Reading Beer Recipes

[JJPicardo]

I'm looking to order some ingredients so that I can follow the recipe below. The issue I'm having is that I really don't understand what these ingredients are, or more specifically, what the numbers mean after some of the ingredients. I want to order through Midwest Supply. Does anyone have any advice?

Ingredients
4 lb. Alexanders Pale Malt Extract
3 ½ lb. Bierkeller Light Malt Extract
½ lb. Weyermann Munich Malt 6° L
½ lb. Durst Crystal Malt 40° L
½ lb. Weyermann Caramunich III 70° L
½ lb. Muntons Carapils 20° L
2 oz. Centennial Hops (Bittering)
1 oz. Cascade Hops (Flavoring)
1 oz. Tettnang Hops (Flavoring)
2 oz. Cascade Hops (Finishing)
Wyeast # 1056XL American Ale

 

[slowbie]

In general, if an ingredient is listed in amounts of 4 oz. or more in a 5 gallon batch, it will be grain, and if it is listed in smaller amounts, it is hops. Also, most recipes list all the grain, then all the hops. The numbers after the grains correspond to the color you can expect to get from those grains. For example, "crystal malts" come in a huge range of color from light to dark. 40L (from your recipe) is near the lower middle of that range.

However, looking at your recipe, I have a couple concerns. Is there more than what you wrote? For example, does it specify dry or liquid malt extract? I'm not familiar with those brands, and maybe they only do one or the other, but that could make a difference in your OG. Also, does the recipe specify what time to add the hops? Does it specify a boil size?

Are you planning on doing a partial mash? Because if not, I don't think the Munich malt will do you much good. However, a partial mash is easy to do on the stovetop and you could probably do one with little additional equipment if you wanted using DeathBrewer's method from the top of the Beginner's forum.

I know I raised a lot of questions, but don't be intimidated. People here can help you work with this recipe or direct you to a different recipe that fits your needs.


This page in the wiki can help you find more information about grains in the meantime, just know that the first word in all the grain listings are brand names that won't necessarily show up in the wiki.

 

[Apollo]

It looks to me like the list you have lists the amount, manufacturer, and type. Example: Weyerman Caramunich III 70L; Weyerman is the manufacturer, Caramunich III 70L is the grain. (The 70L means degrees Lovibond. The higher the number, the darker the grain.) As far as the manufacturer goes, I don't think most people have a preference and go with the mfg that the LHBS (or in your case Midwest) sells.

Have you done much research and reading on how to brew? I'd recommend How to Brew as a starting point. There are many other books out there as well that are helpful.

 

[JJPicardo]

It looks to me like the list you have lists the amount, manufacturer, and type. Example: Weyerman Caramunich III 70L; Weyerman is the manufacturer, Caramunich III 70L is the grain. (The 70L means degrees Lovibond. The higher the number, the darker the grain.) As far as the manufacturer goes, I don't think most people have a preference and go with the mfg that the LHBS (or in your case Midwest) sells.

Have you done much research and reading on how to brew? I'd recommend How to Brew as a starting point. There are many other books out there as well that are helpful.

I've already brewed a recipe using a True Brew Kit. Things look like they are going well so far. Here are the instructions listed for the recipe I'm interested in preparing. Is this considered a "partial mash"?

1.Soak the cans of malt extract in hot water for 20-30 minutes so that the syrup will be easier to pour.
2.Place cracked grains in the steeping bag and add to your brew kettle along with 1½ gallons of cold water. Heat slowly.
3.Right before the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and remove the grain bag. The grain bag should soak in hot water for about 20-30 minutes to get full flavor.
4.Remove the pot from heat and add the cans of malt extract. Keep the kettle off the burner and stir until the malt extract is completely dissolved.
5.Put the pot back on the burner and bring it to a boil. Avoid messy boil-overs by reducing heat or momentarily removing the pot from heat. Once boiling commences, add the bittering hops (if using whole hops or plug hops place in a muslin bag) and boil for 1 hour (set a timer).
6.After 45 minutes of boiling add ½ teaspoon of Irish Moss which can help clarify your beer (optional).
7.After 45 minutes of boiling add flavor hops (if using whole hops or plug hops place in a muslin bag).
8.After 55 minutes of boiling add finishing hops (if using whole hops or plug hops place in a muslin bag) and boil for 5 more minutes.
9.After 60 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat.
10.If you are using whole hops or plug hops in muslin bags, remove them from the kettle. Put a lid on your pot and cool it in an ice bath (use your sink) for about 20 minutes.
11.After the wort (stuff in your pot) is cool, add 2 gallons of water to sanitized fermenter, add the cooled wort (if using pelletized hops pour through a sanitized strainer), and top up fermenter with additional water to 5 gallons.
12.Take a hydrometer reading (optional).
13.When the temperature of your wort is below 78ºF,add yeast.
14.Optional: You can increases the hop aroma and flavor in your beer by "dry hopping" it by adding hops to your fermenter. After the initial fermentation has finished, add hop pellets to your fermenter, leave the hops in for three to seven days, and then siphon the beer to your bottling bucket and bottle as usual.

 

[Clonefarmer]

I've already brewed a recipe using a True Brew Kit. Things look like they are going well so far. Here are the instructions listed for the recipe I'm interested in preparing. Is this considered a "partial mash"?


