Extract beer recipe question

[Silentclint]

I am going to be brewing a cowboy lager with a Coopers extract kit. I am thinking of adding the can of Lager, a can of the wheat malt extract, and their brew enhancer 2 which is a mixture of corn sugar and DME. Is this too much sugars to add or am I on the right path here. This will be my 3rd batch and I want it to be awesome! I am also wanting to add some orange blossom honey, when should I do that? When I make the wort, put it into a secondary, or some other means? Any thoughts?

Cheers!

 

[bdupree]

It's not too much sugar just keep in mind that you're raising the ABV a lot and it's gonna be a lot maltier. Also the honey is just going to dry the beer out some and raise the ABV -- it's not gonna add any honey flavor to the brew.

 

[cheezydemon3]

The Honey would add flavor late in the boil....if you don't actually lager it.

ARE YOU GOING TO LAGER THIS?

I applaude that cavalier attitude towards style and recipe, but it sounds like you need to move to PM brews, like YESTERDAY.

Why buy kits if you are going to turn them on their heads?

Also, you don't want to have TOO much going on, or the beer will be confused and lacking any sort of identity.

 

[Silentclint]

If I ferment for 2 weeks in the primary then move to a secondary how long should it sit in the secondary before bottling?

 

[Silentclint]

What is a PM brew? I am a rookie and don't know all the terms just yet. Thanks for the advice.

 

[cheezydemon3]

.......A lager sits in the fridge for a freaking month.

OK, so not lagering. That is fine.

Go 6 weeks primary, no secondary and it will be great.

Partial Mashing (for me) is using pale DME (or LME) and soaking actual grains in hot water to get the other flavors you want. No "Cowboy Lager" or any of that BS.

Cowboys didn't even HAVE a fridge...(mutters to self angrily)

Get rid of the cans.....(especially Lager cans that you don't intend to lager)

 

[Silentclint]

Then do I bottle condition for another 4 weeks? Is this too much flavor for this type of beer kit? I use kits since I am worried about messing up a partial extract kit, etc...... Let me get a few good batches under my belt and I will move up. Thanks for your advice with all of this.

Cheers!

 

[cheezydemon3]

Bottle 4 weeks is great, if you can wait that long. BREW again right away, so that you can let your babies sit that long.(so you have something else to drink)


3 lbs pale DME
1 lb crystal 10L
1 oz cascade hops 30 min
1 oz cascade 0 min(flameout)

yeast

You CAN't screw this recipe up. Crystal is soooo forgiving. It is Cheap low ABV "meantime" beer.

You will have a simple APA no matter how badly you steep the crystal.

 

[BillyBock]

Not really any need to secondary. I used to religiously, but tried a brew that stayed in the primary and it turned out great! I would go at least three weeks in the primary, then bottle. (Check with hydrometer, of course)

If you add the honey late in the boil (last five minutes) then you will get some flavor from it. The five minute boil will get rid of any nasties. I would go at least a pound of honey to get any flavor from it, but it will dry the beer out some.

Partial Mash, IMO, is mashing as much grain as your setup will allow, but still falls short of 100% all-grain. I mash about 25-35% of my grain bill and the remaining is extract.

Hope that helps some!

 

[unionrdr]

I am going to be brewing a cowboy lager with a Coopers extract kit. I am thinking of adding the can of Lager, a can of the wheat malt extract, and their brew enhancer 2 which is a mixture of corn sugar and DME. Is this too much sugars to add or am I on the right path here. This will be my 3rd batch and I want it to be awesome! I am also wanting to add some orange blossom honey, when should I do that? When I make the wort, put it into a secondary, or some other means? Any thoughts?

Cheers!

Ok,if this is the OS (Original Series) lager can,then it's not a true lager,since it uses the gold,7g ale yeast sachet. It's more of a pale ale,but still good for using as a base. I've made some good ales from it. So don't "move up" till you're ready or feel like it. I still say this grains stuff is cool,but not the "end all" of brewing. Keep both feet on the wheel,& do watcha feel.
The wheat malt addition is ok,it'll give something of a wheat beer/Belgian wit sort of thing. And the brew enhancer2 is 500g dextrose,250g of light DME,& 250g of maltodextrin. The maltodextrin doesn't ferment out,it's there for mouth feel mostly.
And for some honey flavor,you could even steep 8oz of honey malt at 160F in a bag for 30 minutes to get some honey flavor. Just another thought. And no secondary is needed. Just leave it in primary about a week after FG is reached to let the yeast clean up by-products,& settle out more.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Not a Lager???? That is even worse.

