Late Extract - How Much to Reduce Hops

[alexavery]

Anybody with a brew calculator able to help me? I'm making a Blonde Ale. Plan to do a Late extract addition.

Here are the ingredients:

3 lbs Wheat DME
2 lbs Extra Light DME
4oz Caravienne
8oz Caramel 10L
8oz flaked wheat (pre mixed)
1 oz Willamette for 60 minutes
I'm using Wyeast 3944 Belgian Witbear yeast

1. How much DME should I put in initially, and should I use the Wheat DME or the Extra Light DME initially?

2. How much should I reduce the 1oz of bittering hops?

Thanks

 

[Yooper]

1. It doesn't matter which you use first.

2. I'll calculate it, but I need to know what your target IBUs are, and what AAU the Willamette hops are, to figure it out. Also, what size boil are you doing?

Where did you get the recipe? There isn't any two-row in there to convert the flaked barley, so it's not really a partial mash recipe. I was just wondering where you found it. I'd add a pound of base malt, like 2 row, to convert the barley.

 

[alexavery]

Yooper - sorry didn't respond last night. My internet went down. But we're back in business this morning.

This is an extract kit I bought from midwest for their Blonde ale. The willamette hops are 3.4% alpha acid. I can only boil 3.33 gallons on my stove top, then I top of with water to get to 5 gallons in the fermentor.

As for target IBUs, I'm not totally sure. Still new at this. The BJCP guidelines say 15-28 IBUs. I guess I'd go for something in the middle of that range. Any recommendations?

 

[Yooper]

Without late extract addition, the IBUS are 9.2.

With only the Wheat added late, the IBUs will be 13

With only the DME added late, the IBUs would be 12

With both extracts added late, the IBUs calculate to 15.

Since those are low AAU hops, you just won't get more IBUs out of them.

I like my beers to have enough bitterness to balance them, so I'd probably steep the grains, and then start my boil and add both extracts at the end. The color would stay nice and light, and you'd maximize the IBUs.

 

[alexavery]

Thanks. So you're saying not to reduce the hops at all, correct? Just add the full 1oz?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks. So you're saying not to reduce the hops at all, correct? Just add the full 1oz?

Oh, yes! Sorry I wasn't clear!

I'd steep the grains, remove them, start that as my boil liquor, and begin hopping when that came to a boil. I'd add all the hops, set the timer for 60 minutes, and then add both extracts with 15 minutes left on the timer. (Take it off the heat when you add it, so it doesn't burn on the bottom). Put it back on the heat and end when the timer hits 0, and start cooling it.

 

[alexavery]

thou shalt have faith in the yooper. I'll give it a go! Thanks a ton for your help.