# All Malt - No Hops - Bad Idea?



## ubergrafik (7/8/10)

I have a can of Black Rock AMBER - which is all malt. I am wondering if using that (1.5kg), along with either an ale or lager yeast and 12 liters of water is a bad idea or not. I am wanting to get something really malty.

Thanks.


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## np1962 (7/8/10)

ubergrafik said:


> I have a can of Black Rock AMBER - which is all malt. I am wondering if using that (1.5kg), along with either an ale or lager yeast and 12 liters of water is a bad idea or not. I am wanting to get something really malty.
> 
> Thanks.


You waited 3and a half years to post that? :lol:


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## manticle (7/8/10)

ubergrafik said:


> I have a can of Black Rock AMBER - which is all malt. I am wondering if using that (1.5kg), along with either an ale or lager yeast and 12 liters of water is a bad idea or not. I am wanting to get something really malty.
> 
> Thanks.



Do you want to make beer or sweet alcoholic malt cordial?


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## Pennywise (7/8/10)

Sounds like a goer to me, it'll be malty.

Edit: use bakers yeast

Edit #2: drop your ball sack into it twice a day (unless you have a really big ball sack, then only do it once)


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## King Brown (7/8/10)

NigeP62 said:


> You waited 3and a half years to post that? :lol:



Wow that is a long time with no post.

I would advise you add that can to a pot with about 15 litres of water in a cheap 20L stock pot on your stove, add some hops and boil for an hour. The beer will be cloying and sickly sweet without hops, even very malty beers have some hops. I'd probably use a low alpha variety (german hallertau or spalt might be good) aim for 15 - 30 IBU (about 13 - 26 grams of hallertau, but that depends on the Alpha Acid content) Should boil down to about 12 litres.

You would get a pretty malty beer by using a low attenuative yeast, you can check various yeast strain attenuation on either the WYeast or White labs websites. A bavarian lager yeast will give you a malty brew but if you dont have any temperature control (ie a fermenting fridge) an american ale yeast might give you better results.

For even more malt character you could go a little further and steep about 150g of crystal malt with a grain bag in the hot water before adding the other ingredients and bringing the wort to the boil.

hard to tell the exact gravity extract will give you but probably a little over 1.045 in 12 litres of water, so would make a pretty good session beer.

(Edit - steep for about 30 minutes, and remove the grain bag before bringing the wort to the boil)


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## Silo Ted (7/8/10)

Hops would really be better for flavour. Never though about a beer without hops before, but I think it would be a sickly sweet drink.Could be nice to mix with lemonade when its finished, with some fresh lime also.


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## tehdilgerer (7/8/10)

dd


Homebrewer79 said:


> Sounds like a goer to me, it'll be malty.
> 
> Edit: use bakers yeast
> 
> Edit #2: drop your ball sack into it twice a day (unless you have a really big ball sack, then only do it once)



bahahahhahaha +1 +1


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## tavas (7/8/10)

Homebrewer79 said:


> Edit #2: drop your ball sack into it twice a day (unless you have a really big ball sack, then only do it once)




He wanted malty not salty


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## seemax (7/8/10)

And call it a "Imperial Tea Bag Ale"


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## Cocko (7/8/10)

Homebrewer79 said:


> Sounds like a goer to me, it'll be malty.
> 
> Edit: use bakers yeast
> 
> Edit #2: drop your ball sack into it twice a day (unless you have a really big ball sack, then only do it once)



I am in tears....

Golden.


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## Rurik (7/8/10)

Good lot of help you lot are. Why not try helping some one for once rather than getting your post count up. 

As to the point I would not do this my self as it would be rather sweet to the taste and not much like beer at all. I would keep my bittering to at least 15-20 BU's and use a yeast that would keep a good malty profile.


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## King Brown (7/8/10)

Rurik said:


> Good lot of help you lot are. Why not try helping some one for once rather than getting your post count up.
> 
> As to the point I would not do this my self as it would be rather sweet to the taste and not much like beer at all. I would keep my bittering to at least 15-20 BU's and use a yeast that would keep a good malty profile.



