Light Ale Suggestions

[twinsfan1127]

Hey, can anyone help me out? I'm amassing equipment as we are speaking to do my first extract run, and ideally I'd like to do a light ale, maybe with some honey. I've some really interesting flavored honey that might be good.

I was looking at either buying liquid or dry malt extract, I'm guessing liquid is better, I was just hoping initially to make as small of a batch as possible, more as an experiment then anything serious. Experiment with different flavors.


One other question: I should avoid already hopped extract right? Something doesn't seem right about having it mixed in already.

I've made a bit of root beer, from extract and naturally, and I'd like to make the jump.

Thanks

 

[robbie3]

I had no idea there were extracts that came Pre-hopped. Is that true?

 

[HootHootHoot]

1. I'd never buy extract with hops. Who knows how long that extract was there, along with the hops. I didn't even now they did that

2. Dry is better than liquid extract in my opinion for several reasons. One being you get all the extract out in dry form. I could never get all the liquid out. I never liked extract to begin with. After i switched to all grain I'll never go back. But extract is where you should start until that bores you and you want more complexity.

Several websites have good kits, but when you get a kit it will usually be for a 5 gallon batch. If you want a smaller batch like 1-2 gallons you may need to create your own recipes, or get BeerSmith program and use that to convert recipes to smaller batches.

I'd start with dry extract, buy your hops fresh, and enjoy getting hooked

 

[davcar74]

The first beer I made was a kit from midwest supplies called Honeybee Ale - it would fit the bill of what you are looking for nicely.

 

[HootHootHoot]

First beer I made was a Honeyweizen, comes with honey, liquid extract
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/honey-weizen-extract-kit.html

This could be what you're looking for too
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/honey-koelsch-extract-kit.html

All of their kits are liquid extract I think

Northern brewer has $7 on shipping so order everything you can on one order (if you need more equipment etc). I live close to one so I just go there to mill my own grains there

 

[twinsfan1127]

So, I decided to be a cheap ass and not buy a kit. I'm probably going to regret it, but I'm not aiming for anything amazing, just an experiment. I ended up ordering a pound of Briess Light dry extract, an ounce of Palisade hops, a half pound of honey malt, and some regular ale yeast. Should make about a one gallon batch, right? I have a 1.33 gallon plastic fermenter for now, hopefully I'll upgrade soon to a 5 gallon carboy.

Gonna keep it simple, I guess I should take a gallon of water up to 150-160, add in the honey malt, and the hops, simmer for a half hour, then add the dry extract, simmer for another thirty minutes. Take the malt and hops out, wait for it to cool, add in the ale yeast, primary for 14 days, rack, and bottle with some honey as a primer. Sounds alright?

I also needed some bottle caps and an airlock, so I bought those too, all from Austin Homebrew. Now I just need a bottle capper and I'm set.

 

[HootHootHoot]

1 lb dme in 1 gallon will give you about an OG of 1.044, which if it ferments correctly will put you at 4.4% ABV

Honey malt is a grain, and you can't just put grains into the boil. It's also a very rich grain. I think I read somewhere where you want to keep it around 10% of your grain bill or lower. Half a pound of it will put it at 33%. I would use 0.10 lb of it, and thats 9.09% Honey malt will raise your projected ABV to 4.7%, OG at 1.046

You will need to have the malt crushed and then get a steeping bag. Before you do anything, heat the water to 155 and steep your grains in it for 20-30 minutes, then remove the grain bag, bring to a boil, add your extract and go.

For one gallon, you will want to use only .25-.35 oz of your hops to stay within an American pale ale IBUs, which is 30-45 IBUs. If you put the whole oz in, you will have 133.3 IBUs. That's for a 60 min boil with the hops.

I would suggest you try and use a blow off tube for your 1 gallon because this could ferment quite a bit.

 

[HootHootHoot]

Reading your post further, you have the order all wrong

Heat water to 155, steep grains in grain bag for 20-30 minutes. Remove bag.

Raise water to boiling (160 isn't boiling)

Remove me from heat to add extract to prevent extract from burning

Return to heat and boil. Once boiling, add your hops. Set timer for 60 minutes. You don't need to remove your hops, it's not necessary for what you are doing

After timer goes off, cool your wort to 70 deg or lower as fast as you can. Mst people fill their sink with ice water and let the pot sit in it while they stir if they don't have an immersion chiller.

Take a hydrometer sample

Pour wort into fermenter. Add yeast

Put air lock or blow off on, and let it sit

 

[HootHootHoot]

Primary for 21 days in my opinion.

