Quick late extract question

[Pelican521]

Would you do a late addition on a nut brown or a stout?

 

[grem135]

Yes. Late extract additions will eliminate that "extract twang" some people talk about. I do late addition on all my beers.

 

[Yooper]

Yes. I know they are dark, but the darkening color from boiling extract has flavors too- called maillard reactions- that cause a "cooked extract" taste.

 

[Pelican521]

Thanks for the quick replies! This has quickly become my new obsession...I mean hobby...

Trying to plan out my brewing pipeline while I have perfect fermenting temps.

Since I picked up a second primary I may go with an oatmeal stout and keep it in there for 4 or so weeks...

 

[Upthewazzu]

Yooper and grem, do you add all the extract late or do you add some at 60 minutes and the rest at 10 minutes (or flame out)?

 

[unionrdr]

I add about 1/3 at the start,rest at flameout. All LME at flame out,DME in the boil.

 

[grem135]

What union says. If my recipie has both dme and lme i will add the dme up to about 2 lbs
I have used just the wort from steeped grains and one lbs of dme for the whole boil and it came out great.

 

[Upthewazzu]

So if the recipe calls for nothing but steeping grains and LME, it's ok to boil the wort for 60 minutes without any LME added?

 

[grem135]

No, i would do as unionrdr said and add about 1/3 of your LME

 

[Upthewazzu]

Maybe I misunderstand what uniondr is saying, but I did read it: "All LME at flame out,DME in the boil."

To me, that says he ONLY adds the DME in the boil, and adds the LME at flameout. Well, what if my recipe doesn't have an DME!

 

[Yooper]

Maybe I misunderstand what uniondr is saying, but I did read it: "All LME at flame out,DME in the boil."

To me, that says he ONLY adds the DME in the boil, and adds the LME at flameout. Well, what if my recipe doesn't have an DME!

That would be ok, but sometimes it's hard to add that much at the end if there is a ton of extract (like an OG of over 1.065 or so).

If you have, say, 9 pounds of extract, I'd probably put 3 pounds in at the beginning, and add the other 6 at the end. It'd be a PITA to try add 9 pounds of extract in the pot at the end, if you were close to the top already!

 

[grem135]

Ok This is what I would do and I think Unionrdr ment also.
If you have DME & LME add dme for boil and all the LME at flame out.
If all LME add about 1/3 for the boil and the rest at flameout.
Don't worry about being real accurate with that.

EDIT: Yooper has a good point about volume..make sure you have enough space to properly stir the extract in without making it a real PITA

 

[freisste]

I've also heard that you need at least some sugars in your boil to get good hop utilization, but on the other hand I have heard people say that isn't true and they have good results boiling hops in just water and adding extract at flameout. I've never tried boiling hops without some extract or mashed grains.

 

[Yooper]

I've also heard that you need at least some sugars in your boil to get good hop utilization, but on the other hand I have heard people say that isn't true and they have good results boiling hops in just water and adding extract at flameout. I've never tried boiling hops without some extract or mashed grains.

Try it! Boil up a quart of water, and toss some hop pellets in there and boil it for an hour. Taste it. And then you'll know for yourself.

 

[freisste]

I could certainly determine whether anything happened (ie, something vs. nothing), but it would be awfully difficult for me to determine which had better utilization. My equipment (tongue, taste buds, etc.) has been abused by a poor diet and lots of booze. And its been quite a while since they were calibrated...

Thanks, Yooper.

 

[Pelican521]

While I've not done a late extract addition myself and cannot speak from experience, I read an article Midwest supplies site that talks about late additions and you will get more hop utilization when you do it so you should cut your bittering hops down by 20%. Go check it out...

I am going to try it next time I brew (hopefully this weekend).

I just can't figure out what I want to brew next!!!

 

[grem135]

I have been seeing late extract additions in kit instructions lately... even brewers best Witbier kit. I dont remember that in the instructions with I brewed it(my 2nd beer). Think they been reading HBT?

 

[unionrdr]

Ok,I see some confusion here. Grem pretty much has it right. If I'm using both plain DME & LME (pre-hopped or plain),I use 1.5lbs of plain DME in the partial boil of 2.5-3.5 gallons of water for all hop additions. Yes,it makes for better utilization then heavier wort,but no,I don't lessen hop amounts. Why?
Because it's a partial boil,& is going to be topped off to final recipe volume in the fermenter. It does seem to even things out in the end.
When I'm using all LME,like from a kit,I use about 1/3 of the plain LME in the boil for hop additions. The rest at flame out. This gives lighter color & cleaner flavor. And since the wort is still boiling hot at flame out,& pasteurization happens at about 162F in seconds,add the remaining extracts,& bob's your uncle.
Now,in the case of my partial mash beers,they're also partial boil BIAB as well. Where 5lbs of grains used make up 50% of the fermentables. So I can use that for all the hop additions,adding the extract at flame out. Whether it's DME or LME doesn't matter in that case. The wort is still hot enough at flame out to the job well.