Second extract brew, please advice

[SkrekkOgGru]

Hi!

Trying to do this:

Beer (5 gallons)
2.2 -3.1kg of hopped pale malt extract syrup. (OG of 1.038 - 1.053)
30 grams hops
2 packets of dry ale yeast

and bought myself two Muntons Connoisseurs, Pilsner sets. 3.6kg in total. I compensate for the increase in malt extract by brewing 6 gallons instead of 5.

I plan on boiling it for 60 min, and putting the hops in at the last 15 minutes.

Some questions:
1. The directions on the cans suggest using about 1kg DME for 6 gallons. I'm afraid putting 1.8kg LME more will make this beer too strong and/or dark? Especially since this should be a light beer.
2. Can I shorten the boil to 15 minutes and put the finishing hops in straight away? (Why does one boil hopped extracts anyway?? I don't understand the reasoning.)
3. How much water do I boil with the extract/make wort?
4. Can I cool the wort by pouring it in the fermentor and then simply filling the fermentor with cold tapwater? I'll prolly cool it a bit in the sink (indirectly) first to make sure I don't miss my pitching temp...


Thank you for your reply!

 

[EyePeeAy]

to answer number 4, you want the wort to be cooled before you go pouring it around. you dont want to mix it all up when its hot. when its cool is when you want to really mix it around. if your kit tells you to boil say, 3 gallons, cool that 3 gallons of wort, then add it to fermenter, and then add cold water to make the 5 gallons. im pretty sure thats what the kit says to do anyways. good luck, hope someone else answers your other questions.

 

[unionrdr]

You should never boil pre-hopped extract,it boils off the hop profile. LME's in general tend to darken (caramelize) in a full boil. I use a 1.7kg Cooper's can as a base,with 3lbs plain DME,& hops. I use half the DME in a 2.5G boil. I boil it just long enough to get it dissolved to do hop additions for 20-25 minutes. The time will depend on how many/how much hop additions I'll be doing for a particular style.
At flame out,I'll do my steeping hop addition,if there is one. Then add the remaining DME & the cooper's can/LME. The color is lighter,& the flavors cleaner with the "late additions".

 

[mbosco]

1. The directions on the cans suggest using about 1kg DME for 6 gallons. I'm afraid putting 1.8kg LME more will make this beer too strong and/or dark? Especially since this should be a light beer.
- I don't think it will have significant impact on the color, but will make it a stonger brew. 1kg of DME = about 1.2kg of LME so your are over, but not a huge amount. You could always just not pour all the LME in if you are nervous.
2. Can I shorten the boil to 15 minutes and put the finishing hops in straight away? (Why does one boil hopped extracts anyway?? I don't understand the reasoning.)
- Don't shorten the boil. You need 60 minutes to ensure you get the proper hop utilization. If you only boil 15 minutes, you'll get some flavor/aroma, but no hop bitterness.
3. How much water do I boil with the extract/make wort? Usually 2.5 - 3 gallons
4. Can I cool the wort by pouring it in the fermentor and then simply filling the fermentor with cold tapwater? I'll prolly cool it a bit in the sink (indirectly) first to make sure I don't miss my pitching temp...
- Answered above, try to cool your wort prior to pouring in the fermenter (ice bath in sink).

 

[unionrdr]

You're forgetting the fact that his LME is all pre-hopped. you don't want to boil those,all the manufacturers say that. I was told that personally by the cooper's head brew tech guy. But plain lme is often used in the boil,but 60-90 minute boils will darken them a significant amount,as I've often seen. So,since the cans of LME are pre-hopped,the bittering is already done! So all that is needed are flavor/aroma additions. I do this all the time,trust me.

 

[GreenDragon]

You're forgetting the fact that his LME is all pre-hopped. you don't want to boil those,all the manufacturers say that. I was told that personally by the cooper's head brew tech guy. But plain lme is often used in the boil,but 60-90 minute boils will darken them a significant amount,as I've often seen. So,since the cans of LME are pre-hopped,the bittering is already done! So all that is needed are flavor/aroma additions. I do this all the time,trust me.

+1 to this, Do not boil the pre-hopped LME! I've done a few Coopers kits myself. They came out pretty good for a $17 + yeast kit.

 

[unionrdr]

Dang! They cost me $18.85 to $18.99 per can. I'd love to find them for the cheap prices I read about now & then. Like the ones claiming to get them for $12! But yeah,they can't be boiled without ruining them. No need to make wort out of wort anyway. Plus,being pre-bittered saves some time that darkens malt extracts anyway.

 

[GreenDragon]

Amazon had the pre-hopped kits on sale a while back. Included the pre-hopped LME, Dex, and even carb drops I think?? I didn't use the included yeast though, too paranoid to use un-dated yeast.

 

[unionrdr]

I always make small starters for the little cooper's 7g ale yeast sachets in the OS cans. Works great!

 

[SkrekkOgGru]

Ok, so I'm redoing this. (my first batch had to wait a bit longer anyway)

new plan:
both boxes, leaving a bit out, with 7 gallons of water. I think my coopers fermentor can handle it =) (from their DIY)

BUT, how do I put the hops in if I can't boil?

 

[unionrdr]

Make a "hop tea" at the beginning of the boil in the BK. Drop in an ounce of hops in a hop sack for 15 minutes. Then take off the heat to mix in the pre-hopped malt cans,etc. Place a lid on it to steep for 15 minutes while you sanitize the FV,etc. The boiling hot liquid is plenty hot enough to kill any nasties that may've gotten into the LME/DME's.
You can,of course,dry hop later as well. I did both on a pale ale,& it came out quite good. This is a popular method in Australia.

 

[SkrekkOgGru]

Thank you so much for all your advice!

some additional questions.
1. What's BK?
2. Hop sack is just a nylon bag, right?
3. Can I pour the hop tea straight into the FV, and stir (like the recipe calls for)?

thanks!

 

[unionrdr]

Thank you so much for all your advice!

some additional questions.
1. What's BK?
2. Hop sack is just a nylon bag, right?
3. Can I pour the hop tea straight into the FV, and stir (like the recipe calls for)?

thanks!

BK=brew kettle
Hop sacks are generally those cheese cloth lookin muslin bags about 8" long for hopping.
The way I learned to do it from the Aussie's & changed slightly was as described. 15 minutes at the beginning of the partial boil. Then remove from heat & add malts. You could even make a hop tea to use in place of dry hop,if you want to bottle sooner.