Question about Converting all Grain to Extract

[ReformedChristian]

Hi Guys,

Sorry, I'm brand new to brewing so this question is going to sound dumb. I've brewed 2 beers so far, both from kits. Both beers came out great, but I want to try something a bit more "craft".

I've got a grain bill of:

Pale Malt: 10lb
Wheat Malt: 3lb 3oz

The recipe that I am following also gives a dry extract version of:

Dried light malt extract: 4.5 lb
Dried Wheat Malt Extract: 3 lb 12 oz

First off... I'm sticking with extract for now because it's only my 3rd batch and I don't quite have the setup for all grain. I've read up about converting all grain to extract, but none of the formulas that I have seen give me what the recipe recommends, so I have 2 questions.

1. Do you think the extract recipe looks consistent with the all grain recipe?
2. In shopping for the extracts, I came across "Muntons DME light" and "Muntons DME wheat". Are these correct?

Again, sorry if this question seems simplistic, but if I'm spending $40+ on this order I don't want to buy the wrong things.

God bless folks, thanks.

 

[S-Met]

Yes, you will get beer, and probably be good Will this be the same? Not exactly.

Doing what you have explained above will result in a lower alcohol beer as your conversion and quantity of each do not match.

You will need approx 6lb light dme and 2lb wheat dme to be closer to target gravity. I use 0.6 for a dme conversion and 0.73 for a lme conversion. Probably not exact and I don't recall where I stole the conversion factors (probably this forum) but has been good enough for me.

Specialty grains (if in the recipe) I steep in a small grain sock at mash temp/time. (E.g. 155 for 60 min).

Secondly, what is your full recipe? Ingredients, batch size, hop schedule, yeast, everything? Full volume or partial with top-off h2o?

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Wheat extract is typically only 50% wheat (you can't, AFAIK, get 100% wheat extract). So for the recipe, which calls for 25% wheat and 75% pale malt, you need to use 50% wheat extract and 50% light malt extract (giving a total of 25% wheat and 75% barley malt).

 

[JZ1018]

There is a formula and article for converting all grain to extract on the AHA web site. It has a lot to do with the efficiency of the mash. The higher the efficiency, the lower the amount of extract you would need. For a mash of 75% efficiency, you would multiply the base grains by 0.6 to get the amount of DME you would need for an equivalent gravity.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I've got a grain bill of:

Pale Malt: 10lb
Wheat Malt: 3lb 3oz

The recipe that I am following also gives a dry extract version of:

Dried light malt extract: 4.5 lb
Dried Wheat Malt Extract: 3 lb 12 oz

To me, it looks like the base malts were converted correctly, taking into account that wheat DME is a blend of wheat malt and a basic "two-row" malt. Note that there are a variety of reasons why the converted recipe will not come out "exactly the same", but it will be a good first brew of the recipe.

So, to answer the questions directly:

1. Do you think the extract recipe looks consistent with the all grain recipe?

To me, it does. I did a quick check on the conversion assuming a 50% blend for the wheat DME.

2. In shopping for the extracts, I came across "Muntons DME light" and "Muntons DME wheat". Are these correct?

Correct

For a mash of 75% efficiency, you would multiply the base grains by 0.6 to get the amount of DME you would need for an equivalent gravity.

0.6 works for many, but not all, types of DME. As @Gnomebrewer noted, wheat DME is a blend. Last time I checked (a couple of years ago), the ratio varied slightly between different maltsters. So, as always, check the maltsters product information sheets.

How to Brew, 4e, has an updated section on how to convert all-grain to extract. The updated section includes Wheat and Munich DME (which are blends). As always, the math isn't difficult, just tedious.

 

[ReformedChristian]

Wheat extract is typically only 50% wheat (you can't, AFAIK, get 100% wheat extract). So for the recipe, which calls for 25% wheat and 75% pale malt, you need to use 50% wheat extract and 50% light malt extract (giving a total of 25% wheat and 75% barley malt).

Ahhh.... this makes perfect sense! Thanks!

 

[Calder]

They look pretty much the same to me. As noted, Wheat extract is usually 50/50 Wheat/2-Row.

I did a quick calculation and assuming the grain recipe is working off 75% mash efficiency, then the amounts of the two give the same gravity beer.

Just a caution. If the original recipe calls for a low mash temp (150 or lower), the extract batch will end up with a higher Final Gravity, making a sweeter beer. If the original recipe does have a low mash temp, you might want to replace some of the extract with plain sugar (but don't use too much if ever needed) to dry out the beer a little.