Newbie notes and questions

[VillageBrew]

After reading many hours worth of forum posts, responses and books; I have some observations and questions.

1) Cooling the wort can be a pain in the rear for those of us equipmently challenged newbies! Cooling the wort in a primary will take forever. The plastic holds heat in and the cold out. No matter how much ice I had in the tub, the low temps were not quick enough. Stick to keeping it in the boil pans until it is cooled down and then add your water to make 5 gallons. The only time I could see putting it in the plastic primary would be if you have a coil chiller.

2) Malt extracts. Every book and how-to web site says to add extract, stir and then....... continue with the recipe. After reading a lot of forums, I have come across people talking about adding half in the beginning and then the rest sometime afterwards. My first homebrew, a malt extract hefeweizen, came out darker than I expected. No scorching, just darker. What is the take on adding the extracts?

3) Boiling pan to fermentor. Every book and how-to web site says to transfer to the primary and then....... continue with the recipe. Should we be dumping the whole contants, or straining it off, or pour only the liquids thus leaving behind the solids and muck? I have a Belgian Wit in the primary now, and still have the spices and fruit combined. Should these have been removed prior or when I transfer to a secondary? Or leave them in untill time to bottle?

Just a few thoughts from my first two home brews!!!! I am loving the new hobby!

 

[kapbrew13]

Keep it simple in the beginning.
1) copper immersion chiller helps alot. I don't transfer from boil pot to fermenter until the wort cools to 70ish.
2) I just add everything from the start
3) I poor everything into the primary fermenter. Just dont siphon the bottom where everything settles to during bottling/kegging. Brew comes out great. My opinion and steps.

 

[Soopa]

Noob here. What would be the reasoning behind adding some extract at the beginning of the boil and the rest sometime later?

 

[unionrdr]

Noob here. What would be the reasoning behind adding some extract at the beginning of the boil and the rest sometime later?

It doesn't get caramelized in the BK,& thus color is lighter. Flavors should be better as well. I've been modding cooper's cans with Munton's plain DME's & various hops & schedules.
I add half of a 3lb bag of the DME to the boil just long enough to mix it in,get a mini hot break,& do my hop additions. Then add remaining DME & mix, Remove from heat,remove hop sacks,& mix in the cooper's can till no more LME can be scraped off the bottom. Then cover & steep 15 minutes while sanitizing fermenter,etc. Then place BK into ice water bath till down to 70F.
They say the faster you cool the wort down,the clearer the beer will be.
It does seem to work. Anyway,this method works for me to get the lightest color I can from given ingredients to where I intend it to be.

 

[kapbrew13]

Noob here. What would be the reasoning behind adding some extract at the beginning of the boil and the rest sometime later?

The rumor is sugar effects hop utilization. Something about more sugars = less hop utilization. Or something.

 

[1ratdog]

The rumor is sugar effects hop utilization. Something about more sugars = less hop utilization. Or something.

its not a rumor

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,I experimented with hop teas in the BK at the beginning of the boil. Then adding half my DME additions at the beginning. Then playing around with hop addition timing of 20-30 minutes. Not to mention # of types & amounts of hops for different styles.
Not like I'm picky to BJCP standards or anything,but follow it loosely. I'm basically trying to get no more than medium gravity ales with a lot of flavor & decent complexity. And good color for the style.
But this heat wave is killing my brewing. When I bottle my IPA,I'm forced to forestall brewing till it's over. Too much heat to control any way I'm able at this time. Damn,& I was just hitting my stride on this streak of good ales too.
But,partial extract addition works better with hop utilization. The way I've been explaining my hop additions leaves some of the malt flavor up front toward the middle. Hops on the back,some in the middle right after the malt flavor.
If that helps any in understanding. I try to express it in terms of where you taste what.