1st Extract Brew.

[corcatraz]

So I got my first extract brew in the fermenter today. It's Dr Smurto's GA and I can't believe how good it smells!! There was just no comparison to the few kits I've done before this. The caramalt and the hops just smelt amazing. It's sitting at about 20 degrees and the OG is 1040/1042.....now the waiting game.

I'll probably try racking to secondary for this brew. Not that I have much of a comparison but it seems to come fairly recommended.


Thanks for all the tips!!!

Corcatraz

 

[raven19]

Well done and Congratulations! :icon_cheers:

 

[mookiedoi]

Dr Smurto's GA was the recipe that really set a new standard for me. It was my third brew and one of the best.
Ive made 4 more since :icon_cheers:
thanks for the tips also! ^_^

 

[robbo5253]

I have my first Extract - a Dr S Golden in the fermenter as well, racking to secondary on the weekend and will then crash chill once I have room in the fridge! Cannot wait to taste it!

Cheers

Robbo

 

[corcatraz]

I have my first Extract - a Dr S Golden in the fermenter as well, racking to secondary on the weekend and will then crash chill once I have room in the fridge! Cannot wait to taste it!

Cheers

Robbo

How long did you leave in the primary for Robbo?

After reading some of the articles they say its good to leave on the primary a bit longer (particularly for malt) or off flavors can occur. Then another article says it's good to rack to 2ndary or off flavors can occur. I'm assuming there is a 'sweet spot'....10 days seems to be popular on primary.

Is that about right?

Cheers,
Corcatraz

 

[robbo5253]

I took this one out the fermenter today and straight into the keg, which makes it 11 days in primary.
I wanted to cold crash it but dont currently have room in the keg fridge -plus i emptied a keg sat night so thought I better fill it!

Will be a few weeks before I sample it but I cant wait.

Good luck

Cheers

Robbo

 

[dj1984]

Good stuff robbo soon you will be moving up too all grain. B)

 

[DTM]

Great recipe, this is the one that got me hooked on brewing. Made it again today actually.
I do 7 - 10 days in primary and 7 in secondary. After 4 weeks in bottle it's clear as and very tasty.

 

[manticle]

How long did you leave in the primary for Robbo?

After reading some of the articles they say its good to leave on the primary a bit longer (particularly for malt) or off flavors can occur. Then another article says it's good to rack to 2ndary or off flavors can occur. I'm assuming there is a 'sweet spot'....10 days seems to be popular on primary.

Is that about right?

Cheers,
Corcatraz

During fermentation yeast does all sorts of things. Some of those things don't taste so good but given a chance the yeast will also clean up after itself. This is why it is beneficial to leave a brew for a time following fermentation.

Racking to a secondary fermenter for the purposes of a secondary fermentation (or secondary stage of fermentation) still leaves enough viable yeast to carry out this job. Leaving a brew for too long on yeast can supposedly lead to vegemitey flavours caused by autolysis BUT while it is a possibility, many suggest that it takes a really long time (eg several months) before it's a major worry. Don't rack simply to get the brew off the yeast. Yeast is good. Yeast makes beer.

I'm not 100% sure on the science of it but my brews improved tenfold when I started leaving them longer (admittedly at the same time I started fining, cold conditioning, racking and concentrating on temp so any and all might have made the difference). I'd happily recommend stable gravity + extra 3 -7 days. Cold conditioning during this time won't hurt a bit.

 

[corcatraz]

Thanks for the info!!!

Makes sense. As long as I don't rack too early it should be sweet.

Also once I rack to 2ndary how much yeast or 'stuff' will there be collecting on the bottom? Just asking for when I bulk prime....do I have to be careful when mixing in the priming sugar as to not stir up the crud.

Thanks.

 

[manticle]

I usually rack for secondary which leaves behind the majority of yeast. I try and do this about 3/4 the way through but sometimes miss (in which case racking is more for clarity than secondary ferment). I then bulk prime into the same fermenter (most instructions suggest racking for bulk prime - I don't see the point). However I make sure I dissolve the sugar in boiling water, cool to below 50 deg, then add gently and leave for 30 -60 minutes. This gives time for any disturbance to settle and for the sugar in solution to diffuse.

If you've already racked (and in my case fined) there will only be a small amount of sediment and the finings will clump it to the bottom so it's easy to leave behind without losing too much of the brew. I also cold condition for 5-7 days which helps drop the yeast out.

You need to be careful adding the sugar as much for avoiding oxidation as anything else. A gentle pour as close to the top of the liquor as possible does the trick though.

 

[robbo5253]

Good stuff robbo soon you will be moving up too all grain. B)

Ha, not quiet DJ! still freaking out about repitching my yeast cake for the first time yesterday!
You better give me a few samples to try and convert me to the dark side! :beerbang:

Cheers

Robbo

 

[corcatraz]

Well its been in the fermenter for 2 weeks now and damn this stuff smells good. I can see myself being addicted to hops already.
It's down to 1010 and is tasting great. It's fairly bitter atm but I'm hoping this may settle down a little and smooth out.

So I'm thinking i'll stick with this style of beer for a few brews and try and get a feel for the ingredients. I'll probably try the LCPA recipe and Neills Centenarillo.

So just trying to get my head around it...If my current brew ends up being a bit bitter for my tastes to counter that would I...use less hops at 60mins or use the same amount but maybe only boil for 40 mins? or is it a bit of both?

Thanks guyz,
Trying to get all this info into my beer soaked brain

 

[manticle]

The longer the hops are boiled for (within reason - 60-90 is a good rule of thumb for bittering - beyond that won't see much more bittering extraction) the more bitterness is extracted. Less time will give less bitterness but some flavour (usually looking at 30 - 20 minute additions for flavour hops although a 40 minute addition will still give some flavour as will a 10 minute one) and later additions will be mainly aroma.

Like all aspects of brewing, you can tailor that how you see fit. Personally, due to the expense of hops, I'd drop the bittering amounts rather than use the same amount later.

Bitterness will round out with conditioning and my experience of amarillo (presuming that's what you are using?) is that it has a noticeable bitterness early on but a few weeks in and it really balances up.

 

[corcatraz]

Ahh thanks Manticle! Yea it is Amarillo. Cant wait till its settled a bit. I think its gunna be :icon_drool2:

Also just wondering about the caramalt. I saw a clip on youtube and the guy was saying that you need to be gentle with the grains to avoid tannins. I was kinda squeezing mine against the strainer a bit to get all the liquid out. Have you had any probs with that? Are they that fragile?

Cheers
Corcatraz

 

[manticle]

I've done all sorts of bad things to grains in my specialty and partial days and had no noticeable tannin extraction. They are a bit sturdier than that. That said, changing your routine to incorporate some of the things you learn as you go is never bad. That's the best way to tell if you notice any difference.

 

[corcatraz]

cheers for the info Manticle!

I'll add some finings tonight and then bottle in a few days. I'm not able to cold condition atm but I've also decided to do a few brews without racking and cold conditioning first so then I have a reference point.

Corcatraz

 

[aliasp]

Can someone post the link to this recipe, i want to do my first extract brew as well.

Most of the recipes on the recipe section are full grain, is there anywhere where i can find some more extract recipes?

i will get onto grain one day, but one thing at a time!

 

[CDJ]

Hey SS

There is just anopther thread on ATM. You can find it in the recipe section, with an extract version at the end. Also, in this link...

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=36160

 

[aliasp]

Hey SS

There is just anopther thread on ATM. You can find it in the recipe section, with an extract version at the end. Also, in this link...

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=36160

thanks CDJ!