I brewed an experimental recipe a few weeks ago...

[Hoochin'Fool]

Made a 2.5 gallon wort this evening:
3 lbs Briess golden lite dme
4 oz caramel 40 (hot steep)
4 oz black patent (9 hour cold steep)
.7 oz Kent Goldings (5.7 AA) @ 60 minutes
boil 30 minutes, and then slo-chill while I cleaned everything up (took about 90 minutes to drop below 180).
Finish active cooling to 80F, then aerated wort by pouring from pot to spare bucket, back to pot, back to bucket, then onto the S-04 yeast cake from the beer I'd just finished bottling.

Brix: 16, OG: 1.063, IBU: 30... Anticipated FG: 1016, ABV: 6.1-ish

Then I split the batch into 2 smaller buckets, one I left as is, and the other, I added a chocolate syrup I'd made last night from 1.5 oz cocoa powder, 2 oz sugar, in 4 oz water.

-- 12 day update:
Fermentation appears to have stopped, the brix reading for both is at 8. Bucket 1 (no chocolate syrup) tastes like a halfway decent porter! Bucket 2 (with the chocolate syrup) tastes quite odd (like a slightly sour, bitter chocolate), and is still very cloudy.

-- 25 day update:
Both beers (plain, and with added chocolate syrup) are good, better than I'd actually hoped for this being pretty experimental. I think both were a little sweeter than I wanted, if/when I make it again, I'll back off the caramel-40L to 2.5 oz (OR maybe the lack of "bite" from cold-steeped black malt was the reason for the sweeter than desired taste?)... Finally, the chocolate syrup batch leaves a pretty ugly trail of small particles if you pour out the last bit of beer from the bottle, so not sure if I'd do the chocolate syrup into the fermenter again.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Early review: just tried a half-bottle of the chocolate porter (yes, I'm cheap enough to cap a half-filled bottle from the bottom of the bucket). Nicely carbonated already, happy with the chocolate flavor, but the cold-steeped black patent maybe was a dumb idea, because there's no roasty bite to this at all.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Last weekend, I brewed another variation of my "Citra Hop Steep" where I

1) brought the DME to a short boil ​

2) let the wort cool at ambient temperature from boil to around 175F (hops add bitterness)​

3) held the temperature at around 175F for 20 or 30 minutes (hops add aroma / flavor)​

​

Citra Hop Steep

Size: 2.5 gal; OG: ~60 FG: ~13 IBU: SRM: ~ 8​

Ingredients

2.5 gal "no minerals' water + 1 g gypsum​

​

3 lb DME (Briess Pale Ale)​

8 oz sugar​

​

14 g Magnum (12% AA) for bitterness​

28 g Cyro Citra (25% AA) for aroma / flavor​

​

1 sachet Lallemand New England​

Process

[1] heat water to ~ 140F, add gypsum, DME, sugar​

[2] boil for 5 min​

[3] flame-out: add Magnum hops (bittering addition)​

[4] let stand until wort drops to ~ 177F (~20 min); add Citra hops (flavor/aroma addition)​

[5] let stand for ~ 20 min​

[6] chill, let trub settle, pitch the yeast.​

Notes
With my (induction cooktop) 2.5 gal BIAB batches, I know how much heat my kettle loses with various amounts of insulation. I wrap the kettle with Reflectix. During the mash rest, I cover the lid with a bath towel. And the malts assist with temperature stability. Mash temperature will drop a couple of degrees over 45 min mash (a little more in the winter, a little less in the summer).

In step 4, kettle sides are wrapped, lid is off.

In step 5, kettle sides are wrapped, lid is on and covered with a bath towel.

For this DME-based batch, step 4 went from boil (208F) to ~177F in about 20 min (so the bittering addition should be reasonable). Step 5 went from ~ 175 F to 165F in about 20 minutes (and the flavor / hop addition should also be reasonable).

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Early review: just tried a half-bottle of the chocolate porter (yes, I'm cheap enough to cap a half-filled bottle from the bottom of the bucket). Nicely carbonated already, happy with the chocolate flavor, but the cold-steeped black patent maybe was a dumb idea, because there's no roasty bite to this at all.