+1
Of course beginners are gonna ask questions that seem silly to more experienced brewers (especially in the kits section) but when people give sarcastic or rude answers as oppossed to posting something useful they only get turned off going on the site, which is a shame because it is a genuinely good resource.


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## manticle (7/8/10)

Rurik said:


> Why not try helping some one for once rather than getting your post count up.



For once? Are you serious?


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## bum (7/8/10)

Yeah, manticle. Take take take. That's you, user!


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## King Brown (7/8/10)

I actually thought Manticle's post was genuine, after all alcoholic malt cordial is what you would get if you did not add hops to beer.

Back OT If the OP really did want to experiment with a no hop beer I would probably suggest trying some bitter herbs instead. Never tried it, but I heard no hop beers are a very acquired taste, so I would still be inclined to use some hops. If you pick up a copy of "the home brewers garden" by Joe and Dennis Fisher there is a lot of info on herb beers. "Radical Brewing" by Randy Mosher is also great. The biggest problem seems to be that you can never be sure how much bitterness a given amount of any herb will add (unlike hops herbs don't come with an AA rating) so the beer you intended to be malty beer might end up over the top bitter.

Alternatively I've tried a pretty good malt liquor once (I think it was brewed by Rogue) that pretty much tasted like malt extract smells, without being sickly or cloying. I wouldn't have a clue how to brew one though (let alone brew one with malt extract)


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## seravitae (7/8/10)

uber:

go for it son. (or daughter, respectively)

the old farts on the forum are:


stuck in their ways
often jaded to newbs
extremely sarcastic
are unknowning to the topic of "seriousness"
Try stuff. see if it works. if it does, gold. If it doesnt, try something else. best way to learn.

the only thing I don't recommend learning first hand is safety - if an experienced forum member(s) tell you not to do something because it could be dangerous, heed that warning well and without ego.

for everything else, stick it to the man. eventually you'll end up corrupt like the man, and hang out with the man at dodgy brew meets. enjoy!


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## ubergrafik (7/8/10)

Good to get some lively discussions going 

I just wanted to try to get something malty and didn't want to waste good ingredients. Never really thought that they are all hopped to a greater or lesser degree but that they are all hopped.

Well, I will throw some hops into the mix and see how I go.

So, at this stage it'll be:

1.5kg of the Black Rock malt extract, 
Ale yeast,
Hops
Water up to 12 liters.

Will see how that works...

Glad there was some good info in the post to make it worth while staying


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## King Brown (7/8/10)

Good to see you stayed, be sure to post your recipe and tasting notes :icon_cheers:


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## Rurik (7/8/10)

I did not accuse Manticle of anything personally, nor did I intend to and I am sorry that he feels that way. I cannot help thinking that given how quickly he jumped to his own defence that a there is something at the back of his mind.


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## bum (7/8/10)

You fell off your moral high horse pretty fast there, fella.


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## mwd (7/8/10)

I think you will find that Manticle is pretty much on the money with the alcoholic cordial description. IMHO.

Hops and Malt were designed by the gods to go together just like papaya and lime juice. :wub:


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## manticle (7/8/10)

Rurik said:


> I did not accuse Manticle of anything personally, nor did I intend to and I am sorry that he feels that way. I cannot help thinking that given how quickly he jumped to his own defence that a there is something at the back of his mind.




Didn't take it personally - I was talking about the forum in general. Someone made a joke, big deal.

Both Cocko and hb79 often post stuff that is helpful and supportive as do many members of the forum.

cheers.


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## Rurik (7/8/10)

To Bum I am not on a high horse I am calling a situation as I see it. 

To Manticle - So ridiculing someone is fine because you help at other points?


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## bum (7/8/10)

I know you're not on a high horse - because you fell off of it when you contributed to the "problem" you identified. Not that hard to get your head around, is it?


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## Cocko (8/8/10)

Rurik said:


> To Bum I am not on a high horse I am calling a situation as I see it.
> 
> To Manticle - So ridiculing someone is fine because you help at other points?



