Simple Malt Extract recipe

[Pommy]

you dont have to worry so much mate, people on here are very skilled but have a tendency to make things seem overly difficult. Your LHBS will be able to answer all your queries.

 

[Robsbrew]

Thanks guys! Ive just started cleaning and sanitizing all my equipment for the third time and boiling my pot again. Im going to sanitize that before I actually boil my wart. My bucket is braqnd new and Im sanitizing that one last time before I was going to wash it and sanitize it again. I know it may be a little bit over board but SANITIZE SANITIZE SANITIZE!!!!!! I will let everybody know how it goes and post pics of the progress. And no I will not post pics of my ridiculously hot wife!!!!!!

 

[danculwell]

And no I will not post pics of my ridiculously hot wife!!!!!!

Pretty please with sugar on top

 

[mr_bell]

just started cleaning and sanitizing all my equipment for the third time and boiling my pot again. Im going to sanitize that before I actually boil my wart.

I'll save you some time, you don't have to sanitize your pot (you can clean it), because it will have boiling wort in it.

Cheers, let us know how it turns out.

 

[Robsbrew]

Okay Im in the process now of making my first batch and have already made a major mistake!!!!!! I boiled water in a pot way too small! I put my first 2 1/2 gallons of water in brought to a boil and though ALRIGHT!!!! BEER!!!! put when I went to put my extract in I quickly realized too small! So I quickly washed out my bigger pot and transfered over. Well see how it turns out!

 

[Robsbrew]

Oh and it is very flat. There is no foam on top. and it has a wretched smell!!!!!!!! But I have about 5 more minutes to put my saaz in.

 

[WickedLB]

I'm sure it will be fine as long as the new pot is big enough. The wort will be boiled and take care of any contamination issues from transferring. Just to be safe, you should post some pics of your wife for good luck!

 

[Robsbrew]

HAHA uh yeah not hapnin! shed kick my tail if I did!!!!! But well see!

 

[Robsbrew]

Okay so heres the deal, I boiled for an hour and put in my sink with ice water for about 20 min. I do not have a thermometer yet but what I did was feel the bucket and see if it felt like it was cool enough. I did put my hand inside the bucket and did not feel any warm air or stem come out so I think Im okay. I did pitch my yeast and hopefully it will all be fine. It did however smell so freaking bad its rediculous. I hope thats how its supposed to be. Ill have pics in about an hour.

 

[Robsbrew]

Oh and here is my wife. ISNT SHE HOT!!!!

 

[Robsbrew]

Okay well I couldnt fit the picture But I have something great for you anyway!!!!

 

[Robsbrew]

Now im om my first full 24 hours in the fermentor and it seems to be doing good. Im getting a bubble every 3 to 4 seconds. I just hope that its not bad with that horrible smell I had yesterday when I boiled. Please somebody reassure me or let me know if I have a problem with the smell.

 

[Robsbrew]

Its now been 4 days and the bubbles have stoped. It smells like old spilled beer in a bar (smell through the air stop) and I dont know if its going to be any good. It kind of smells a little bit like spoiled fermented fruit. Somebody tell me if I have a bad batch on my hand or is it going to turn out okay?

 

[WickedLB]

You'll be fine. I thought the same thing about my first recipe until 3 weeks AFTER it was in the bottle.

I am no Revvy, but here is what a wiser man than I would tell you:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/never-dump-your-beer-patience-virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

 

[ChshreCat]

Almost all my beers smell weird to me. Always makes me think of spoiled milk or something. They come out great though. The only one that smells good is my chocolate stout recipe. There's so much cocoa powder in that thing that the chocolate smell overpowers everything else going on in the fermenter.

 

[Robsbrew]

Thanks guys! I am at ease now!!! Ill be bottling on Fri!!!!

 

[WickedLB]

Friday? Is that only 8 days in the Fermenter? I would give it at least another week (if not 2). On my first kit I bottled after 7 days, like the kit said to do, but I have found that leaving the beer in the 2 - 3 weeks before bottling is much better for the beer.

IMHO you should buy some good microbrews, think about your next brew, and wait until the following Friday.

 

[Robsbrew]

It is only 2 1/2 gallons. I personally would like to wait but I troly have no idea what Im doing. Do you really think it would help make my batch better? If so than thats what Ill do. I really do hope my first batch comes out great but well see.

 

[chrryghst]

+1 on waiting until the following friday... or the friday after that. There are literally thousands of threads on this forum where expert brewers suggest that the longer you leave the beer in the fermenter, the better it will taste.

 

[Robsbrew]

Thanks! Im going to leave it sit for another 2 weeks or until I cant wait anylonger. Im going to try to leave it bottled for at lest 3 weeks also. As soon as I bottle I want to do a Red Ale with a good taste of chocolate in there!!! Any suggestions would be great!

