Muntons hopped kit question

[BlueRidgeTermite]

Just started a batch oh Muntons Yorkshire bitter. When I opened the can there was a layer of (i guess) froth on top. It didn't smell bad. I've never used Muntons before and didn't know if this is normal.

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

Did you check the expiry date on the can?
I don't brew from cans but froth usually isn't a problem. Hops are what causes a beer to have a frothy head. The extract can you bought has hops in it already so the froths are likely nothing to worry about.
Consider using malt extract rather than dextrose or sugar for the kit. The taste of the beer will be richer and tastier.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,when I brew with cooper's cans,I add a 3lb bag of plain DME instead of sugars. Half the bag in a 2.5-3 gallon boil for hop additions. The remaining DME & the cooper's can at flame out,stir well & steep covered for 15 minutes. It's still plenty hot enough to pasteurize,which happens about 162F.

 

[david_42]

Hops float, so you are seeing a mix of ground hops and extract.

 

[BlueRidgeTermite]

Thanks for the info. As I had never used Munton's before I just wasn't sure. Coopers kits don't seem to have that even they are hopped as well. Plus I do use LME and corn sugar to boost the alcohol and have lately been adding some hops to the fermenter.

 

[RMS]

How did this turn out?

 

[BlueRidgeTermite]

This hasn't turned out too bad. Not my best, but very enjoyable for no boil. No head, but I really don't care about that. The dry hops have added nice touch I think. I just ordered more Munton's kits on amazon.com since it appears that coopers has significantly raised their prices.

 

[RMS]

I have a can of this on its way to me now for my first brew, and was wondering what and how much to add to it? I don't want a week or light beer, just an ABV of 5-6 I guess....... any suggestions??

 

[unionrdr]

Like I mentioned before,add a 3lb bag of plain DME & a couple ounces of hops to improve the can's flavor,aroma,mouth feel. See my recipes for how I do it with pre-hopped (bittered)cans.

 

[RMS]

This hasn't turned out too bad. Not my best, but very enjoyable for no boil. No head, but I really don't care about that. The dry hops have added nice touch I think. I just ordered more Munton's kits on amazon.com since it appears that coopers has significantly raised their prices.

Cool! I hear you on the price, I am trying to brew on a budget myself so I am thinking now that I wont add anything not needed. Might be best for me to just follow the basic instructions first. So I am just trying to figure out if I should add 5 or 6 cups of corn sugar.........its my first brew.

 

[RMS]

Like I mentioned before,add a 3lb bag of plain DME & a couple ounces of hops to improve the can's flavor,aroma,mouth feel. See my recipes for how I do it with pre-hopped (bittered)cans.

Since I have never done a home brew before let me ask you this, if I do not add any of the extra stuff and I just add the sugar only will the taste be as thin as a BMC beer or worse?

 

[unionrdr]

It'll be thinner by comparison to my recipe style for the cans. My first was the cooper's OS lager kit that came with my micro brew fermenter kit. It had BE1 with the can & cooper's 7g ale yeast packet. It came out light colored with a decent malt flavor. No hop flavor,but taste was still pretty good concidering. My additions of the plain DME & hops round out the flavor/quality of the brew more.

 

[BlueRidgeTermite]

Using only sugar will result in a thinner beer. Using LME results in a better final beer. I don't like to use dry ME because I find that it's hard to dissolve. Midwest Supply has a good deal on a case of 6 LME jugs @ about 50 bucks I think. Adding hops will really help with the flavor, too.

 

[unionrdr]

I use a plastic paddle to stir in & dissolve the DME. Easier to dissolve the clumps that way. And DME doesn't get as many mailard reactions as LME. I'm bottling my 1st pm pale ale today that I used only the mash wort for the 1 hour hop schedule. added the 3.3lb jug of breisse gold LME at flame out. Tastes great out of primary. Can't wait to try the finished product.

 

[RMS]

Thanks guys for the help, I have a much better understanding now, its very interesting.

 

[pacman]

I use a plastic paddle to stir in & dissolve the DME. Easier to dissolve the clumps that way. And DME doesn't get as many mailard reactions as LME. I'm bottling my 1st pm pale ale today that I used only the mash wort for the 1 hour hop schedule. added the 3.3lb jug of breisse gold LME at flame out. Tastes great out of primary. Can't wait to try the finished product.

Try dissolving your DME in some hot water before adding to fermenter. No clumping issues to deal with.

 

[unionrdr]

I thought I remembered reading that cold water was used to dissolve the DME without clumping?

 

[RMS]

How about some water either hot, cold or warm in a blender, then lightly sprinkle in the DME?

 

[pacman]

Hot water, cold water, or anywhere in between. As long as you finish up with the DME in solution, you can add it to your wort without any clumping.