Are you helping?


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## Rurik (8/8/10)

Mmmmm there may be some point to the last post I am not helping this person with their original post. So I might stop posting hear if anyone wants to take it up with me feel free to PM me or start another thread I dont care which. I do tend to think though you are all riled by this in the same way a school yard bully is when confronted. Kudos to you all you have won another fight against someones capacity to respond with good consideration with IMO.


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## jakub76 (8/8/10)

ubergrafik said:


> 1.5kg of the Black Rock malt extract,
> Ale yeast,
> Hops
> Water up to 12 liters.


 
How much hops, what type/aa, how long boil?

EDIT: Oh and yeah, really guys...take a long hard look at yourselves 

EDIT 2: I know it's not convincing but by  I meant "I'm Kidding!" I'm not serious about the long hard look, in fact this site would be pretty boring without all the drama. Rock on :kooi:


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## Ivan Other One (8/8/10)

ubergrafik said:


> I have a can of Black Rock AMBER - which is all malt. I am wondering if using that (1.5kg), along with either an ale or lager yeast and 12 liters of water is a bad idea or not. I am wanting to get something really malty.
> 
> Thanks.




Fellow brewer,
After reveiwing all the replys that you received to this post, well,,,,IMHO, just give it a go. You wont know if you don't try. After all you will be the one who either drinks it.

With a just a couple of years af K&K brewing under the belt (Or adding to the size of my belt  ), Had never thought of doing a brew this way. 
But can let you know that a few brews made with the usual can of brew mix and just adding malt have turned out rather bland and lacking a bit of tang that a true beer should have.
Using just the can of Black Rock Amber, to 12 litres, personally would do a short boil ofabout 50 grams of either cascade or goldings 100g Dry malt in about a litre of water. And then make the rest of the brew as planed.

Good luck with it mate and give us a taste report. 

Cheers Ivan :icon_cheers:


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## juzz1981 (8/8/10)

bum said:


> Yeah, manticle. Take take take. That's you, user!




Couldn't be further from the truth, Manticle has helped me numerous times and with great in depth replies. Not to mention other AHB users, thanks Manticle :super:


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## Silo Ted (8/8/10)

ubergrafik, is this your first go at making beer? Some more background would be good, you would be surprised at how many helpful responses you will get. What sort of beers do you like drinking would be the big question. I would guess its not an IPA style  If its your first, I'll be happy to help you out with some hops for free if you live near me, I have a heap of American Amarillo that are getting on a bit, still fine but I bought far too many about six months ago that I will never use. 

Heres what I would suggest. for starters dont muck around with half a batch, go to bunnings and get yourself a 25 litre water barrel and a tap for under $20. This might seem a lot of money to spend but remember that it will last for years and hunfreds of future brews if you look after it. Dont worry about things that you read about airlocks, a sheet of plain old gladwrap for the lid will be fine. Its actually a preferred method for many experienced brewers. 

Make sure you have about 25 longneck bottles for the finished beer. You can buy the caps for a couple of dollars at the supermarket, but you will need a capping tool. Someome might loan you one of those for an hour as well. 

For the recipe, based on a not too bitter beer with some malty flavour. 

Your can of amber malt
A pack of BE2 from Coles, which I think is a blend of dry malt, dextrose and maltodextrin. Costs about $8. 
A packet of ale yeast, which again I might be able to help you out with if youre local. 
Some white sugar to bring the alcohol up to full strength. Use cautiously. Say 400 grams
Hops. Dont waste your money on those teabags, buy a 100g lot for $10, this will get you through two or three beers, depending on their AA%, or in laymans terms the bitterness strength.

Now, to put it all together. This isnt the best or the preferred method for most, and I might get crucified, but a simple method might be as follows. 

Put your BE2 blend in a saucepan, add four litres of water, mix until theres no clumps, bring to the boil. Reduce to a just boiling temp, then add hops. Amount will depend on the hop style, but lets say 15 grams of moderatly high AA%. Keep boiling for 45 minutes. This is your hop bittering addition. 