Final review on the chocolate porter...

Sipping the last (*sob*) bottle right now, it's very tasty. I'm going to make this again, with three changes:
#1 Make an at least 3-gallon batch!
#2 Keep the cold-steep black patent, but do a regular steep of some (4 oz?) chocolate malt (briess 350L) along with the cara40L.
#3 Wait a little longer before drinking them!

I'm going to be very close to NB's St Paul store this week, should I try a different yeast on this recipe? So maybe...

#4 Try something besides S-04?

cheers!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

An update to

Citra Hop Steep

brewed on Nov 19 (two weeks ago). In addition to the "post boil" temperature control, this batch included a relatively fast fermentation (New England hit FG in 7 days) and relatively fast bottle condition (experimenting with CBC-1 at 75F).

I'm pleased with the result from the "post boil" temperature control. When I come back to this recipe, I'll probably change the 'bittering' addition (21 grams rather than 14), lower the "hop steep" temperature to 170F, and add a 2nd hop to the steep.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Brewed a refinement of my hop steep process (#33) with the changes I mentioned in #35.

Centennial Hop Steep

Size: 2.5 gal; OG: ~60 FG: ~13 IBU: SRM: ~ 8

Ingredients
2.5 gal "no minerals' water + 1 g gypsum
3 lb DME (Briess Pale Ale)
8 oz sugar
28 g Magnum (12% AA) for bitterness
28 g Centennial (10.3% AA) for aroma / flavor
Split fermentation with US-05 / K-97

Process
1. heat water to ~ 140F, add gypsum, DME, sugar
2. boil for 5 min
3. flame-out: add Magnum hops (bittering addition)
4. let stand until wort drops to ~ 172F (~25 min);
5. add Centennial hops (flavor/aroma addition)
6. let stand for ~ 30 min (temp drops to ~165F over 30 min)
7. chill, let trub settle, pitch the yeast.
8. initial fermentation at ~63F;

With my BIAB batches, I maintain a stable temperature by wrapping the 4 gal kettle with insulation (Reflectx) and covering the lid with a bath towel. With that background knowledge, I can control the temperature drop (step 4) by insulating the kettle but leaving the lid off and maintain a temperature (step 6) by wrapping the kettle and covering the lid.

---

eta: Adding the DME at 140F offers the opportunity to re-run a side experiment on 'hot break' with certain brands of DME. The results (example pictures below) were confirmed once again with this batch.

It's been a while since I did this side experiment with Muntons DME. The last time I did it, I got different visual results. I may order some Muntons DME early next year.

Example: visual of "hot break" (while heating)

Example: visual of "foam" (start of boil)

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

An update to

brewed on Nov 19 (two weeks ago). In addition to the "post boil" temperature control, this batch included a relatively fast fermentation (New England hit FG in 7 days) and relatively fast bottle condition (experimenting with CBC-1 at 75F).

What's proper way to use CBC? Put it in the bottling bucket along with the priming sugar? Or add it to fermenter first, let it settle to a possibly lower final gravity, and then bottle with priming sugar?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

What's proper way to use CBC? Put it in the bottling bucket along with the priming sugar? Or add it to fermenter first, let it settle to a possibly lower final gravity, and then bottle with priming sugar?

I dose individual bottles, so I can't speak to how to do it with a bottling bucket.

For dosing individual bottles:

• Historically, with my "6-pack" and "12-pack" barley wine batches, I'd add 0.1 gram of CBC-1 per bottle. I would weight that with a jewelry scale, along with the sugar.
• For my recent "fast bottle condition" tests, I used a 1/32 tsp measuring spoon (aka a smidgen) - which is roughly 0.1 gram.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Update on ...

Brewed a refinement of my hop steep process (#33) with the changes I mentioned in #35.

Centennial Hop Steep

The split batch (US-05, K-97) was fermented in a pair of Little BMBs. I was curious about color while fermenting (same wort, different yeasts). Color was different between the two fermenters both during and after active fermentation. Yet more confirmation that color can not be measured in the fermenter.

