New to Beer Making - Recipe Question

[Verio]

So, I'm sort of window-shopping at the moment, as I plan to buy my first "brew kit" when I get back from my work travel. Right now I'm trying to read and learn as much as I can before I delve in to my first batch. I'm also interested in making a relatively simple Wit to start. I found this recipe in the forums here, and I have a few questions about it, if someone can help explain to me how the recipes work?

6.6 pounds of Coopers Wheat Malt Extract (boil 10mins)
1lb wheat malt (steep 30mins)
1 pound of clear Belgian candi sugar
.5 ounces of bitter orange peel (boil for 2 min)
1 ounces of tettnanger hops @ 4.2% (boil for 10 min)
1 ounces of styrian golding hops @ 4.4% (boil for 30min)
.75 ounces of coriander seed (boil for 2 min)
1 pkg of wlp400 or you could use wlp410.
0.75 cups of corn sugar (priming)

Everyone that has had this so far has loved it. I'll probably do it again as a partial mash.
Also the color is much darker than 4* since I used LME.


Quite a while since I made this up. For an outstanding white that is AG only, see my Killer Bee Wit.

Since I want to start with using an Extract only since it's my first shot at it, I'm curious what the extra bunch of Wheat Malt is for, and if so, how am I supposed to steep it? When do I steep it, if I do, and for how long? I've read about steeping socks, but what are those?

If my local Home Brew store doesn't have Coopers Wheat Extract, but a different Wheat Extract, will that work? Is there huge differences between each brand?

How long should I stick with Extracts before deciding to make my own Wort? Is there an easy way to convert the raw grain recipes into what I need in an extract... lets say I find a good All-grain recipe, can I convert that to an equivalent extract recipe?

Thanks a lot for the help!!

 

[BeerJorge]

I'm a bit confused by your question so I'll try to clarify some things for you... When you hear the term Malt extract, people are referring to malt in the form of powder or liquid (thick syrup), and that's where you get your fermentable sugars from... the stuff you'll turn into alcohol...

When you hear the word 'malt' by itself, people are usually referring to grains. There are two types of grains: those that can be mashed and those that can be either mashed or steeped.

Wheat malt is usually mashed, but you can also steep the grains just to get some flavor out of them... you are just not going to get any fermentable sugars. If you want to get fermentable sugars out of wheat malt you would have to mash the grains which would make this recipe a partial mash. It sounds like it was not a partial mash originally, and that the author/recipe owner will try it as a partial mash...

Malt extract you don't steep... you just boil and you do that after you steep your grains.

Steeping socks are muslin bags... basically bags made out of cheesecloth which is just used to hold the grains in place while steeping... and to easily remove the grains from the water when done...

Yes other wheat extracts will work... there is not huge differences with most wheat extracts... just make sure it's unhopped...

I would really get the process down with extract before moving to all-grain... you can convert an all-grain recipe into an extract recipe but it would take more than a forum post to teach how to go about it... plus, by the time you learn how to do it you should be ready to move up to all-grain...

 

[Oldyote]

While on your travels I'd suggest reading something like Randy Moshers Radical Brewing or a few other good books on brewing.

I'd suggest buying a kit from your local homebrew shop. Pick one that has steeping grains and this will give you an opportunity and direction on the when, how and a little of the why.

When to move to all grain will depend on your comfort level. Regarding converting all grain recipes to extract you will find everything you need to know on the subject in a paper written by Ken Schwartz. This paper will answer your question as well as few more you don't even realize you have yet.

http://home.roadrunner.com/~brewbeer/


Good luck

 

[therealrsr]

Just joined myself but will help where I can.

Since I want to start with using an Extract only since it's my first shot at it, I'm curious what the extra bunch of Wheat Malt is for, and if so, how am I supposed to steep it?

A- Extra for flavor & color, think french press coffee. (Wish that would work)

When do I steep it, if I do, and for how long?

A- Steep first, ~30 min @~150 degrees, then sparge(winse) with ~170 degrees

I've read about steeping socks, but what are those?

A- a bag to hold the grain (think big tea bag), or you can strain the wort before boil.

If my local Home Brew store doesn't have Coopers Wheat Extract, but a different Wheat Extract, will that work?
A- Yes
Is there huge differences between each brand?
A- Huge, not really but you should know the % wheat vs. % barley of both if you are trying to follow the recipe exactly.

How long should I stick with Extracts before deciding to make my own Wort?
A- Extract makes wort, get a few batched under your belt first, you are already jumping an extract only w. the specialty grains. But that gives a sense of brewer pride IMO.
Is there an easy way to convert the raw grain recipes into what I need in an extract...
a- Nope
lets say I find a good All-grain recipe, can I convert that to an equivalent extract recipe?
A-Maybe, but not likely, trial and error, plus you need the AG for comparison.

Hope this helps some, most important: have fun doing it

 

[Verio]

Just joined myself but will help where I can.