3.Right before the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and remove the grain bag. The grain bag should soak in hot water for about 20-30 minutes to get full flavor.

It's a steeping grain recipe. Partial mash would be mashing the grains which is a slightly more complicated process.

3.Don't let the water get near boiling. Shut off the heat before the water hits 170 degrees

 

[slowbie]

I've already brewed a recipe using a True Brew Kit. Things look like they are going well so far. Here are the instructions listed for the recipe I'm interested in preparing. Is this considered a "partial mash"?

1.Soak the cans of malt extract in hot water for 20-30 minutes so that the syrup will be easier to pour.
2.Place cracked grains in the steeping bag and add to your brew kettle along with 1½ gallons of cold water. Heat slowly.
3.Right before the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and remove the grain bag. The grain bag should soak in hot water for about 20-30 minutes to get full flavor.
4.Remove the pot from heat and add the cans of malt extract. Keep the kettle off the burner and stir until the malt extract is completely dissolved.
5.Put the pot back on the burner and bring it to a boil. Avoid messy boil-overs by reducing heat or momentarily removing the pot from heat. Once boiling commences, add the bittering hops (if using whole hops or plug hops place in a muslin bag) and boil for 1 hour (set a timer).
6.After 45 minutes of boiling add ½ teaspoon of Irish Moss which can help clarify your beer (optional).
7.After 45 minutes of boiling add flavor hops (if using whole hops or plug hops place in a muslin bag).
8.After 55 minutes of boiling add finishing hops (if using whole hops or plug hops place in a muslin bag) and boil for 5 more minutes.
9.After 60 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat.
10.If you are using whole hops or plug hops in muslin bags, remove them from the kettle. Put a lid on your pot and cool it in an ice bath (use your sink) for about 20 minutes.
11.After the wort (stuff in your pot) is cool, add 2 gallons of water to sanitized fermenter, add the cooled wort (if using pelletized hops pour through a sanitized strainer), and top up fermenter with additional water to 5 gallons.
12.Take a hydrometer reading (optional).
13.When the temperature of your wort is below 78ºF,add yeast.
14.Optional: You can increases the hop aroma and flavor in your beer by "dry hopping" it by adding hops to your fermenter. After the initial fermentation has finished, add hop pellets to your fermenter, leave the hops in for three to seven days, and then siphon the beer to your bottling bucket and bottle as usual.

Okay good. That answers most of the questions I was most worried about. The malt extract is liquid malt extract, and the boil size and hop timing is taken care of. That is not a partial mash, it is extract with steeping grains. However, doing a partial mash would not require much change. All you would have to do is replace some of the malt extract with 2-row and put that in the grain bag with the rest of your grains. Then, instead of putting them in while the water heats, you would want to put them in water so that they would stay at ~152*F for about an hour. This thread gives a few of the details, but if you don't find answers to your questions you can ask them here and we can give recipe specific answers: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/
I did extract w/ steeping grains for my first two batches and moving to partial mash has not been harder and has been more fun and given me more freedom with my recipe.

That being said, if you stick to the recipe the way it's written, you'll still make great beer. But you'll want to pull the grains when the water is 165-170 to prevent extracting tannins. And don't squeeze the grain bag. Like Apollo says, if you ignore the manufacturers name you should be able to find the grains you want at midwest. If not, the wiki link, an internet search or asking here can help you find a substitute that midwest does have.

 

[Yooper]

That Alexander's extract comes in a can- 4 pounds, in one can. If you can't find Alexanders, any light or pale liquid extract will do.

The Bierkeller malt extract comes from Germany. That comes in a 3.5 pound can. That's why they have the specific extracts listed, I imagine. But it doesn't matter- you can use another kind. A pilsen malt extract would be a good substitute but "light" is fine also.

The grains are listed by 1/2 pound, it looks like. Name brands aren't critical, so don't worry too much about that. You'll want:

½ lb. Munich Malt (Light)
½ lb. Crystal Malt 40° L (also known as Caramel malt 40L)
½ lb. Caramunich
½ lb. Carapils (also known as dextrine malt)

The only "important" number in this group is the number of the crystal/caramel malt. That's 40L- and it's very common. You'll have no problems getting this stuff!

 

[Apollo]

I've already brewed a recipe using a True Brew Kit. Things look like they are going well so far. Here are the instructions listed for the recipe I'm interested in preparing. Is this considered a "partial mash"?

No, this is not a partial mash. You're just steeping the grains. Mashing is basically heating the water to a certain temp (I've seen anywhere from 148-160) then adding your grains and holding as close to the specified temp for a certain amount of time. The temperature does have an effect on what type of sugars are extracted from the grains. The higher the mash temp, the less fermentable the sugars are so the beer will finish sweeter with less abv. The opposite for lower temps, the beer will finish dryer with a higher abv.

Looking back on when I first started I think it would have been good practice to try to hold your steeping grains at a certain temp instead of just putting them in cold water and letting it heat up over the flame like the directions you posted suggest.

Here's Deathbrewers guide to easy partial mashing. It has a lot of good info if you're looking to get into partial mashes.

Edit: I should add that with steeping grains you're not extracting any sugars, just colors and flavors. When you mash with other grains is when you start extracting sugars.

 

[JJPicardo]

I appreciate all of your input regarding this. I'm truly enjoying being a member of this message board.