The US-05 batch has cleared, so it's time to bottle. Color came out as estimated for Pale Ale DME (and while in the "deep gold" / "pale amber" range, the color is still within range for APA/IPA competition style).

In 2023, I will minimize the number of dry strains I brew with. K-97 won't "make the cut". It's probably due the way that I brew.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Update on ...

Brewed a refinement of my hop steep process (#33) with the changes I mentioned in #35.

Centennial Hop Steep

First bottles came out 'as expected' (in a good way) using US-05 and Centennial.

Next steps? Maybe lower the hop stand temperature to 160F to 165F. Maybe a split batch with a blend of hops (Citra + ? + ?) and different strains of yeast (Verdant? New England? Nottingham?).

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Brewed this up mid December, and bottled just after New Year's.

3 gal into fermenter, about 2.8 gal to be packaged
2 gal "london" water, 1 gal RO water, topped up to 3 gal in fermenter with RO water

Briess Golden Lite DME 3 lb
Briess Amber DME 1 lb
6oz cara 40L steeped
4oz black patent steeped
4oz chocolate malt steeped
2oz pale chocolate malt steeped

0.3 oz Magnum 15.1% AA @ 60
0.2 oz Kent Golding 5.5% AA @ 60
0.2 oz Kent Golding 5.5% AA @ 10

US-05, fermented between 60F and 64F 12 days, 68F 3 days

OG: 1.061, FG: 1.012, ABV: 6.7%, IBU: 35, SRM: 33

It's finally tasting pretty danged good, gonna brew this again, soon as I see how another porter I recently made turns out -- bottling tomorrow, hopefully.

-- tasting note update: I wish it had a touch more roastyness flavor. I'm hopeful that the batch that I just finished bottling today (Fawcett Dark Crystal 85L instead of caramel 40L, 5 oz victory, 4 oz pale choc, 4 oz choc, 4 oz midnite wheat) might get a little closer to what I'm searching for, but I think I might need to break down and add some roast barley, even if that only belongs in stouts, no matter what sort of german nonsense @Miraculix might say)!

-- 05-feb-2023 buzzed tasting-note-update:
Bah on the "needs more roastyness", this tastes very good, definitely the best beer I've made so far! Wish there were more than 13 bottles left!!!

 

[RM-MN]

Brewed this up mid December, and bottled just after New Year's.

3 gal into fermenter, about 2.8 gal to be packaged
2 gal "london" water, 1 gal RO water, topped up to 3 gal in fermenter with RO water

Briess Golden Lite DME 3 lb
Briess Amber DME 1 lb
6oz cara 40L steeped
4oz black patent steeped
4oz chocolate malt steeped
2oz pale chocolate malt steeped

0.3 oz Magnum 15.1% AA @ 60
0.2 oz Kent Golding 5.5% AA @ 60
0.2 oz Kent Golding 5.5% AA @ 10

US-05, fermented between 60F and 64F 12 days, 68F 3 days

OG: 1.061, FG: 1.012, ABV: 6.7%, IBU: 35, SRM: 33

It's finally tasting pretty danged good, gonna brew this again, soon as I see how another porter I recently made turns out -- bottling tomorrow, hopefully.

Try to save a few bottles. I think it will be noticeably better by March.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Try to save a few bottles. I think it will be noticeably better by March.

Someone famous once said "but the waaaaaaaiting, is the hardest part".

 

[RM-MN]

Someone not so famous said, "Don't waste your time, brew another beer".

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

This beer was bottled just 2 and a half weeks ONE week ago, but the bottle I just tried tastes really nice. Best beer I've made so far, gonna re-brew it this weekend!

3 lb Briess Golden Light DME
8 oz brown sugar
6 oz Thomas Fawcett Dark Crystal 85srm [labels on this seem to vary a lot, anyways, it's the one from RiteBrew]
5 oz Briess Victory
4 oz Briess Chocolate
4 oz Midnight Wheat
4 oz Thomas Fawcett Pale Chocolate

Used 0.4 oz Magnum @ 30 for 28 IBU, and 0.5 oz Kent Goldings @ 20 for 11 IBU
S-04, first week temps around 60F to 64F, then another week around 68 to 70F

2.7 gallons into the fermenter, og: 1.065, fg: 1.016, abv: 6.3%, ibu: 39, bu/gu: 0.6

I think I will add a little more Kent Goldings, just at the end of the boil, and see what that does for me.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

topic title: I brewed an experimental recipe a few weeks ago...