 

[DoctorHops]

I suggest finding a beer recipe that you like and doing it over and over again until you "get it right". That way your variables are reduced and you can tell what effect your changes had without second guessing that they came from a change in recipes. You can identify problems in the final results and make adjustments accordingly. The simpler the recipe the easier this is to do. The recipe you started with is good for this learning process.

 

[KevinW]

Thanks! Im going to leave it sit for another 2 weeks or until I cant wait anylonger. Im going to try to leave it bottled for at lest 3 weeks also. As soon as I bottle I want to do a Red Ale with a good taste of chocolate in there!!! Any suggestions would be great!

Uh oh, I think you are hooked! Glad to see you are taking the advice of some of these great guys/gals here on HBT as I have myself and it really pays off.

BTW, a decent thermometer at one of those "discount" tool shops may not be a bad idea(cheap digital for $6.00 at Harbor Freight tools)! Some yeasts are kind of sensitive to pitching/fermenting temps!

Keep brewing and keep us informed!!

 

[Robsbrew]

Is that a floating thermometer? I have a Harbor Freight by the house. I think my next 2 major purchases is going to be a 6 gallon glass carboy and a propane burner for brewing. That might have to come before my next batch unfortunatly!!!!

Now back to this thermometer issue. Do I need a floating thermometer or does the digital ones work fine? Obviously I need something to withstand heat.

 

[KevinW]

I have a floating thermo but I never use it(it came with my original kit). I just have a 6 inch digital thermo that I use. Of course I sanitize it when I use it post-boil!

I know it is not very long so when I use it for checking mash temps I have to stir the mash then I check several places to kind of "average out" the temp.
I use "fermometers" on my fermentors and even though they are not super accurate they give me an idea at what temp my beers are at!

I like Harbor Freight 'cause they are cheap!
I bought a digital and a dial(backup) for about 12 bucks and they work great!

These are things I've done and feel good about it but always read a little bit about what alot of us do to find your own path.

Glass carboy a good choice, propane burner also a good choice! I just got my propane burner(Bayou Classic SQ-14) love it love it!!!

Keep brewing!

 

[derailedgtr]

A friend of mine recently made one of those prehopped canned kits from the grocery store. It tasted like band aids.... highly unrecommended

This could be an infection or poor rinsing after using bleach as a sanitizer. Maybe even from using chlorinated tap water in the beer and not boiling long enough to remove it. It could even be the yeast that was used.

I have had fantastic luck whipping up quick beers with Premier Malt Extract from my local mom-n-pop grocery. I have used extra hops, sugars, honey, and steeped grains in almost all of them. The only thing I would suggest is NOT using the yeast that comes with the can. I have had it quit before fermentation was complete and had to pitch a pack of Muntons yeast from another kit to finish up. I usually use safeale s-04 or us-05.

Search for 'premier mail extract' for more details

 

[derailedgtr]

This could be an infection or poor rinsing after using bleach as a sanitizer. Maybe even from using chlorinated tap water in the beer and not boiling long enough to remove it. It could even be the yeast that was used.

I have had fantastic luck whipping up quick beers with Premier Malt Extract from my local mom-n-pop grocery. I have used extra hops, sugars, honey, and steeped grains in almost all of them. The only thing I would suggest is NOT using the yeast that comes with the can. I have had it quit before fermentation was complete and had to pitch a pack of Muntons yeast from another kit to finish up. I usually use safeale s-04 or us-05.

Search for 'premier mail extract' for more details

looks like I'm late to the party, as usual. Hope my info helps anyway...

 

[Robsbrew]

What kind of digital thermometer are you using? Do you have a picture or anything like that? Also What the heck is a fermometer?

 

[KevinW]

These are the two thermometers I use the most. I like the digital for its quick read times they are both about 6 inches long. Again, I know they are not long enough to reach into my mash/boil but a gentle stir and a sample of temp in a few spots gives me good results!

The "Fermometer" is stuck to my primary(with my Saturday Stout in it).
My thermometers were about 7 or 8 bucks, I can't remember, and the fermometer was about 3 bucks at one of my LHBS.
(nice thing about Portland, OR is there are at least 6 LHBS's within about 25 miles from me)!

Fermometers are not the most accurate but they give you a pretty good idea where your beer's temp is at. I usually check the temps about every other day or so since the volume of liquid in the fermentors can take a few days to acclimate to room temp. Although I notice a 3 or 4 degree increase while active fermentation is happening.

 

[Robsbrew]

Will the fermometer work on my plastic fermenting bucket just as good as on your glass carboy?

 

[KevinW]

Will the fermometer work on my plastic fermenting bucket just as good as on your glass carboy?

Should work just fine! They are self-adhesive or you could just tape it to the side of your fermentor if you want to move it!

I should have put mine down to the 2.5 gallon mark though. If I have a batch come in a little low on volume then I may miss my fermometer altogether(not the red line in the photo).

Floating thermos are just fine too although they may get hard to read if they get all gunked up from krausen, that brown stuff that tends to form at the top of the fermentation!