Beginning Brewer - Kit with LME and DME?

[wodwo]

Hey everyone,

This is my first brew. I got all the gear as a Christmas present and this is the complete kit I'm using:

http://www.williamswarn.com/Shop/Ingredients/English-Brown-Ale-Complete-Kit#.U076EvldWSo

Thing is, the kit doesn't have any instructions and everything I read on the internet seems to be slightly contradictory or overly complex. I was thinking of following these instructions:

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-1.html

Which seem simple and good for a beginner - except I have both DME and LME and I don't know when or in what order to add these or how long they should be boiled for?

Any help much appreciated, I don't want to make a disastrous mistake right at the start!

 

[Adam_Selene]

Hey everyone,

This is my first brew. I got all the gear as a Christmas present and this is the complete kit I'm using:

http://www.williamswarn.com/Shop/Ingredients/English-Brown-Ale-Complete-Kit#.U076EvldWSo

Thing is, the kit doesn't have any instructions and everything I read on the internet seems to be slightly contradictory or overly complex. I was thinking of following these instructions:

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-1.html

Which seem simple and good for a beginner - except I have both DME and LME and I don't know when or in what order to add these or how long they should be boiled for?

Any help much appreciated, I don't want to make a disastrous mistake right at the start!

Howtobrew is good. Disolve the LME and DME into solution together, but take extra care with the LME as it likes to stick to the bottom of the pot, and it could scorch.

Adam Selene

 

[wodwo]

Cool, thanks! I saw some people saying LME should be added close to the end of the boil.

 

[wodwo]

Also, my kit recommends it be brewed at 23 degrees celcius, I don't have a heat pad and as its winter it'll probably be sitting at about 18 degrees mostly. Will that be OK?

 

[Ron_Blackhurst]

After figuring out that the kits I buy are a little weak, around 4% ABV. I've began adding 1 to 2 pounds of DME to the kits even when they come with LME. I just start the boil with just the DME and at about 10 minutes remaining, I add all the LME after i have let it sit in hot water to thin out. Everything has come out tasting amazing so far.

 

[flars]

Cool, thanks! I saw some people saying LME should be added close to the end of the boil.

Adding LME in the last 15 minutes of the boil is a technique called "late extract addition". This is to keep the finished color of the beer as light as possible due to the Maillard Reaction when heating extract.

In the case of your kit add the LME in the last 15 minutes because it is hopped extract. From reading on the Muntons and Coopers sites boiling hopped extract will make a very bitter beer.

Some more investigation would be warranted before you begin this kit. It is possible the LME is meant for a 60 minute boil or all the ingredients are designed for a 15 minute boil.

This kit is interesting for lack of instructions. I'll look around a bit more.

 

[flars]

Here is the user manual for the WilliamsWarn Personal Brewery. Adding the ingredients is on page 48.
http://www.williamswarn.com/The-WilliamsWarn/pod-files/WWGen2Manualv23Web.pdf

You have a no boil kit. Hot water is used to dissolve the ingredients.

Do you have the WilliamWarn Personal Brewery machine or just the ingredients?

 

[wodwo]

No personal brewery, just the ingredients. I was planning to do it on the stove top.

 

[flars]

No personal brewery, just the ingredients. I was planning to do it on the stove top.

Look up the instructions for a no boil kit on the Coopers or Muntons sites. 23°C seems very warm for an ale yeast. Look up the specs for your yeast on line. I would guess best wort temperature for fermentation will be around 18°C.

 

[wodwo]

Thanks for your help. I might pop into the brew shop and get them to clarify some things about the kit.