Big Red Ale (~ 9%)

Statistics: 1.75 gal into fermenter; OG 90; FG: ~ 20; IBU: ~70; SRM ~16

Grain bill: 2 lb Briess Amber DME, 1 lb Brewers Crystals, 0.5 lb sugar; 5 oz Simpons DRC

Flavor salt addition: 0.6 g CaCl

Hops: your choice

Yeast: your choice

Process:

• Cold steep in OG 22-ish wort for 45 minutes, shake occasionally;
• add CaCl, sugar, crystals, DME (in that order) at ~ 140F;
  • visually confirm each of the ingredients dissolves
• 35 min boil with first hop addition at 30 min

Notes: hydro sample was 'promising'.

Background:

• a fresh attempt at making a 9% DME-based beer that I like
• a bunch of things were changed at the same time
• a bunch of 'forum wisdom's were ignored

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Big Red Ales "Little" Brother (7.5%, Muntons Amber DME).

Statistics: 1.5 gal at end of boil; 1.25 gal into fermenter; OG 72; FG: ~ 16; IBU: ~65; SRM ~14
Grain bill: 24 oz Muntons Amber DME, 8 oz Brewers Crystals, 4 oz sugar; 3 oz Crystal Wheat

Flavor salt addition: none

Hops: your choice

Yeast: your choice

Process:

• Cold steep in OG 22-ish wort for 30 minutes, stir/shake occasionally;
• add sugar, crystals, DME (in that order) at ~ 140F;
  • visually confirm each of the ingredients dissolves
• 35 min boil with first hop addition at 30 min

It's not my intent, with these recipes, to compare different brands of DME in the same recipe side-by-side (that's already been done by others).

---

This recipe also 'completes' a set of observations that I started back in 2019. As I've mentioned in another topic a while back, when I add Briess DME at 140F, I consistently see 'flakes' forming in the wort at about 170F. When I brewed with Muntons DME a couple of times back in 2019, I didn't see this. And I didn't see this ('flakes' forming) when I brewed with Muntons DME today.

Does it matter? Probably not. So it's probably nothing more than just an observation on the differences between brands of DME.

For those curious in the process, here's what I do:

• at flame on: add water to kettle and heat to 140F
• when the water gets to 140F, add the DME. I've found that I can add sugar, brewers crystals, and wort from steeping as well. DO NOT ADD HOPS.
• observe the wort every 5 minute or 5F increase in temperature

Like I said early, it's probably just a visual difference and doesn't impact the beer.

 

[ncbrewer]

Big Red Ales "Little" Brother (7.5%, Muntons Amber DME).

Statistics: 1.5 gal at end of boil; 1.25 gal into fermenter; OG 72; FG: ~ 16; IBU: ~65; SRM ~14
Grain bill: 24 oz Muntons Amber DME, 8 oz Brewers Crystals, 4 oz sugar; 3 oz Crystal Wheat

Flavor salt addition: none

Hops: your choice

Yeast: your choice

Process:

• Cold steep in OG 22-ish wort for 30 minutes, stir/shake occasionally;
• add sugar, crystals, DME (in that order) at ~ 140F;
  • visually confirm each of the ingredients dissolves
• 35 min boil with first hop addition at 30 min

It's not my intent, with these recipes, to compare different brands of DME in the same recipe side-by-side (that's already been done by others).

---

This recipe also 'completes' a set of observations that I started back in 2019. As I've mentioned in another topic a while back, when I add Briess DME at 140F, I consistently see 'flakes' forming in the wort at about 170F. When I brewed with Muntons DME a couple of times back in 2019, I didn't see this. And I didn't see this ('flakes' forming) when I brewed with Muntons DME today.