10 minutes before the end of the boil, or 35 minutes after the first addition, add another 15 grams of hops. This is your hop flavour addition. 

Add the can of liquid malt to your sanitised fermenter. A mix of bleach and vinegar to sanitise, but follow the rules on home made sanitiser very carefully. Too much bleach will ruin a beer. Theres probably a recipe for making this somewhere, you should find it if you can, or ask. 

Add your hot saucepan of BE2 and hops to the fermenter to dissolve the liquid malt in the fermenter, then add another two litres of boiling water using the empty can to get the rest of the goop out. You will need thick gloves, the can will be too hot to the touch. 

Mix like crazy, then fill with cold water. Then let it sit covered overnight in a cold place, winter is a good time to bring the temp down. 

The next day sprinkle the yeast packet over the top, cover the barrel with gladwrap and for the next three weeks watch the crazy fermenting action take place. Two weeks into the process you could throw in another 15 grams of hops, this is called dry hopping, and provides the aroma, but also a bit more flavour, with very little added bitterness to what you already have. 

Ideally you would want to use a tool called a hydrometer which measures the unfermented sugar in your beer, and the rule is if the measurement is stable after a few days its good to bottle. A cheap one from Kmart would probably cost you about $10, again this is a one time investment. 

On bottling day, add carbonation drops, also available from Coles, to your sanitised bottles, fill them with a tube attached to your barrel tap, then cap the bottles. Wait about six weeks, then refrigerate overnigh, standing the bottles upright and enjoy. You will at this point be planning your next brew. 

This isnt the ultimate way of doing things but I reckon its a good start, and without complicating things for you. Later on down the track you can do other things like adding a bit of malted grains, getting away from the sugars and going for dry malt or using two cans of liquid malt, changing the hop variety which makes a huge difference. FYI there are probably a hundred hop varieties out there, and countless combinations. Thats what makes brewing fun for me at least, the limitless possibilities. 

Your biggest concern and one that can never be understated, is cleaniness and sanitisation of everything that comes into contact with your brew. Many a beer has gone bad due to bad practice, but a little bit of care and forthought will avoid any infections ruining all your hard work. 

Lets hope I havent wasted mine and your time if you are already experienced in the process, but it sounds like this is your first go at it. Good luck, either way.


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## manticle (8/8/10)

Rurik said:


> Mmmmm there may be some point to the last post I am not helping this person with their original post. So I might stop posting hear if anyone wants to take it up with me feel free to PM me or start another thread I don't care which. I do tend to think though you are all riled by this in the same way a school yard bully is when confronted. Kudos to you all you have won another fight against someone's capacity to respond with good consideration with IMO.



Your point 'how about helping as we've all asked silly questions before' was fine - a reasonable point actually. It was the addition of 'for once instead of just trying to get your post count up' which was a bit ridiculous. The whole schoolyard analogy thing is a bit tedious too.

Anyway to expand on my question (which was genuine) -OP: what kind of commercial example (if any) would you base your desired outcome on? Beer is almost always bittered with something as all malt will be very sweet. All malt extract of only one kind will be very sweet, possibly cloying and very one dimensional. I don't want to tell you not to do it in case that's what you're chasing but I can't imagine it having a drinkable outcome.

There are ways to get a malty beer - omitting hops doesn't seem like the best one to me.

Some Scottish ales (for example) are very lowly bittered and very malty - I'd look at combining a couple of different malts and steeping a little bit of crystal and chocolate grain then doing a boil with a small amount of english hops to hit 15-20 IBU. This will be sweet, quite malty but not just malt cordial and will be quite easy to do.

You could experiment and see if you'd like it unhopped- personally I think it would be a waste of ingredients unless that cordial is exactly what you're chasing.


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## Pennywise (8/8/10)

Rurik said:


> Good lot of help you lot are. Why not try helping some one for once rather than getting your post count up.




