Adding DME throughout boil: Consequences?

[MrDarcy]

Hey, All. First, since this is my first post on the forum, I wanna thank everyone for the amazing knowledge and shared experiences that I've benefited from since I started brewing 5 months ago. I'm having a blast, and couldn't/wouldn't have started were it not for this site. Thank you!

Anyhow, I brewed my first IPA a few days ago using a recipe I gleaned from several forum posts and tweaked in BeerSmith to accommodate my equipment profile (basically, 5.25 gallon batches using my 5 gallon brew pot and a 3.88 gallon boil volume). For whatever reason, after steeping my specialty grains, I decided to really push the boil volume of my kettle and added water accordingly. When it came time to add the 7 lbs 4 oz of DME, however, I realized I'd made a mistake...

BeerSmith assumes I'm adding all the extract at the start of the boil, but I just couldn't. Indeed, I was able to add maybe 2.5 lbs and still the boil-over dangers (to say nothing of trying to maintain a good boil) became pretty nerve-racking. Considering that before using BeerSmith I'd brewed recipes where I added half the extract at the start of the boil and the other at flameout, I figured I could do the same here. But the evaporation rate seemed less than expected, and feeling concerned about the boil gravity, I just started adding DME whenever I thought I could. So, basically, I added about 2.5 lbs of DME at the start of the boil, another 2 or 3 lbs throughout the 60-minute boil, and then the rest at flameout.

I guess my general question is, what influence (if any) will this have on my beer? Again, I just assumed that since DME was once wort already, it really didn't matter much, but then I started thinking about hop utilization, body, mouthfeel. etc.

I should also note that this was the first beer I ever made a yeast starter for, and WOW! It's the first time I've ever needed a blowoff tube in my 6.5 gallon carboy!

 

[woozy]

Those are called late addition. "Early addition" beers are darker than they should be so your beer will be closer to its natural color. Early addition beers can scorch and carmalize so late additions help avoid those types of mistakes. Less sugar increases hop utilization so you beer will be more bitter (which you want in an IPA... probably).

I don't use beersmith but my understanding is that you *can* enter data for when you add the extract and it will calculate hop utilization. Search the help menu for "late additions".

 

[Toy4Rick]

IMO late edition not only lightens up the color, it also reduces the famous "extract twang" associated with early edition. The flavor are much truer to the recipe

Good luck and have fun
Rick

 

[unionrdr]

When making any grain,extract,sugar,etc additions in Beersmith,the pop up window for the addition has a check box for late addition at the bottom. You can also tell it a hop is for dry hop & the number of days.

 

[cullen]

You'll see two impacts on your beer taste:
1. The hop utilization will increase, making it more bitter.
2. The malt may not be as caramelized.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,the beer will def be lighter in color as well as cleaner tasting with late extract additions.

 

[ajwillys]

When doing late additions, you should do enough extract right away to achieve a wort of 1.040-1.050. You can save the rest for near the end, but it should be added at least 15 minutes before the end (to sanitize). As mentioned, the results will be less darkening and higher utilization of the early hop additions.

 

[unionrdr]

I do my late extract additions at flame out. The wort is still boiling hot at that point. So when it's all mixed in,I cover & steep for a few minuts. Since pasteurization happens about 160F,the high residual heat is way above 160F,so it'll work fine that way. You don't have to boil it to pasteurize it.

 

[Yooper]

I can't think of any negative consequences from adding the extract piecemeal through the boil.

I can't think of any positives, either, though!

Next time, just add the bulk of the extract near the end of the boil or at flame out and don't worry about adding and stirring, adding and stirring, throughout the boil.

 

[Yooper]

You'll see two impacts on your beer taste:
1. The hop utilization will increase, making it more bitter.
2. The malt may not be as caramelized.

No, not really to #1. Hops utilization really isn't dependent on wort gravity as previously thought, and the differences aren't even appreciable in a partial boil.

I agree with #2, sort of. It's not caramelization that occurs, as that's only done at very high heat (over boiling temperatures). It's actually a darkening in wort boiling due to mailliard reactions. Just like toast browns, or a steak on the grill browns- it's maillard reactions and not caramelization.

Adding the bulk of the extract late in the boil reduces those excess mailliard reactions, creating a "cleaner" less "cooked extract" taste in the finished beer, and it by far my preference!

 

[The_Professor]

While I was doing more extract brewing I came across some instructions that suggested to add no more than 2lbs of extract per gallon for the boil, adding the rest post boil. It improves both the color (lighter) and flavor (cleaner). IMO this is a bit easier using LME.

 

[woozy]

No, not really to #1. Hops utilization really isn't ...

You are probably right. I only quoted what I read.

I agree with #2, sort of. It's not caramelization that occurs...

I was thinking of caramelization as a separate issue. Caramelization and scorching are avoidable mistakes one shouldn't make whether addition is late or early. However they are easier to make with early additions.

 

[unionrdr]

Caramelization can be lessened with late additions. That's why the color is lighter & the flavor better. Scortching is avoided by adding LME off the heat.

 

[MrDarcy]

Great insight and discussion, y'all! Thanks! Sounds like my IPA's gonna be fine—maybe even better!

 

[cullen]

No, not really to #1. Hops utilization really isn't dependent on wort gravity as previously thought, and the differences aren't even appreciable in a partial boil.

Do you have a source for that? All the formulas I've seen for hop utilization use spg, so this is something new.