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Tag

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Ok. As a new brewer I need some advise.
I have a can of Munton's Nut Brown Ale, Two pounds of Extra dark DME, and plenty of corn sugar. What sort of proportions can I use and what will I end up with. I'm thinking the Munton's, both pounds of DME and about a pound of sugar but don't have a clue what this will be like. Any suggestions?
Thanks
 
At this time I don't have any hops. Should I? What do you recommend? I don't want a strongly hopped flavor.But I don't want a strong sugary sweet taste either.
Thanks
 
You need hops unless your extract is a hopped extract. Even then you might still need hops. I'd say you dont have enough stuff to make a full 5gal batch either unless it will be really weak.
 
The directions on the can probably say to add sugar, but it will be better with the DME instead. Save the corn sugar for bottling. I would at least get an ounce of hops, and if you want to try something light I would try Saaz or Crystal. If you are going to a home brew supply they usually have a list of hops types next to the refridgerator and a brief description of each.

I would do late extract addition since you have such dark extracts. If you want to do a 1 hour boil, I would use around 2.5 gallons, and add the DME. Bring to a boil and add half of the hops. Boil for 40 minutes, remove from heat, and add the can of Munton's. Bring back to a boil and add 1/4 off the hops and boil for 10 more minutes. With 5 minutes left, add the last 1/4 of the hops.

Watch for boil-overs!

Edit: When I made extract beers from cans I would use two cans plus 1 pound of DME and one ounce of hops. Your will be beer, but on the weak side.
 
IIRC, the Muntons kit-in-a-can are 4 pounds of LME. Add in 2 lbs of DME and you end up with an OG of ~1047, which should provide a respectable ABV of between 4 and 4.5%.

Even if the tin only provides 3.3 lbs, you will still end up with an OG of ~1042, which ought to put you between 3.5 and 4% - more of a session ale.

This is by no means weak, except when compared to the ~1068 provided by two tins of extract and one lb of DME. ;)

+1 to adding some hops, though. I think you'll find the kit underhopped, even if you just used the kit and no extra DME.

Please note that Muntons extracts generally ferment fairly dry - that is, they don't leave much residual sugar to provide mouthfeel and body. That said, Muntons dark extracts have a fuller body from the malts used to provide the color being less fermentable.

No matter what you do, you're going to end up with good, fresh beer. Toss in some extra hops, and you might just end up with excellent fresh beer! :mug:

Cheers,

Bob
 
Thanks for the replies.

It's a 3.3 lb can of hopped extract and it calls for 2 lb. of corn sugar to go with it.

The problem is that it is over an hour and a half to the nearest LHBS. I'll probably give this a try without the added hops (hey, how bad can it be? It's BEER!) but do you think it'll be overpoweringly sweet or just bland tasting?
 
Well, with almost half of your "beer" corn sugar, and no added hops, I'm guessing it'll be thin, dry, and cidery tasting. It definitely won't be sweet because the sugar will ferment out. It won't be bitter, either, though.

If you still want to make this kit, I'd lose the corn sugar, and put the DME in instead. I would NOT boil the hopped extract. I'd bring the water to a boil, add the DME and stir well, and then boil that for 15 minutes, Turn off the heat, and then add the liquid extract and stir well. TCool it in a cold water bath, and then add it to the fermenter along with enough water to bring you up to five gallons. If you don't boil the hopped LME, you might retain quite a bit of the hops flavor, and if you use the DME and not the corn sugar, you'll probably have a nice drinkable beer.

Edit- the Munton's kits make 6 gallons, right, not 5? Then top up to 6 gallons if that's the case!
 
Tag said:
Thanks for the replies.

It's a 3.3 lb can of hopped extract and it calls for 2 lb. of corn sugar to go with it.

The problem is that it is over an hour and a half to the nearest LHBS. I'll probably give this a try without the added hops (hey, how bad can it be? It's BEER!) but do you think it'll be overpoweringly sweet or just bland tasting?

Yooper is right... don't use 2 lb. of corn sugar, that will impart a taste on your beer that you probably will not enjoy. Use the DME, and if you must use corn sugar, limit it to .5 or 3/4 of a pound.

I've never used a prehopped extract, so I'm not sure what the hop content of a can actually is. I'd say that adding an ounce or so of you favorite variety at 60 minutes would serve you well.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Well, I went ahead and brewed it up. If I had bothered to read the instructions that came with the Munton's, they actually suggested trying this mix, instead of using 2 lbs of sugar. They said if it comes out too rich, next time try less DME and some sugar to make up the rest. The mix was to make 6 gallons but I went ahead and made it 5 gallons to help get it up a little bit .

My recipe was as follows:
1- 3.3 lb can of Munton's Nut brown Ale beer kit mix ( hopped)
2 lbs. plain extra dark DME
5 gallons water
Munton's yeast pkg. ( not the one with the kit)

My OG comes out to 1.047 ( 1.044 @ 80.5 degrees? )
Anyone have any idea what I should come out with in the end?

I'll let you know how it turns out .

My next batch will be something with a little more challenge to it. As of yet, I haven't steeped any grains into my recipes and have been pleasantly surprised with my outcomes.

Thanks again
 
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