Can i make malt extract ?

[arnold2006]

I'm very new in brewing, as i live in india, home brewing is not allowed and i dont get ant kits here, sitll i want ot brew my own beer, can anyone help me? and what is hopes by the way? is there any substitute for it in india?

 

[broadbill]

You don't have to make malt extract to make beer. Extract is just concentrated or spray dried wort, which you can make directly. Wort is made by mashing grains and draining of the sweet liquid from that process. You add hops, boil, cool and add yeast...let it ferment and you'll have beer.

If you are interested in home-brewing, I'd suggest reading "How to Brew" by John Palmer (there is an online version-google it). As for ingredients, you might be limited based on your geographical location. However, just about every culture has a fermented beverage akin to beer. You may need to substitute a locally grown grain for the barley that beer is traditionally made of.

Good luck!

 

[IrregularPulse]

I actaully wondered this the other day, but for a different reason. I'm an AG brewer that doesn't get many 6-7hour free days for brewing. Could I just mash say 15G worth of a 1.040 pure Pale Ale grain bill, then just boil it down to super concentration syrup. Then Use that whenever I had a 3-4 hour free day and brew extract, with steeping grains...... Take maybe 1 day every 3 months or so to make a ton of extract that I could then use over the next few months on several brews.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

I wondered this also. I need a starter and I am out of DME. Can I just crush enough malt to get a 1.040 wort and boil that for my starter?

 

[broadbill]

I actaully wondered this the other day, but for a different reason. I'm an AG brewer that doesn't get many 6-7hour free days for brewing. Could I just mash say 15G worth of a 1.040 pure Pale Ale grain bill, then just boil it down to super concentration syrup. Then Use that whenever I had a 3-4 hour free day and brew extract, with steeping grains...... Take maybe 1 day every 3 months or so to make a ton of extract that I could then use over the next few months on several brews.

I don't think this would work well. By using boiling to concentrate the wort, you'd be getting huge amounts of caramelization and Maillard reaction products and every beer you make with it would overly caramely and sweet. Extract makers use some tricks like reduced pressure and spray drying to concentrated the wort to extract without adding excessive amounts of heat to control the formation of these flavors. Its more complicated that just boiling it down.

Besides, it would take many, many hours to boil it down to a syrup. If you had time for that, why not just use the wort and make some beer? In the end it would take more time.

 

[iron_city_ap]

It might be tough to do extract brewing where it is illegal. You would probably have an easier time starting off with all grain brewing right from the start. Hops are what adds bitterness to the beer to balance out the sweetness you get from the malt. Your best bet is to pick up a book and start reading. From there, since you can't legally brew, you will probably have to make your own equipment since ordering a kit would be out of the question. There isn't anything complicated you would have to make, but it may take a little research.

 

[broadbill]

I wondered this also. I need a starter and I am out of DME. Can I just crush enough malt to get a 1.040 wort and boil that for my starter?

You can if you are planning on mashing that crushed grain!

However, its a time thing again. If you are going through the mashing/sparge/boil process, why not just make an full batch of beer? If will take an equivalent amount of time to make a starter from grain as it would a full batch. If you make a lower gravity beer, you can pitch directly into that (no starter) and once that ferments, pitch your next beer onto the yeast from the first batch....which is essentially what you do with a starter.

 

[springer]

I actaully wondered this the other day, but for a different reason. I'm an AG brewer that doesn't get many 6-7hour free days for brewing. Could I just mash say 15G worth of a 1.040 pure Pale Ale grain bill, then just boil it down to super concentration syrup. Then Use that whenever I had a 3-4 hour free day and brew extract, with steeping grains...... Take maybe 1 day every 3 months or so to make a ton of extract that I could then use over the next few months on several brews.

Buy the time its all said and done it would faster and most likely cheaper to buy some DME . I always have 5 to 10 pounds for starters and if I really screw up my OG .

 

[david_42]

To make malt extract, you need to have malted grains. It is possible to malt grain yourself and then make beer. It makes much more sense for you to do that. But if homebrewing is illegal in your area, you take your chances.

 

[malkore]

How 'legal' is this thread? We shut down 'distilling' threads instantly because that's not legal in most all countries. Well if home beer making isn't legal in India, aren't we contributing to a crime by helping the OP out?

(just playin' devils advocate here)

 

[joex444]

Actually, if you were able to make 15G of 1.040 wort but not enough time to actually go ahead and make beer from said wort, you should be able to use a no chill method and stick it in a plastic container until you are ready to use it. Would you need to boil it, though? I mean, beyond what you need to boil it just to kill any bacteria in the wort and to sanitize the container.

 

[Edcculus]

Can you get malted grains? If so, you can brew without using extracts.

How 'legal' is this thread? We shut down 'distilling' threads instantly because that's not legal in most all countries. Well if home beer making isn't legal in India, aren't we contributing to a crime by helping the OP out?

(just playin' devils advocate here)

Its a US based site, so I doubt we are bound by Indian laws against homebrewing.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Fine. All done.