Does it matter? Probably not. So it's probably nothing more than just an observation on the differences between brands of DME.

For those curious in the process, here's what I do:

• at flame on: add water to kettle and heat to 140F
• when the water gets to 140F, add the DME. I've found that I can add sugar, brewers crystals, and wort from steeping as well. DO NOT ADD HOPS.
• observe the wort every 5 minute or 5F increase in temperature

Like I said early, it's probably just a visual difference and doesn't impact the beer.

I might have posted my email from Muntons earlier in this thread, but I'll post it here for clarity:
"Our spraymalts are designed primarily to supplement home brew kits (used instead of brewing sugar), or to act as a yeast growth medium when propagating and storing yeast. There is nothing wrong with using these for the main source of wort fermentables, but we do not design a grist to give the complexity of flavour you ordinarily get from a using a host of different malts. For this purpose I would direct you towards our liquid range Homebrew Malt Extracts Archives - Muntons. Unfortunately our website does not currently display the full range. Full range is made up of;
• Vienna
• Munich
• Maris Otter
• Oat
• Sour
• Wheat
• Light
• Light hopped
• Extra light
• Amber
• Amber hopped
• Medium
• Dark
• Dark Hopped
I advise that you contact ABC Cork at ABC Cork Co. if you want to understand the availability in your region.
So, in answer to your question, I recommend that you use speciality malts such as light crystals and caras in order to get the full depth of flavour you would expect from an amber ale, instead of relying on the amber spraymalt that will give you colour but less of the fruity, crystalised sugar flavours."


I've just started using Muntons DME to see how I like it - only one batch so far, and it's just been bottled. But their email states that their amber DME only gives color - little of the expected flavor. It looks like you're using it successfully and getting the expected flavors. Am I understanding this correctly?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

But their email states that their amber DME only gives color - little of the expected flavor.

So perhaps a grain bill of "base malt" + "de-bittered black malt" (for coloring)?

If so, that might be noticeably different than Briess's Amber: "a robust malt profile that gives the beer a nice caramel flavor note".

It looks like you're using it successfully and getting the expected flavors.

Don't know yet (I brewed the recipe yesterday).

It may be that the 1st attempt at Big Red Ales "Little" Brother is short on malt flavors. If so, maybe the hops will "step up their game".

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Some background notes on #46 & #47:

• As I've mentioned earlier, I get poor results (sorry, no tasting notes for readers to ponder) when I brew DME-based recipe in the OG 90 range (double IPAs, barley wines, ...)
• It's probably a personal taste taste thing
• Is it related to over-'mineralization'? or something else?

The recipes in #46 & #47 purposefully changes a couple of things (and ignored some 'forum wisdom') in an attempt to find a different starting point for these recipes.

For me commercial double reds and red IPAs (two different styles) are hard to find, so trying something "red" for the 1st attempt added some enjoyment to the process. I also have access to a known fresh commercial double IPA, so my next attempts (if any) will probably be double IPAs. When the results are good, I'll probably try a barley wine recipe.

The recipes are making assumptions about ingredients (e.g. low mineral content in brewers crystals, ...) which may not be true. And all-grain recipes may not 'algorithm-magially' convert to this approach.

So this is going to take some time (reasonably a two months between attempts) - maybe I'll have an update late this year.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I brewed up a 2.5 gallon batch of extract American Pale Ale today (target 2.75 gal into the fermenter). Pretty much all the extract batches I have done over the past many years have been small (mostly 0.75 to 1 gallon) batches to try out hops or yeasts. I figured it would be worth trying to combine some of what I have learned brewing those extract batches with my current all-grain brewing practices to see if I could actually make a good beer. Plus there is an area competition with a special award for the best extract based beer.

I debated about how much I wanted to "simplify" my process with stuff like a zero boil or room temp with Voss. I decided to go with a 30 minute boil and use a half pack of US-05 I had on hand. I looked at my hop stash and decided a Columbus and Cascade combo sounded good. I also tossed 1 gram of Gypsum into the water (tap water, I would likely use 2.5 to 3 grams for an all-grain batch).

