Putting extract in at flame out

[sashurlow]

I have read repeatedly that adding extract at the end of the boil gives it a lighter flavor. I fully understand the concept but what about sterilization? Should it boil for a couple minutes?
Why do you add some for the full boil? Could I boil my hops for the full amount of time and put all the extract in at the last 3 minutes?
My next batch is going to be amber DME and lager LME (it's what's lying around). Which one should go for the full boil and which one should go for the last few minutes? I like my beer on the lighter side (cream ales, saisons, wheat, etc...).
Probably over thinking this one so thanks,

 

[mtyquinn]

I vaguely remember reading that it is important to have some DME in the full boil so it give hop matter particulates to blend with. That being said, putting extract towards the end of the boil will help keep you brew lighter and not carmelize so much. When I brewed extract I aimed to but a few pounds in the full boil and at least half, if not more in the last 5 minutes. Some partial mash or steeped grains is always a good idea. My guess - I would but the lighter malt in the end.

 

[McGarnigle]

I vaguely remember reading that it is important to have some DME in the full boil so it give hop matter particulates to blend with.

This is correct. You don't want to boil hops in plain water.

To the OP: holding back half the extract until the end is good procedure, just note that you'll get more hop bitterness that way. The recipe should be adjusted accordingly.

 

[kh54s10]

You need some malt in the boil to get the right bitterness from the hops.

For your extracts, and the desire for a lighter colored, (and possibly flavored) beer, add the amber extract at flame out. If the temperature is above 180 it will sanitize the extract. It does not really have to get to a boil, as long as some was used to isomerize the hops.

 

[unionrdr]

Adding extract, usually LME's in my case, is fine since pasteurization happens in seconds @ 160F. And since the wort is still boiling hot at flame out, Bob's your uncle. LME's caramelize, or darken due to maillard reactions more readily than DME's do. So I always use the DME's in the boil & save the LME's for flame out additions.
1lb per gallon of water, or, some say, a 1.040 wort gravity for hop additions. I do partial boils of 3 1/2 gallons or so, & use about 2lbs of DME in the boil for AE brews. My PM brews use the mash & sparge wort for hop additions & works great.

 

[Froyd]

This is correct. You don't want to boil hops in plain water.

To the OP: holding back half the extract until the end is good procedure, just note that you'll get more hop bitterness that way. The recipe should be adjusted accordingly.

I cut bittering hops by 20% least time I did a late addition of LME, and my beer turned out a little more bitter than I would have liked. Not sure how to calculate by how much to reduce hops. I used the 80% figure because it was listed as a rule of thumb on an article on the topic.

 

[sashurlow]

I'm not a scientific brewer yet so I will do an ounce of cascade at 60 or 45 mins and .5 oz of mt hood at 5 min, add my wort chiller at 5 min too then add the LME at 1 minute. So far I am enjoying very basic recipes with no grain seeping. Brewing is tonight after the wife leaves for a couple days.
Thanks for the help,

 

[UndeadFred]

Sanitation isn't really an issue if your wort temperature is about 160F or higher and the pH is in range (which it will be). The guidelines for Pasteurizing milk and similar liquids are 30 seconds at 161F and less as the the temperature goes up.

It isn't a lot of work to sanitize and this is why modern brewers have almost religious fervor about it. It takes out another variable. But the original reasons for making wine and brewing literally were to first boil and then hopefully (and unknowingly) use a more powerful strain of yeast that is harmless to crowd out pathogens.

I am not saying that to justify being sloppy, but the understanding of this fact will put things like late addition of extract into proper contrast.

At boil, Milk is Pasteurized in 0.01 seconds...

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pasteurization-methods-temperatures-d_1642.html

One can go a little further with this and say finished wort is a little more fragile than milk and this is why you need to pressure can wort as a quick starter and be true. However the botulism spores take a little while to form and any strong enough to make a beer yeast will dominate before that happens.

 

[unionrdr]

After reading chapter 4, " Health Matters" of " Mastering The Art Of Making Sausage", I got a new perspective on pathogens & chemicals used to help prevent them from reproducing, which produces deadly toxins as a by-product. As in the case of E. Coli & Botulism. It's not so much the spores themselves, but reproductive toxins that do the deadly deed.
So basic cleanliness & common sense in sanitation procedures will be fine in most cases.