All the more reason to skip the can.

 

[unionrdr]

He doesn't sound like he's ready for AG yet. I'm Trying to help rather than criticize. Small steps taken correctly will get you to your goal faster then fewer steps taken incorrectly. That applies quite often to home brewing.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I'm sorry, 3 lbs of DME and 1 lb of crystal is AG?

And criticising? He says he is making a lager. I don't feel the need to know the full line up of kits that are named "Lager" and aren't.

Back down and re-read the posts genius.

 

[TheDom]

Wow, RDWHAHB guys.

To the OP: I understand the desire to go nuts right out of the gate, and I think I took that very approach with my third brew. It turned out terrible. That doesn't mean at all that what you describe will turn out poorly, but it seems a bit overboard to me. There is something to be said for sticking to proven recipes for a bit until you understand what effect the changes you make will have in the end product.

If you haven't yet, check out howtobrew.com. The first (slightly outdated) version is available for free online, and will answer questions like what a partial mash is, and how and why certain things are done in homebrewing. Ignore the part on secondaries though, they are rarely necessary.

 

[unionrdr]

You were the one telling a noob to go AG from the get go. I was discussing what he had & was trying to do. Genius.

 

[cheezydemon3]

You were the one telling a noob to go AG from the get go. I was discussing what he had & was trying to do. Genius.

I'm sorry, 3 lbs of DME and 1 lb of crystal is AG?

In case there is some confusion here, AG is ALL GRAIN. Steeping 1 lb of crystal is not going ALL GRAIN.

I am sorry I took the bait. Carry on everyone!

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,that's why I refer to it as AG for short. Just let the redneck side "git ma goat agin". Now where were we??...

 

[Silentclint]

Thanks for the help guys. I know that you both don't like kits but it is how I am starting my journey into home brew. I don't want to get a lot invested into advanced beer equipment just yet. I am looking for a fridge or chest freezer on craigs list so that I can control the ferment temperature and really let it go for a month or so before bottling. I know I shouldn't get too crazy with recipes either I am just trying to have fun and produce great beer! I know that you guys feel beer extract kits probably don't produce that but again I haven't made that leap yet to PM or AG brewing yet. I will get there but in the mean time just keep helping me out when I need it so that I don't get frustrated and give up on this stuff.

Cheers!

 

[unionrdr]

Sure Clint,you have but to ask. I still use Cooper's cans as a base for adding other things. Some call the cooper's cans "kits",when in point of fact they are just part of what would normally be construed as a kit. I don't hate kits. I just modify them into something else. It's a popular thing to do in Australia where Cooper's come from.
You can do all kinds of great beers from cooper's cans,when you learn more about how/why things work. So ask away!

 

[emjay]

Partial Mashing (for me) is using pale DME (or LME) and soaking actual grains in hot water to get the other flavors you want.

That's just extract brewing with steeped grains, not partial mashing

 

[cheezydemon3]

That's just extract brewing with steeped grains, not partial mashing

LOL, good point! SO even PM was an exaggeration. Thanks!

And silent clint, (who isn't so silent) relying on "kits" is fine if you don't have the confidence to branch out yet, but you are branching like crazy onto a can that is supposed to be complete to begin with.

Pale DME or LME is like a blank canvas upon which to throw your crazy cool experiments.

If you start with a cowboy lager/ale that has some hops and some other stuff in it, how do you know if your brew was good or bad due to the Can of Extract, or due to your honey or your technique?

You have confidence in a pre-made can, because it is supposed to be "complete" on it's own.

Pale extract and 1 oz of hops will be as "complete" on it's own. There is no magic.

I wouldn't put it to this way to a noob who is carefully following a kit's instructions. You are already off the map, why not make it your own in case it is great!

No recipe I have ever seen begins :"1 can of cowboy lager"

 

[Silentclint]

Thanks again for the help. I just got a stand up freezer for free and would like to know what type/ brand of temp controller to buy for it, any suggestions?

Cheers!