Bloke, he's been a member longer than you. Doesn't seem there was a lot of effort on his part to learn anything in that time. I wasn't having a hard go at the dude, just a bit of light harted piss (ed) taking  . Ubergrafik, appologies if you took offence as much as captain knucklehead here, my intention was to take the piss, not have a go, although prolly poory done in a slightly drunken state. Good to see you've decided to chuck some hops in there, and have decided on a type of yeast. Let us know how it goes :icon_cheers:


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## kelbygreen (8/8/10)

maybe try using some hops that dont give much flavour off like northern brewer, not sure that is the best as I only just bought some for that reason but havnt used it. so if you get a neutral hop you should taste more malt then say using a strong hop like chinook I found that way overpowering and only used 20g lol


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## Pennywise (8/8/10)

Yep, agree with that NB would be a good choice for a 60 min only addition. Also a low attentuating yeast would be good


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## Dazza_devil (8/8/10)

The beer off my starters isn't something I would look forward to consuming but it's palatable non-the-less.
I'm sure there are plenty of other things out there that you can bitter and flavour fermented malt with though, pretty sure it's been done before,
That said, I'm pretty happy that someone accidently on purpose dropped a shit load of hops in their beer once upon a time.


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## Shed101 (8/8/10)

Boagsy said:


> I'm pretty happy that someone accidently on purpose dropped a shit load of hops in their beer once upon a time.



I think you've misunderstood - it wasn't an accident.

They got their information here


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## Ivan Other One (9/8/10)

juzz1981 said:


> Couldn't be further from the truth, Manticle has helped me numerous times and with great in depth replies. Not to mention other AHB users, thanks Manticle :super:




+1
Manticle and many other long time brewers are what make this site invaluable for the brewing experience that they share with us. 

There will always be those who agree to disagree as well as those who like to have a bit of niggle.If folks can't take some things with a grain of salt then maybe they should just have a strong cup of wet cement and HTFU!!!

In the end we all want to make our home brew the best it can be and it's up to the individual to decypher the good form the relatively small amout of rubbish.

Those new to the site will get a better response to their questions if they add their location to their user name profile as climate has a huge bearing on brewing methods.

Lastly, well done TED, as our post was one of most informative response seen here for a little while.

Cheers, Ivan. :icon_cheers:


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## Swinging Beef (9/8/10)

I reckon its an awesome idea.  Experiment, make something wonderful and tell the world... make something shit and keep it to yourseld. 
Beer was made for hundreds, if not thousands, of years before hops were discovered to be their perfect partner.
All I would recommend is to use a very characterful yeast.
Something with a bit of Brett in it or some lacto.
That would provide you with dryness and some bitterness/sourness.
Having said that... it will not really be a malt driven flavour, but it will in some ways emulate the beer flavours of the ancient world.


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## MHB (9/8/10)

Swinging Beef said:


> I reckon its an awesome idea.  Experiment, make something wonderful and tell the world... make something shit and keep it to yourseld.
> Beer was made for hundreds, if not thousands, of years before hops were discovered to be their perfect partner.
> All I would recommend is to use a very characterful yeast.
> Something with a bit of Brett in it or some lacto.
> ...


Actually we have good archaeological evidence dating back some 30,000 years; it appears that making bread and beer are why we became agrarian rather than nomadic. In every case the "beer" was adulterated with some bittering substance, hops are just the best at the job.

I'm all for learning and experimenting, but FFS guys working with stone tools figured out that bittering beer was a good idea I guess some people are just slower on the uptake than others.

I doubt anyone will make a second batch of un-bittered beer.

MHB


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## Nick JD (9/8/10)

I made a batch of unbittered malt alcohol once as a mixer for a friends home made bourbon. He wanted something with a low alcohol level, sweet, caramel and highly carbonated. 

It only tasted weird (by itself) if you thought of it as "beer". With bourbon it tasted fantastic.