Since I want to start with using an Extract only since it's my first shot at it, I'm curious what the extra bunch of Wheat Malt is for, and if so, how am I supposed to steep it?

A- Extra for flavor & color, think french press coffee. (Wish that would work)

When do I steep it, if I do, and for how long?

A- Steep first, ~30 min @~150 degrees, then sparge(winse) with ~170 degrees

I've read about steeping socks, but what are those?

A- a bag to hold the grain (think big tea bag), or you can strain the wort before boil.

If my local Home Brew store doesn't have Coopers Wheat Extract, but a different Wheat Extract, will that work?
A- Yes
Is there huge differences between each brand?
A- Huge, not really but you should know the % wheat vs. % barley of both if you are trying to follow the recipe exactly.

How long should I stick with Extracts before deciding to make my own Wort?
A- Extract makes wort, get a few batched under your belt first, you are already jumping an extract only w. the specialty grains. But that gives a sense of brewer pride IMO.
Is there an easy way to convert the raw grain recipes into what I need in an extract...
a- Nope
lets say I find a good All-grain recipe, can I convert that to an equivalent extract recipe?
A-Maybe, but not likely, trial and error, plus you need the AG for comparison.

Hope this helps some, most important: have fun doing it

Thanks a lot... makes a lot more sense to me

 

[Verio]

Ok, so steeping question -

Am I steeping the grain in the same water that I'm putting the LME in to?

For example, in the above recipe, it says the batch size is 5 gallons. So lets say I put 2 gallons in the fermenter ahead of time, and start with 3 gallons to make the concentrated wort. Do I use the 3 gallons, steep the grains, remove them, and then bring it to a boil with the rest of the ingredients?

I'm just trying to get the correct sequence of events down before I start.


Edit - Nevermind. Found the section in John Palmers book. I swore I looked for this exact question first

 

[Bob]

Since I want to start with using an Extract only since it's my first shot at it, I'm curious what the extra bunch of Wheat Malt is for, and if so, how am I supposed to steep it? When do I steep it, if I do, and for how long? I've read about steeping socks, but what are those?

Steeping is exactly like brewing tea. You can use a tea-bag. You can also use loose tea, but then you'll have to strain it.

You steep anything - tea, grain, soup bones - by slightly destroying it. Tea leaves are ground up into powder (or damn near it), soup bones are cut up and cracked; brewing grains are cracked, not crushed, because the "crush" is important for a variety of reasons. You want to deconstruct the corn* just enough to release the stuff inside it without destroying the husk (if any) or turning the inner material to powder.

For this recipe, I advise you to avoid using grains. You don't need them. I can get into why, but that will precipitate a longish essay on Witbier interspersed with brewing philosophy and hints & kinks.

If my local Home Brew store doesn't have Coopers Wheat Extract, but a different Wheat Extract, will that work? Is there huge differences between each brand?

A good Rule of Thumb is to buy the freshest extract you can. If the only extract syrup (Liquid Malt Extract, often abbreviated to "LME") available to you is tinned, avoid it and buy an equivalent amount of dry extract powder (Dry Malt Extract or "DME").

Both Briess and Muntons make good Wheat extracts. For this purpose, I suggest Briess; there are some differences which make a difference in this style. Briess can be found labeled as such, or labeled "LD Carlson" or some such. Muntons is always clearly labeled as such. If you can only get Muntons DME, buy that.

How long should I stick with Extracts before deciding to make my own Wort?

That's really impossible to answer. Some brewers start right off into all-grain. Others never leave extract brewing. All-grain brewing requires more equipment and either more knowledge or more strict adherence to a set of instructions. Thus there's a higher bar to entry than with extract brewing.

I'll put it this way - I've been a brewer for 16 years. I have brewed professionally for many of those years, and pros brew exclusively from grain.** I flatter myself I know a thing or two about the art and science of brewing. I brew from extracts all the time.

Is there an easy way to convert the raw grain recipes into what I need in an extract... lets say I find a good All-grain recipe, can I convert that to an equivalent extract recipe?

Sure! Basically, malt extracts are concentrated versions of the wort all-grain brewers produce. With extracts, the grain is mashed at the extract manufacturer's facility, removing a step for you.

The basic rule of thumb is: for one pound of pale malt substitute 3/4 lb of LME or 1/2 lb of DME. Thus:

1:0.75:0.5

This gets complicated in beers like wheat beers. There is no 100% wheat extract of which I am aware; the extracts labeled "Wheat" are something like 50/50% wheat/pale malt or 60/40% wheat/pale.

Palmer is an excellent introduction to the craft. Definitely purchase a hard copy. While the free version at www.howtobrew.com is a god resource, there are updates to the latest print version which are not in the online version.

Good luck, welcome to the obsession, and, above all,

HAVE FUN!



Bob

* Brewing terminology is sometimes confusing. Brewing grain kernels/seeds are called "corn". You hold a handful of barleycorns.
** Yes, I know there are exceptions, you there in the Peanut Gallery.