Pale malt extract

[MikeSkril]

Hi,

I’m preparing for my very first batch. I’m reading J. Palmer’s book and I want to make the extract receipt. He is using Pale Malt Extract LME but I can’t find this in any online shop (here in Canada). All I can find is amber, dark, and light... but no pale. How important is that and why do they not sell that?

• 3-4 lb. Pale malt extract syrup, unhopped
• 2 lb. Amber dry malt extract
• 12 AAU of bittering hops (any variety) For example, 1 oz. of 12% AA Nugget, or 1.5 oz. of 8% AA Perle
• 5 AAU of finishing hops (Cascade or other) For example, 1 oz. of 5% Cascade or 1.25 oz. of 4% Liberty
• 2 packets of dried ale yeast

Thanks,

 

[corycorycory09]

Hi,

I’m preparing for my very first batch. I’m reading J. Palmer’s book and I want to make the extract receipt. He is using Pale Malt Extract LME but I can’t find this in any online shop (here in Canada). All I can find is amber, dark, and light... but no pale. How important is that and why do they not sell that?

• 3-4 lb. Pale malt extract syrup, unhopped
• 2 lb. Amber dry malt extract
• 12 AAU of bittering hops (any variety) For example, 1 oz. of 12% AA Nugget, or 1.5 oz. of 8% AA Perle
• 5 AAU of finishing hops (Cascade or other) For example, 1 oz. of 5% Cascade or 1.25 oz. of 4% Liberty
• 2 packets of dried ale yeast

Thanks,

Pale, light, golden light... all pretty much the same thing

 

[IslandLizard]

If it's easier to obtain, you can use all dry malt extract (DME). Use this for conversion: 1# LME = 0.8# DME.

I'd stay with Pilsner Extra Light, Pilsner Light, or Golden Light, and add color/flavor with steeped Caramel/Crystal malts. The darker extracts have other malts included and no-one knows exactly what or how much.

Look around here on HBT and other internet resources for inspiration and (tested) recipes. They're a great resource.

Palmer's book is great, and my first go to reference for brewing knowledge. But... it's a bit dated on some techniques and recipes. The whole "racking to secondary" has been pretty much debunked over the last few years, so no need for doing that.

Regarding that recipe:
11.5 grams of dry yeast, properly re-hydrated per manufacturers' instructions, is plenty for a 5 gallon batch of beer. No need to pitch 2 of them unless it is a very high gravity ale (1.090+).

Enjoy your new hobby!

 

[MikeSkril]

Thanks for the quick help!

The whole "racking to secondary" has been pretty much debunked over the last few years, so no need for doing that.

Oh, its not? Why not?

 

[IslandLizard]

Thanks for the quick help!

Oh, its not? Why not?

Read around here, and you'll see many reasons why it isn't necessary or even wanted. The main reason for racking off the primary was to prevent yeast autolysis (dying), which doesn't happen that fast on home brewers' scale. Actually the yeast is still cleaning up after the first week or 2, making cleaner tasting beer. So let it be in the "primary" vessel until done. Then cold crash for a few days to clarify and bottle.

Many problems are associated with secondaries, particularly when done by beginners. The main ones are: infection and oxidation. Every time you touch your beer you risk both.

Doing secondaries properly is actually a more advanced technique and only needed for long term aging, like 2-36 months, sometimes when adding fruit, and a few other special occasions.

Two things that cannot be emphasized enough is some sort of temp. control during fermentation and healthy yeast pitches by making starters when using liquid yeasts. Dry yeasts usually do not need starters.

Read all the stickies on the various forums to get the gist of modern day home brewing. And keep reading HBT.

 

[MikeSkril]

Great answer! Thank you. I will stick to this forum!

 

[unionrdr]

Light extract would be about the same as pale. Extra light makes a pilsner color. You can add crystal malt to get some more color. Or roasted grains & the like. To get the characteristic amber orange of a PA/APA/IPA, you can use plain light LME & plain Light DME if you want all extract.

 

[madk]

FYI all of the 3.3 lb Briess DME jugs have the malts listed on the back. Golden Light is just 2-row and Carapils. Like IslandLizard said above, generally stick to their Golden Light or Pilsner and use specialty grains. I avoid their other packaged DMEs like Porter, Special Dark, etc. as the malt ratios aren't clear.

 

[MikeSkril]

I like stronger beer. Can I modify this receipt to get a ~7-8% beer?

 

[MrTux]

I like stronger beer. Can I modify this receipt to get a ~7-8% beer?

You would need to add more sugars for the yeast to eat and make alcohol. Search around for more recipes. You will find plenty.

 

[IslandLizard]

+1^

Plenty of recipes around here, and elsewhere. I've successfully modified some of Palmer's recipes to make a bit different Pale and Brown ales, but once I discovered HBT my eyes were opened. The use of malt and hops is so more free flowing in today's home brew world compared to 2006 and before.

Although you can easily modify existing recipes to a higher gravity (adding malt extract and/or sugar) you do have to keep the balance in mind when adding or changing significant amounts (say over 20%). Like a strong alcoholic beer will need extra malts for flavor and backbone, and hops to taste good (balanced).

I don't know how large your boil kettle is, but don't add all the malt extract at the beginning (most recipes don't tell you that). Only add about 1/3, finish the recipe and add the rest after you turn the flame off. Stir well to mix, but don't whip air into it.

Modern day consensus seems to lean toward using dry malt extract (DME) rather than LME for better attenuation and preventing fermentations to stall at the dreaded low 1.020s. It may have something to do with freshness (age) of the LME and/or storage and processing, although according to Briess, LME is the precursor to DME during manufacturing, so in that light, DME is more processed. But since it's dry it maybe more stable. I've DME that's 4 years old and still works and tastes like yesterday's. I use it in yeast starters.