Now, someone will come in and inform me that, actually, the Belgians have been doing this since 1567 and it's name is _Le Maltnon Bier du Coq, _brewed for the Queen's poodles_._


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## beerbrewer76543 (9/8/10)

Nick JD said:


> I made a batch of unbittered malt alcohol once as a mixer for a friends home made bourbon. He wanted something with a low alcohol level, sweet, caramel and highly carbonated.
> 
> It only tasted weird (by itself) if you thought of it as "beer". With bourbon it tasted fantastic.
> 
> Now, someone will come in and inform me that, actually, the Belgians have been doing this since 1567 and it's name is _Le Maltnon Bier du Coq, _brewed for the Queen's poodles_._




You're a poodle...


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## Oatlands Brewer (9/8/10)

If its fermented out, shouldnt all the sweetness be gone, not withstanding it would be a funky alcoholic base for some other process....stilling maybe.


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## Dazza_devil (9/8/10)

Oatlands Brewer said:


> If its fermented out, shouldnt all the sweetness be gone, not withstanding it would be a funky alcoholic base for some other process....stilling maybe.




I reckon it will depend on what yeast you use how far it ferments out. As far as I know some bacteria and possibly wild yeasts will ferment things out close to 1.000. Don't quote me on it, I haven't researched it fully or had personal experience with either.


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## chestynuts (9/8/10)

This may have been covered already but I couldn't be bothered gonig back to the start. 

Before hops were added to beer (some time back in the day), beer was flavoured with spices. There are still brewers out there that do this, not many, could probably count them on the one hand. 

You just want somehting to counter act the malt. Experiment and enjoy the process!
There is a small brewery down the south of WA that made a lavender beer. (Very wrong, It remined me of the spray toilet fresheners like going into the toilet emptying a can and eating your way out). But none the less still tried it. 

Thats why we do it.


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## Oatlands Brewer (9/8/10)

Boagsy said:


> I reckon it will depend on what yeast you use how far it ferments out. As far as I know some bacteria and possibly wild yeasts will ferment things out close to 1.000. Don't quote me on it, I haven't researched it fully or had personal experience with either.




Maybe do it with a Lambic yeast, to add a bit of twang


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## booyablack (9/8/10)

ale-e-chest said:


> This may have been covered already but I couldn't be bothered gonig back to the start.
> 
> Before hops were added to beer (some time back in the day), beer was flavoured with spices. There are still brewers out there that do this, not many, could probably count them on the one hand.
> 
> ...



It's called "gruit". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruit



.


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## hsb (9/8/10)

That wikipedia link heads off into a whole world of herb and spice beer, such as:
http://www.gruitale.com/rec_basic_gruit.htm
Interesting stuff and I might try one out for Brew #1000 (currently on around #20)!

I seem to remember seeing a Scottish Thistle Ale on Oz and James Drink to Britain? but maybe that was with Hops and a little thistle for flavour/the sake of it.


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## kbe (9/8/10)

I wanted to make a quick brew as I was running out, and I also wanted to try to make a malty brew. As I do not mind trying out things, I made one with a Blue Mountains lager, a kilo of LDM and some maltodextrin...... no hops and the kit yeast.

The first few after about 2 weeks condition where... different. In no way undrinkable. I drank a few of them and then left them for a few more weeks had a few more, and now after about 8 weeks, they are actually not that bad if you have more than one.

So, as long as you make what you want, and they do not taste off, who the hell cares. You are not going to enter them in to a comp, so just do it. If they have alcohol in them, all is good! :icon_drunk:


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## manticle (9/8/10)

Blue mountains lager tin is hopped already though isn't it?


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## bum (9/8/10)

Yep.

k&k

[EDIT: I do agree with him on the last part of his post though. But it must also be balanced by the idea that if you're going to ask people for their opinions on something they are certain to find idiotic then you must be prepared to be called an idiot.]


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## kbe (9/8/10)

manticle said:


> Blue mountains lager tin is hopped already though isn't it?


Yeah, I always forget that about that.

I will just say then, there were no added extra hops.


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## Nodrog (13/8/10)

stumbled accross this elsewhere, let us know how the gruit tastes- hopefully better than it sounds?

how to gruit


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## RobH (18/8/10)

FWIW - I made a starter out of Coopers yeast from a couple of Coopers Sparkling bottles. 600ml water, 60gm LDM, and it sat in a sealed (clip down lid - like Grolsch) bottle for about 4 weeks (brewday didnt' happen when it was supposed to) ... it fermented out & settled, leaving an amber liqour - tasted it, it tasted dry ... watery - but palatable. 
The main thing that struck me about the flavour was the dryness of it rather than it being malty or sweet.


