Amylase Enzyme for Extract

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heavyfeet

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Hi all,
I've read all about the benefits of amylase enzyme for all grain mashes, fixing stuck fermentations, or lowering FG on beers in the fermenter that contain a lot of unfermentables. But AE is new to me... Can anyone tell me what to expect here?

My recipe is for a lite American swill beer with some character. I want to use the following ingredients:
4# extra light DME
8 oz. honey
8 oz. rice syrup
No steeping grains.

With no AE added, OG = 1.031 and FG = 1.007 ABV = 3.1%

I want to dry this out even further and increase ABV. If I rack this beer to a secondary and add AE can this be done? My concern is that there isn't a lot of unfermentables for lack of steeped malts.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Oh yeah, I'm still mulling over a bittering hop to use. Thinking Hallertau right now around 0.75 oz at 60 mins.
 
if it gets down to 1.007 without the enzyme, thats pretty low, i dont know know if you would want it any drier.

You might want to add the enzyme to the extract in the boil pot mixed with water a few hours before you boil. hopefully that would convert some of it, but once you start the boil it will kill of the enzyme
 
My advice is this: don't use AE.

If you want to bump up the ABV for this brew I'd add some 2-row or extra light DME.

I think that if you add the AE you'll end up with tasteless firewater. If that's what you're going for, then great, but if you want something with flavor I'd just bump up the fermentables.
 
harrymanback92 said:
.007 is pretty damn dry, can I ask why you want to dry it out past that?

I agree. It's dry alright. I'm trying to hit the lower end of the FG range for lite American lagers. I plan to use Nottingham yeast and ferment as cold as I can get it ~64 F.

I'm an all grain brewer and there's a handful of reasons I'm making this recipe. First, I want a lite beer that my wife might actually consider drinking. She won't touch any of my tasty ales to-date. Second, I've got a guys camping weekend this summer that will need a cheap beer pong beer. Third, I want something I can quickly whip up in the evening after work when the kegerator starts to run low and keep this around as a house beer.
 
Well I think you could achieve your goals by using a yeast with higher attenuation or by using a different mashing technique.

Try mashing at 149F for 100 minutes. You'll end up with a highly fermentable wort. I think that if you tried to use AE with a gravity difference this low you're gonna overshoot your goal.
 
Sending this from my my phone so I keep screwing up**

Try WLP001 with a large starter, you'll probably get a higher attenuation than Notty, resulting in a lower FG.
 
Well I think you could achieve your goals by using a yeast with higher attenuation or by using a different mashing technique.

Try mashing at 149F for 100 minutes. You'll end up with a highly fermentable wort. I think that if you tried to use AE with a gravity difference this low you're gonna overshoot your goal.

Since this is not a partial extract nor all-grain recipe, the trick of mashing at lower temp for a longer time won't give me more fermentables. I get whatever ferments when I pour out it out of the jar or dump it from the baggie...:)
 
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