what would you do with this?

BrewSwag 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
O

OHIOSTEVE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
Messages
3,546
Reaction score
80
Location
SIDNEY
I bought a few used items today and I am chomping at the bit to try SOMETHING even if it isn't GREAT. I have a can of EDME microbrewery series red ale prehopped malt extract, and a can of bierkeller premium german malt extract.AND I have all the equipment to do a batch of beer I THINK. The guy I got it from said to mix the two together and skip the corn sugar ( got a big factory sealed bag of that also) Boil em in a couple of gallons of water, let that cool .....in the meantime put 2.5 gallons of cool ( boiled then cooled down) water either in the fermenting bucket or in the glass carboy. Add the dissolved extract to the cool water and when it gets to 75 degrees or so add in the yeast ( started of course but which packet? from the red ale or the german extract?) Let it ferment then rack to a secondary...after it has set a few weeks, dissolve 3/4 cup of corn sugar in a half gallon of water and put in a bottling bucket and rack the beer into that, then bottle.....
OK will this make swill or will it be drinkable? What would YOU do with it?
 
If you post the amounts of the cans (the weight) somebody will plug it into their software of choice and give you an idea of what your SG and potential ABV will be. I can't comment on what mixing the two would be like, and you won't know what your bitterness will be. It will definitely make beer.

When you go to prime this batch, or any other, you're better off weighing the sugar. Most people go about 4-5 oz which is usually 3/4 cup by volume but can carry. In my opinion a half gallon of water for the priming solution is way too much. I typically do around 12 oz.
 
Assuming they are 3.3lbs (or so) each, I would combine them for a red ale, but I would also add some fresh malts (crystal) and a ton of fresh hops. The fresh ingredients are of course to make the brew taste fresher. Assuming the yeast is dry yeast, 1 pack would be fine with no starter, what yeast(s) are they? Are they older than the hills? The process you list will make beer but there isn't really a need to rack to secondary, just leave in primary for 3-4 weeks, or so.
 
one is 4 lbs ( the red ale) the other is 3.52 lbs. I will have to wait until the weekend if I need to get fresh malt and hops...brew store is an hour away.
 
Good call on the grains and fresh hops. If you're looking to do something like that the steps would be:

--2-3 gallons of water brought to 150. turn off heat
--steep your grains (using a muslin bag) for at least 30 mins. I'd suggest half pound crystal 40, and quarter pound each roasted barley and special B.
--remove grains and bring to boil
--remove from heat and add your extract (you could do late extract addition but keeping it simple here)
--back on heat and bring to boil
--you're now at 60 mins. add 1oz centenniel hops
--clock counts backwards---watch for hot break/boil over
--at 2 mins (58 minutes lager) add 1oz Fuggle hops
Continue as you said, and also a +1 on just primary.
 
Thanks. Looks like I am going to the brew store this weekend.what temp should I shoot for during fermentation?........ One more thing. No sugar except to prime?
 
Without knowing your yeast type I'd say 62-70. Just look at the packet with the red and google it. You'll find that easily.

Nope, no sugar. You got 7.5 pounds of it already. :)

**edit** COLOBrewer brought up a third great point, is the yeast wicked old? The extra ingredients I listed will run you $10, might as well pick up a pack of Danstar Nottinghame for another $1.50 and just use that.
 
VTBrewer said:
Good call on the grains and fresh hops. If you're looking to do something like that the steps would be:

--2-3 gallons of water brought to 150. turn off heat
--steep your grains (using a muslin bag) for at least 30 mins. I'd suggest half pound crystal 40, and quarter pound each roasted barley and special B.
--remove grains and bring to boil
--remove from heat and add your extract (you could do late extract addition but keeping it simple here)
--back on heat and bring to boil
--you're now at 60 mins. add 1oz centenniel hops
--clock counts backwards---watch for hot break/boil over
--at 2 mins (58 minutes lager) add 1oz Fuggle hops
Continue as you said, and also a +1 on just primary.
Click to expand...

do I crush the grains before steeping?
when you say the clock counts backwards ( keep in mind I have not the first clue what the heck I am doing) I don't think I am catching what you mean.

I live in the country. private well no chlorine or softener, just well water that is on the hard side. Do I need to boil ALL of the water I use anyway? I mean the cold water for the primary, does it have to be boiled first then cooled down since I have no chlorine?
 