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## ubergrafik (23/8/10)

OK, so I did the brew and bottled it yesterday. After tasting it every day while doing the hyrdometer reading, it is actually quite close to what I was aiming for - nice malty character, but not too sweet and the hops give it a nice fruity flavour, not too bitter or 'hoppy'. So, in the bottles for at least four weeks and see how it goes.

I went with my original recipe of can, hops, yeast and up to 12 liters. Wanted to keep it simple and then it's easier to know which bit to modify - although I'll have to wait a while...

Thanks everyone for your replies. Have to start another brew now - may add crystals and roasted barley...


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## sir_piggy (23/8/10)

ubergrafik said:


> OK, so I did the brew and bottled it yesterday. After tasting it every day while doing the hyrdometer reading, it is actually quite close to what I was aiming for - nice malty character, but not too sweet and the hops give it a nice fruity flavour, not too bitter or 'hoppy'. So, in the bottles for at least four weeks and see how it goes.
> 
> I went with my original recipe of can, hops, yeast and up to 12 liters. Wanted to keep it simple and then it's easier to know which bit to modify - although I'll have to wait a while...
> 
> Thanks everyone for your replies. Have to start another brew now - may add crystals and roasted barley...



Hey Ubergrafik,
Which yeast and hop combo did you go with?

You can probably see my thread about a Belgian Ale which includes Candi Syrup and Candi Sugar, which may be worth checking out as your taste seems to be on the money with mine...let us know whay you think.


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## ubergrafik (24/8/10)

I used the saaz hop pellets, not sure why, but i had it so used it - muntons premium gold yeast - 1.5kg can of blackrock amber malt extract.

I threw the hops into the wort and left them there...

I actually went back and got some more supplies - same hops and yeast, but a can of dark malt extract and a baggy of chocolate malt grain. Am intending to use half the grain and steep it with the hops in a liter of water for twenty mins, then strain it and add it to the wort.

Last time I filled up to 13 liters and only used ten.

The hardest thing I found was riding the correct temp - it fluctuated from 16 to 21 - i switched the heat pad on at night and off in the morning and it seemed to keep it mostly under control...

Will check out your thread. Cheers.


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## bum (24/8/10)

ubergrafik said:


> Am intending to use half the grain and steep it with the hops in a liter of water for twenty mins, then strain it and add it to the wort.



Apologies if you just forgot to type the step out but you really do need to boil resulting liquor from your grain steep. Malts can come with all sorts of nasties and you shouldn't be adding them straight to your brew. Some people do this without reporting incidents but it isn't worth the gamble, IMO. This boil might be a good time to think about adding the hops instead - although you'll need to add some malt to make this boil OG 1040-ish. Close enough is good enough for a small boil - the generally accepted rule of thumb is 100g of LDME per litre of water.

[EDIT: Start making sense!]


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## ubergrafik (24/8/10)

Yeah, cheers for that - missed mentioning tipping the can into the pot then getting boiling water to dissolve the remainder, then adding more water and boiling all that...


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## rendo (24/8/10)

Nick JD said:


> I made a batch of unbittered malt alcohol once as a mixer for a friends home made bourbon. He wanted something with a low alcohol level, sweet, caramel and highly carbonated.
> 
> It only tasted weird (by itself) if you thought of it as "beer". With bourbon it tasted fantastic.
> 
> Now, someone will come in and inform me that, actually, the Belgians have been doing this since 1567 and it's name is _Le Maltnon Bier du Coq, _brewed for the Queen's poodles_._



I dont think I want to be drinking any beer that is known as "Beer of Cock"....(_Bier du Coq) _and I wouldnt even give it to the dog to drink...poor dog...well maybe a poodle cause they are kinda switch hitters in the world of dogs


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