The core fermentable was a 3 lb bag of Briess Pilsen Light DME. I have found that about 10% sugar helps to lighten the body of extract, so I added a 5 oz bag of corn sugar (a spare bag of priming sugar from a kit). I steeped 4 oz of Crystal 40 in the water as it heated up. The goal was a simple way to add a little "grain" character to the beer. I was targeting a gravity of 1.051, but measured 1.055.

Overall, the beer looks like a good color. It was a simple brew day that took just over 2 hours from filling my kettle with water to having chilled wort in the fermenter (with just a little cleaning left).

Fermentables:

• 4 oz Crystal 40L - Steeped
• 3 lb Briess Pilsen Light
• 5 oz Corn Sugar

Hops

• 0.2 oz Columbus - 30 min - 14.6 IBUs
• 0.25 oz Cascade - 15 min - 4.5 IBUs
• 0.25 oz Columbus - 15 min - 12.6 IBUs
• 0.5 oz Cascade - 0 min - 2.0 IBUs
• 0.5 oz Columbus - 0 min - 5.7 IBUs
• 0.5 oz Cascade - Dry Hop
• 0.5 oz Columbus - Dry Hop

Yeast/Misc:

• 1/2 pkg Safale US-05
• 1/4 tablet Campden
• 1g Gypsum
• 1g Irish Moss

Dump of pictures:

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

This beer was bottled just 2 and a half weeks ONE week ago, but the bottle I just tried tastes really nice. Best beer I've made so far, gonna re-brew it this weekend!

3 lb Briess Golden Light DME
8 oz brown sugar
6 oz Thomas Fawcett Dark Crystal 85srm [labels on this seem to vary a lot, anyways, it's the one from RiteBrew]
5 oz Briess Victory
4 oz Briess Chocolate
4 oz Midnight Wheat
4 oz Thomas Fawcett Pale Chocolate

Used 0.4 oz Magnum @ 30 for 28 IBU, and 0.5 oz Kent Goldings @ 20 for 11 IBU
S-04, first week temps around 60F to 64F, then another week around 68 to 70F

2.7 gallons into the fermenter, og: 1.065, fg: 1.016, abv: 6.3%, ibu: 39, bu/gu: 0.6

This beer was really good at one week in the bottle, and it's fantastic at 8 weeks in the bottle. I have made it twice since, giving it a touch more roast (changed 4 oz midnite wheat to: 2 oz midnite wheat + 2 oz roasted barley 300srm), and another 0.5 oz KG once cooled to 175F. I call it a "smooth porter", cuz it doesn't have the rough roasty bite that a robust porter does.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

[much snipped]

View attachment 815751

We have that same ridiculous kitchen faucet -- didn't occur to me that a pump would mean it doesn't matter that nothing can be attached to the faucet!
If I was to go looking at HomeDepot or the like, what sort of specs do I want? Submersible obviously. Gallons-per-hour? Minimum lifting height? My 5.5 gal pot is 11" high, so I think it shouldn't need to lift more than say 18".

 

[CascadesBrewer]

If I was to go looking at HomeDepot or the like, what sort of specs do I want? Submersible obviously. Gallons-per-hour? Minimum lifting height? My 5.5 gal pot is 11" high, so I think it shouldn't need to lift more than say 18".

This is the one I have: https://a.co/d/ioUTupc

It seems plenty powerful to pump water through my immersion chiller at the same rate that water comes out of my faucet. The barbs make it pretty easy to attach a small section of garden hose.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Classic American Pale Ale (LME)
1st of a series of classic American Ales (pale, amber brown) using style specific LME.