I'd boil it, just because it's well water. I'm sure it's safe, but I'd do it just to get rid of some of the "hardness" of the water. As I was thinking on this some more, we often get questions about water and water chemistry. One of the standard answers is, "If it tastes good to drink, then the water is good to brew with."

When you start your boil, after you have added your extract, generally a boil goes for 60min. So, following the directions above, say you started at 12:00 noon, add 1oz of centennial hops, then at 12:58 (2min. left in a 60 min boil) add your Fuggles. I hope this makes sense.
 
got it guys THANKS! Gonna get to the brew store later this week and give it a go....I will have a ton of questions I am sure and I really appreciate the help that you experienced guys give on here. Speaking of questions..lol......primary fermenting in a fermenting bucket or a glass carboy or does it matter?
 
Ok a new development for you guys to guide me through lol.......I did some taste testing on beers last night. I am NOT a beer afficianado and really had no clue WHY I like the beers I like. I discovered that I really do not like hoppy tasting beers. I don't like the bitterness AT ALL ( drank some beer from a JW DUNDEE sampler pack....LOVED the pale bock lager...gave my nephew the india pale ale after one sip) . So that said will the additional hops you guys recommended get me too far towards the bitterness? BTW check out my thread about GOOD KIDS.
 
ok thanks....My wife is pushing me to get brewing this batch....she isn't a beer drinker but she is tired of me "planning" it and washing bottles lol!!!
 
Just thought of another question VT.....If I start out with 2 gallons of water in the boil, and 3 gallons in the primary. I will lose some during the boiling obviously...do I top it up to 5 gallons after mixing it together? Also will I have an issue of it boiling dry?
 
I like to use about 3 gallons in my boil when i do extract, but you'll be ok with two. Your loss due to evaporation in a 2 or 3 gallon boil isn't going to be huge, unless you're doing it outside in 0 degree weather. Assuming you're on the stove top you'll end up with 1.75 gallons on a 2 gallon boil I'm betting.

Now..as for the topping off. Lot's of ways to go here, and if you search around on top off, or ice, or something like that you'll get a lot of different opinions. Since this thread is now off topic (nothing wrong with that) you're probably stuck with just mine...so here we go.

I would take that 2/3 gallon (minus boil off) pot at 0 minutes and put in a sink of ice water. I would then take some ice I had made the day before in a sanitized gallon jug and dump it right in. (hint: don't fill that plastic juice/milk jug all the way up..it will burst). And I'd probably dump ond and a half of them in. Now you have *close* to 5 gallons and your wort temp is damn close to pitching your yeast.

Rack it to your primary. You can just dump it in. You can dump through a mesh strainer. You can use an auto-siphon. The plusses and minuses to each are many, but this is your first batch, just pick one.

Ok..so you're probably at about 4 gallons now. Take some distilled water..boiled water...tap water...(yes, i've used tap water and been fine)...and get it up to 5 gallons.

Ensure your temp is at around 75, I'm guessing it will be. Your yeast that you rehydrated 15 mins ago is ready to be stirred and dumped in.

**edit** once in primary stir/shake/stir/shake/stir/shake aerate aerate aerate. then get a hydro reading. THEN pitch yeast.
 
Also...you brewing Saturday or Sunday? I'm bottling one and brewing the other. Not sure which one yet. But I am on call for work and married to my house all weekend, so hit me up on yahoo if you want during your first brew. Yahoo ID should be under my name on each post. You'll do great!
 
hcarter said:
I'd boil it, just because it's well water. I'm sure it's safe, but I'd do it just to get rid of some of the "hardness" of the water. As I was thinking on this some more, we often get questions about water and water chemistry. One of the standard answers is, "If it tastes good to drink, then the water is good to brew with."

When you start your boil, after you have added your extract, generally a boil goes for 60min. So, following the directions above, say you started at 12:00 noon, add 1oz of centennial hops, then at 12:58 (2min. left in a 60 min boil) add your Fuggles. I hope this makes sense.
Click to expand...

I'd boil it too, just to get rid of the bacteria and micro organisms. Boiling will only concentrate the minerals (hardness), not aleviate it.
 
