I have been brewing with extract for awhile and am looking to take it to the next level. I'm not quite ready for all grain but would like more autonomy with my extract recipes. Does anyone have some ideas about how I could accomplish this? Thanks
Taking extract to the next level
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Happydad1689
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I suggest BIAB, I went to this and love the versatility.
JLeuck64
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My extract career started with mini mashes and continued through until I switched over to AG. Along the way I bought a larger kettle so I could do full boils. I also bought a small cooler (3 gal) to do my mini mashes in. The last piece of equipment I made was an immersion chiller which helped a bunch! The beers I was making improved some, and the process by that time was so close to AG that it made the switch very easy.
I was going to mention steeping grains myself. I do pb/pm biab, & steeping grains can be done as easily in a nylon grain bag to fit your kettle.
Good question. I'm in the same boat, started with canned kits and worked up to extract with specialty grains for the last bunch of brews. I sprung for a wort chiller and use an old canning pot for my boils but am kind of lost on where to go from here. Interested to hear other's recommendations for the OP.
Try BIAB partial mash. 4 lbs of grain would be a good starting place, could be less, could be more. It will also make brewing a little cheaper as well as improve your beers.
Take your steeping grains, and then add 2-row to make 4 lbs (or whatever size you decide). Buy a 5 gallon paint straining bag from the hardware store (2-packs normally).
Heat roughly 1.25 quarts of water for every lb you are doing (5 quarts for 4 lbs of grain). Heat the water to 160 - 162 F, remove from heat, line pot with bag, and add and stir in the grain. Temperature should be about 150 after adding the grains. Maintain temp for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove bag with the grains and drain.
Before the 30 minutes is up, heat a second pot with about 1 gallon of water to about 170 F. Place the grain bag in the second pot, and steep for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove grains and drain.
Add all liquid to your boil pot. Add any extract you want, add water to whatever level you boil, and continue as normal.
Take your steeping grains, and then add 2-row to make 4 lbs (or whatever size you decide). Buy a 5 gallon paint straining bag from the hardware store (2-packs normally).
Heat roughly 1.25 quarts of water for every lb you are doing (5 quarts for 4 lbs of grain). Heat the water to 160 - 162 F, remove from heat, line pot with bag, and add and stir in the grain. Temperature should be about 150 after adding the grains. Maintain temp for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove bag with the grains and drain.
Before the 30 minutes is up, heat a second pot with about 1 gallon of water to about 170 F. Place the grain bag in the second pot, and steep for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove grains and drain.
Add all liquid to your boil pot. Add any extract you want, add water to whatever level you boil, and continue as normal.
I usually steep for 30 minutes, mash for 60 minutes, just to delineate differences between steeping & mashing. Steeping temps aren't as critical as mashing temps. I heat the mash water with the bag in the kettle, the top of the bag stretched over the lip. I heat it to about 155F, then stir in the grains to break up dough balls & evenly wet the grains. Then put the lid on it, placing it on the inside of my quilted winter hunting coat with a couple pot holders under the kettle. Pull the hood over the top, then wrap the sides of the coat around the kettle. I then use the sleeves to tie that shut as tight as I can. with the timer set to 1 hour for mashing, 30 minutes for steeping. About half way through, I heat about 1 1/2 gallons of sparge water to 170F. Between the mash/steep & sparge, I try to wind up with 3 1/2 gallons boil volume in my 5 gallon kettle.
unionrdr and calder describe the basic steps, but there's nothing here about water chemistry. I haven't done any PM, but it seems that at the very least, the brew should be plugged into Bru'n Water to get a good pH prediction. It seems like the pH could be way off. I guess it depends on beer style and the brewing water being used. Any thoughts?
I have yet to get into brewing water chemistry. I use spring water for brewing my pm beers, as well as any other brewing styles I might do. The spring water from Giant Eagle seems to be good for hoppy beers here, as it comes from wells here in Ohio. The spring water from White House Artisian Springs seems to be better for malty beers @ 25c per gallon. The trace minerals in the spring water is something the lil yeasties seem to love though, so it works for me.