• 2.75 gal (end of boil), 2.5 gal into fermenter
• ABV 5.7% (est); OG 56; FG 13 (est); IBU ~ 50 (est)

Ingredients

• 4 lb Williams Pale LME; 4 oz sugar /1/
• 21 g Magnum (12.3) @ 30
• 14 g Cascade (6.2) @ 15
• 14 g Cascade (6.2) @ 0
• ~5.5 g Nottinghm @ 65F

Process

1. place LME pouch in warm tap water while heating ~ 2.5 gal water to ~140F /2/
2. remove kettle from heat, add LME to kettle, verify no LME is stuck on bottom of kettle
3. add water to get to ~ 2.75 gal; observe wort color /3/
4. add water to get to ~ 3 gal (I boil off about 0.25 gal in 35 minutes)
5. heat to boil, observe the wort as it heats
6. 35 min boil with 1st hop addition @ 30
7. (wort cool down went from boil (210F to below 170F) in about 10 minutes)

Notes
/1/ Recipe is targeting a ~ 5.7% ABV pale ale using 4 lb of LME. I decided to use some sugar rather than brew a smaller batch size.

/2/ I didn't know how much water was in the LME - so heat most of the water, add the LME, then "top up" to the pre-boil volume. (Yes, well configured recipe software can calculate the water volumes automatically).

/3/ wort color came out 'as expected'. Wort color is indication of DME/LME freshness (BYO Big Book on Home Brewing, 1e). It may be that shipping wort in sealed pouches is another line of defense against LME going stale.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Below is an image of that extract Pale Ale I posted about a few entries up. It seems to look a bit more clear in person, but I expect it will clear up a bit more over the next week or two. It has been in the keg for 10 days.

Overall I am very happy with this beer. The the malt flavors seem right on par with what I would expect in an American Pale Ale. A little bit of malty sweetness and a medium mouthfeel.

The biggest flaw is that it is a touch too bitter. I tend to like reasonably bitter beers, but this one has a touch more than what I want in a Pale Ale. BeerSmith calculates it at 39 IBUs, but I feel like it is more than Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (which claims 38 IBUs). It might have a bit too much hop flavors. I am not sure if I ever used Columbus before for a flameout or dry hop addition before. The Columbus + Cascade combo is nice, but has a very old school vibe.

I am not 100% sure where I will lower the hops. This was a 2.5 gal batch with 2.7 oz of hops (or 5.4 oz per 5 gal). I made a 2.5 gallon batch of Pale Ale in early 2022 with 2.4 oz of hops (Cascade, Citra and Centennial) that I really liked. That one was calculated at 38 IBUs.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Over in "Advanced Extract Brewing" (link), I mentioned a technique that I have used in the past to "dial in" flavor salt additions (CaS04, CaCl). Here's a variation on that technique that I will likely try with the batch I brewed back in #55.

The proposed approach is to add a small amount of either gypsum (adding 100ppm S04), calcium chloride (adding 100 Cl ppm), or table salt (adding 50 ppm Na & 75ppm Cl) to a bottle at bottling time.

After bottle conditioning is complete, sample beers by blending 1 oz pours from the different bottles to 'dial-in' amounts for the next attempt at the recipe.

(FWIW, I have a pair of 50/±0.001g scales so I'm not concerned about the small weights or the (relative) need for accuracy).

---

And an update to #55: I took a sample of the beer for a color / flavor check. Color was appropriate and there was no hint of off flavors associated with 'stale' LME. Shipping from CA to the "north coast" took 7 calendar days (snow storm in CO / NE turned a Sat delivery into a Mon delivery). I have a thought as to what went wrong with the previous (non-Williams) LME that I ordered. I also know what to do going forward, so I'll keep the focus on that.

 

[IslandLizard]

I have a thought as to what went wrong with the previous (non-Williams) LME that I ordered.

I can't be the only one who's curious about your take on that.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I have nothing new to add about the (stale) LME from the previous batch. I'm viewing it as a "one-off" event and moving forward.

I will mention (again) is that the technique for evaluating the quality of LME (that I've mentioned in the past) was simple, effective, and accurate. (Details available upon request).

Finally, it appears that I have found a quality source of fresh LME. I suspect others exist.

What's next?

Maybe a "hop sampler" / "hop steep" brew day process using style LME and a blend of hops? Can one do this with an Irish Red this way? ... with an American Amber? ... a dark mild? ... an American Brown? ... a porter? ... a stout?

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

What's next?

I'm hoping to hear what you thought of your Big Red Ale, the one with a whole pound of Brewer's Crystals in it!