DEFINITELY add more hops. I used a pre-hopped weissbier can with a can of unhopped wheat malt extract for a hefeweizen, and even added an ounce of hallertauer at the end of the boil. It still tastes horribly sweet (and we're talking about a Hefeweizen here).

Those cans are made for completing with pure corn sugar (which ferments clean, nor sweet nor bitter). If you complete with unhoped malt instead, you MUST add more hops to balance it.
 
qvantamon said:
DEFINITELY add more hops. I used a pre-hopped weissbier can with a can of unhopped wheat malt extract for a hefeweizen, and even added an ounce of hallertauer at the end of the boil. It still tastes horribly sweet (and we're talking about a Hefeweizen here).

Those cans are made for completing with pure corn sugar (which ferments clean, nor sweet nor bitter). If you complete with unhoped malt instead, you MUST add more hops to balance it.
Click to expand...

GOT EM.... I had the guy at the brew store look at the "recipe" and he said it looked good so I will do it like VT said the first time with the adding in the hops. I do have a question. Do I just toss the hops in the water extract mix or should I put em in a nylon bag ? If I drop em in do I strain em out when transferring into the primary?
 
Either will work.

If you have a muslin bag, you don't have to strain.

If you don't have a muslin bag you still don't have to strain.

You can still strain. :)

Lately I've been muslin bag and no strain.
 
VTBrewer said:
Either will work.

If you have a muslin bag, you don't have to strain.

If you don't have a muslin bag you still don't have to strain.

You can still strain. :)

Lately I've been muslin bag and no strain.
Click to expand...

I think I'll stick em in the bag.....
 
CROSS YOUR FINGERS!! The grains are steeping right now.. got water to 150 and dropped in the bag...turned stove almost all the way off and it is maintaining 150 degrees on the button. 20 minutes down on a 30 minute soak.
 
Ok I transferred the beer over into a glass secondary today...did it for 2 reasons. #1 I wanna start another batch and need the primary..#2 I wanted to let it clear up a bit more. I took a hydrometer reading and it is right about 1.020 MAYBE a little lower...started out at 1.052........anyway here is what it looked like when I finally opened up the primary.
primary.jpg

primary2.jpg

The greenish tint around the edges is flash,not the beer.
here is what the trub looked like....Its funny I felt bad dumping this stuff lol!!!
trub.jpg

trub2.jpg


And here it is in its new temporary home...BTW it is DARK and tastes REALLY REALLY good. None of my buddys with one exception will like it. Can't wait to bottle it and taste it after a few weeks....
carboy.jpg


NOW THE OBVIOUS NEWB QUESTION...DOES EVERYTHING LOOK ALL RIGHT TO YOU GUYS?
 
GoldMiner said:
Looks like beer!
Click to expand...

WHEW!!! THANKS!!! I thought maybe I had created a toxic concoction and no one wanted to be the one to tell me!!!lol!!! This is really dark..no way you could see through a glass of it. I have an empty kegerator...maybe a week in there in the carboy to help clear it up??
 
VTBrewer said:
nope. :) that good taste you have is partly the roasted barley, and it ain't gonna ligthen up..

But...tasted great, right? :)
Click to expand...
Yep, tastes very good. I was wondering about the coloring of the beer. It is very dark. I know with the wine, I add gelatin finings to clean it up. However this is dropping a bit of trub in the carboy with no help. I have the ability to cold crash it. Would you?
 
ODD....I had a lot of trub in the bottom of the primary and I was fairly careful to leave it when I racked the beer into the carboy...After just a couple of days there is at least a half inch of trub in the bottom of the carboy..... I thouight I would get SOME but this is a LOT IMO.
 

Similar threads

Z
Simplifying brewing
2
Replies
56
Views
3K
BrewnWKopperKat
BrewnWKopperKat
bmac8
Four beginner questions. Warming garage fermenter in winter? Also, Brewer's Friend/Recipe Help!
Replies
7
Views
704
govner1
govner1
superpig0
Mead Recipe Concern
Replies
2
Views
558
Dan O
Dan O
madscientist451
Selzer/Beer Hybrid results
Replies
0
Views
485
madscientist451
madscientist451
G
Frosted Flakes Wort Late Edition?
Replies
7
Views
722
GoodTruble
G

Latest posts

Back
Top