except pilsner.

Thanks again.

 

[unionrdr]

Well, to use a proper lager yeast, you'd have to be able to maintain a ferment temp of 50F to about 53F. The WL029 kolsch yeast I mentioned has a " sweet spot" where it ferments best of 65-69F, which is an ale temp range. It's technically an ale yeast, but it produces a lager-like balance with a bit of crispness on the back. That's why I suggested it. As for hops, use Czech saaz, German noble hops like spelt, hallertau, magnum for bittering, perle, spault & the like.

 

[justenoughforme]

it's important to note,

Lager is treated completely different from Ale. unless you have a fermentation chamber that can keep temperatures very low, a true lager is hard to come by.

that said, with that pilsner extract you can make most any flavor profile you want, by adjuncting with specialty grains,

for instance, you can add half a pound of chocolate malt, and get a porter like beer.

and... you can get plenty of "lager tasting" beers, just keep in mind, when people on here talk about lagering, they are talking about holding fermentation at 7 celsius for three weeks (hard to do in summer).