General rule for beers is 1, 2, 3:

1 week in primary
2 weeks in secondary (most people just do 3 weeks primary unless lagering)
3 weeks in bottles

I've never primed with honey. I think it would be too much. I use 5/8 of a cup of sugar for a whole 5 gallon batch. You may only need a table spoon for a gallon batch. I wouldn't do it though. If you want to add honey, I would add it at flame out, and only .25 lb of it, according to BeerSmith.

I would bet money that you'll end up with bottle bombs or gushers if you use honey

 

[CBXBob]

I had no idea there were extracts that came Pre-hopped. Is that true?

Yes, Coopers I believe. I've never done one.

 

[HootHootHoot]

Here's a summary and the recipe I created on BeerSmith using your ingredients:

1lb Light DME (74.07%)
.10 lb honey malt (7.41%)
.25 lb Honey (18.52%)

.25 oz Paladise Hops

Not sure what kind of yeast you have, so I used Safale American Ale US-05

Steep Crushed grains in bag in 155 deg water for 20-30 minutes
Raise water to boil, add extract
Raise water to boil, add your hops
Boil for 60 minutes

At flame out, add your honey

Cool and pitch into fermenter

Primary for 21 days, use 1/8 cup of sugar in 1/4 cup of water as your primer for bottling.
Bottles for 3 weeks and then you're ready

Estimated OG: 1.055
Estimated FG: 1.014
Estimated ABV: 5.32%

Because of your desire to use honey in such a small batch, I fear it will be very dry. Sugars not from grains can leave a dryness to the beer as they are fermented out. I know this is true with candied sugar but I'm not sure with honey. This just seems like an awful large amount of honey to add to a 1 gallon batch, but seems around right. I think with my honey weizen I had a 1.5 lb or so of honey to add for a 5 gallon batch

 

[twinsfan1127]

Here's a summary and the recipe I created on BeerSmith using your ingredients:

1lb Light DME (74.07%)
.10 lb honey malt (7.41%)
.25 lb Honey (18.52%)

.25 oz Paladise Hops

Not sure what kind of yeast you have, so I used Safale American Ale US-05

Steep Crushed grains in bag in 155 deg water for 20-30 minutes
Raise water to boil, add extract
Raise water to boil, add your hops
Boil for 60 minutes

At flame out, add your honey

Cool and pitch into fermenter

Primary for 21 days, use 1/8 cup of sugar in 1/4 cup of water as your primer for bottling.
Bottles for 3 weeks and then you're ready

Estimated OG: 1.055
Estimated FG: 1.014
Estimated ABV: 5.32%

Because of your desire to use honey in such a small batch, I fear it will be very dry. Sugars not from grains can leave a dryness to the beer as they are fermented out. I know this is true with candied sugar but I'm not sure with honey. This just seems like an awful large amount of honey to add to a 1 gallon batch, but seems around right. I think with my honey weizen I had a 1.5 lb or so of honey to add for a 5 gallon batch

Thanks for the recipe. I'll follow this, perhaps I'll scale the honey back to 0.15 LB to be safe. I think the honey malt should help bring more of that honey flavor without drying it out.

I'm a little confused why I shouldn't use more honey malt if honey may leave the ale dry. I know it's not the same flavor but should bring that kind of sweetness I'm guessing

 

[HootHootHoot]

Thanks for the recipe. I'll follow this, perhaps I'll scale the honey back to 0.15 LB to be safe. I think the honey malt should help bring more of that honey flavor without drying it out.

I'm a little confused why I shouldn't use more honey malt if honey may leave the ale dry. I know it's not the same flavor but should bring that kind of sweetness I'm guessing

It does make it sweet. You can try more and see what happens, it is only a gallon. A lot of honey malt leaves a sweetness not many people like. A little bit goes a long way so to speak. You could double it to ,20-.25 lb and see what happens. Maybe you'll enjoy it. Some people say no more than 15% for honey malt (beersmith says 10%). If you use the whole half pound you may get what you want, a sweet, nutty beer or you may get something that just tastes terrible.

Honey itself won't sweeten the beer as people think it does. It actually leaves more of a clove type flavor in my experience.

You could forget the liquid honey all together and use probably .20-.25 lb of the honey malt and see what happens. Worst case scenario you have 8 beers that don't taste too good and are delegated to boiling brats with.

That's the beauty with brewing small batches, you make a mistake and you can brew again next week instead of waiting to choke down a case or,two of bad beer. In fact, I'm making a mint chocolate stout in two weeks in a gallon batch to test out my recipe

 

[Yuri_Rage]

You should also wait another five years before drinking it. Come back when you're 21.