I just use tap water. Works fine. My water is hard.
No point in getting my water analized, since it can come from 3 different sources at any time, and you never know which. I don't seem to have a problem.
Try with your own water first before thinking of adding anything.
No point in getting my water analized, since it can come from 3 different sources at any time, and you never know which. I don't seem to have a problem.
Try with your own water first before thinking of adding anything.
I just started playing with partial mash using this method http://byo.com/hops/item/507-countertop-partial-mashing only need a 2 gallon drink cooler, paint strainer bag, and equipment you already have... I'm happy so far - seems pretty simple and will open the door to some new recipes. I have a pm/partial boil/late extract version of centennial blonde bubbling away.
Feel like I am in the same boat as the OP. However, is there anything to be concerned about by just jumping into all-grain? The partial mash and BIAB seem too similar to steeping grains then adding extract which still makes me feel like I have a limit on calling it my beer. The LHBS does a periodic all-grain class that I am planning on going through to just get an idea.
Steeping grains & partial mash are definitely not the same! In a partial mash, you're still mashing the grains to get conversion from starches to simple sugars. I've mashed as little as 1 1/4lbs up to 7 1/2lbs in the same 5 gallon kettle. Steeping grains are already converted & you're just soaking the sugars out of them. I do pb/pm biab (Partial Boil, Partial Mash Brew In A Bag), just adding a couple pounds of extract at flame out to get my OG. It's virtually the same as al grain, save for the amount of grains in the mash. And Steeping, partial mash & all grain can all be done in the biab style.
The way i see it, doing partial mash allows you to stay with partial boil - if you are limited by pot size or to a stove top. It also leaves a safety net of sorts with the extract addition while opening the door to using other grains and adjuncts.
redwing_al
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jump to BIAB as its just a small jump from partial mash. Do a little research, but that was my path to AG that I do now. Best of luck
You might have a misconception about BIAB. It is all-grain, with no extract added, normally.
Long time lurker coming out of the shadows here......
There are a few things I would like to add to the conversation, this thread is full of good ideas for extract brewers.
1. Using a wort chiller made a huge improvement with my beers.
2. If you don't do a full boil, considering adding half the malt during the last 15 minutes. I found this helped my hop bittering.
3. And as Jamil alway says.... fermentation temp contol is key. (this is my next challenge to tackle!)
Good Luck!
There are a few things I would like to add to the conversation, this thread is full of good ideas for extract brewers.
1. Using a wort chiller made a huge improvement with my beers.
2. If you don't do a full boil, considering adding half the malt during the last 15 minutes. I found this helped my hop bittering.
3. And as Jamil alway says.... fermentation temp contol is key. (this is my next challenge to tackle!)
Good Luck!
I also like this concept, but I like adding the late extract at flameout and letting it sit for 10 - 15 minutes to pasteurize. It eliminates waiting for re-boil, and when doing hop stands the steep time can be extended as needed (kills two birds with one stone).
At flameout your wort is boiling hot and it only takes seconds to pasteurize then. By the time you have the extract stirred in you can start chilling it.
I think BIAB was originally created for partial mash, and has only recently been extended to all-grain by some people. I suspect BIAB is used more for PM rather tham AG.
BIAB was my entrance to pm. I now use a cooler and batch sparge for much clearer wort.
RM-MN beat me to it. Once dissolved, you are done and can cool.
Yeah, it's at the point now where I use biab for steeping as well as PM, but is also used for AG. I add the extract at flame out, cover & let pasteurize while I get the ice bath ready & fermenter sanitizing.
The post I responded to (#46) discussed "partial mash and BIAB", so I assumed he didn't mean the PM BIAB - sorry, shouldn't have assumed.
And yes, pasteurization occurs in seconds at these temperatures. I'm just a little paranoid about infection and prefer to give it more time. BYO agrees - http://byo.com/component/k2/item/615-extract-method-to-your-madness
Sorry for being unclear.
Yup. Occurs in seconds @ 160F. But it usually sits a couple minutes at least while I get sanitizer in the fermenter, etc & get the ice bath ready. Works fine.
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