Is 9 lbs DME too much for 5 gal batch?

[MrTomMorrow]

Hi - my first batch is still fermenting, and I'm already plotting out my second batch.

I wanted to try a double IPA, get something up in the 8-9% abv range. I was reading a recipe that appeared to be calling for 9 pounds of DME for a 5 gallon batch. Does that sound right?

I'm basically doing my own version of heady topper clones I've ready about, so it'll be super hoppy. It also said to do half the DME at the beginning of the boil, and the other half of DME at the end of the boil. Does that make sense? After a 60 min boil, and after adding all the hops, throw in the other half of the dme??

Like I said, not trying to do an exact clone, still trying to experiment mainly, but just want to make sure I'm reading instructions correctly.

Thanks!

 

[Kent88]

Seems legit.

Adding half the DME later in the boil (I wouldn't want to add it at flameout / 0 min, I'd rather add extract at around 15 minutes to go, but I'd follow the directions at least once before tweaking) should increase the bitterness extraction from your hops because you're adding them to a less dense wort.

Use plenty of healthy yeast and aerate well. If it really is in that 9% zone, consider aerating again between 12-18 hours after pitching yeast.

 

[theowlman16]

It seems ok. Did you put in into Beersmith or another calculator? I'm assuming it's a light DME, otherwise your color will be off. You might want to steep some grains to match the flavor of HT. I think Pearl malt is their big one.

 

[jerbrew]

Plugging it into brewers freind you get an SG of 1.069 for 9 lbs of DME if you end up with 5.5 gallons in your fermenter. That'll give you in the 6.5-7.0 range.

The late additons has a coupe benefits for extract brewers. ONe is that hop utilization is higher with a lower boil gravity. effectively, you get more AA isomerization quicker so you can reduce your bittering charge.

Another benefit is being able to "control" the color of the final product. since you can't ever make a beer lighter in color if you're using extract (only darker with steeping grain since you're limited by the color of the extract) you have to do what you can to keep it as pale as possible if that is what you are going for. And from what I understand Heady is a pretty pale beer. By waiting till the 15 minute mark to add your remaining extract sugars you reduce the amount of caramalization that occurs during the boil and keep the color as pale as possible. I would recommend boiling the remaining extract for 15 minutes to get the extract sterile and dissolved in the beer.

 

[MrTomMorrow]

Awesome! Thanks for everyone for the feedback and tips!

 

[PurpleJeepXJ]

Seems a little light to me. As best I can remember back to the extract days, for IIPAs I typically used 2#/gal. That's per expected post boil volume gallons.