Adding Lme

[Brewlord]

Guys,

I have already looked through the forum for an answer to my question but can seem to find what I am after...

I am doing mainly K&K and at the moment have a JSAA I got form my LHBS. It came with a can of Muntons Blonde. As my addition of 'sugar' I usually use dry ingredients (Dextrose, Coopers BE1 or 2 or the Kit provided by the HBS). For the first time I have been given 1kg of Liqiud Malt with no dry ingredients stated in the recipe.

My question with respect to the liquid malt is....do I just soften it in its container in a bath of boiling water and add it into the fermenter (along with the can of extract) as you would do with normal dry ingredients or do I have to boil it first? If so, how do I achieve this and what advantages would I get out of boiling or what problems could I cause by not boiling first?

Sorry if this has been asked before but some wisdom and experience would be welcome...

Cheers

BL <_<



THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD - THOSE THAT CAN COUNT AND THOSE THAT CANT....

 

[boingk]

No boiling is neccessary with liquid extract, but it is good practise to use some of it to help with your hop procedure. I'd use two large tablespoons of the extract in a litre of water to simmer your hops in for the recommended time (generally 15-20min for flavouring and 5 or less for aroma) , then pitch the whole lot on top of the other ingredients which by this time are sitting ready in your sanitised fermenter. This process help to extract the hops bitterness, flavour and aroma and is far more efficient than just using water.

As for getting the contents into the fermentor, if you fill a large saucepan/bucket/whatever with hot tap water and leave the can in there for say 5 or 10 minutes you'll find its much easier to pour out once you open it. Treat it the same as you would a normal 1.7kg can of hopped extract. I find rinsing with hot water helps to get the leftover extract out of the cans with a minimum of fuss.

Also, you may find that you will get a slightly lower FG than you would with an equivalent amount of dried extract.

Cheers - boingk

 

[lczaban]

Just add the can of liquid malt in the same way you would add in the kit extract into your fermenter. Stand it in some hot water for a few minutes as you mentioned it and pour it into the fermenter with you extract tin goo and stir before topping the fermenter up to the desired volume. Because it is in a tin the liquid malt would be prepared and packaged in a sterile environment, so there is no need to kill off any bacterial nasties. The only time you would consider boiling the malt is to darker the malt by caramelising it during the boiling process. If you wanted to achieve a darker colour then you may as well let the experts do it for you and buy a darker LME.

Best of luck with the JSAA. Reminds of another beer I need to put on my to-do list...

 

[raven19]

I would not bother with the boil, as its prepackaged, sealed and sanitised (I presume).

Pour into your sanitised fermenter, and your on your way.

Edit: I was too slow typing! Others beat me to it.

 

[cdbrown]

My question with respect to the liquid malt is....do I just soften it in its container in a bath of boiling water and add it into the fermenter (along with the can of extract) as you would do with normal dry ingredients or do I have to boil it first? If so, how do I achieve this and what advantages would I get out of boiling or what problems could I cause by not boiling first?

Liquid extract I always just warm and pour. They then provide a nice tin for adding more water to the fermenter. For the dry ingredients like dex, BE1, BE2 I always boil them to ensure they are dissolved properly and kill any nasties which may be there.

 

[Brewlord]

Just add the can of liquid malt in the same way you would add in the kit extract into your fermenter. Stand it in some hot water for a few minutes as you mentioned it and pour it into the fermenter with you extract tin goo and stir before topping the fermenter up to the desired volume. Because it is in a tin the liquid malt would be prepared and packaged in a sterile environment, so there is no need to kill off any bacterial nasties. The only time you would consider boiling the malt is to darker the malt by caramelising it during the boiling process. If you wanted to achieve a darker colour then you may as well let the experts do it for you and buy a darker LME.

Best of luck with the JSAA. Reminds of another beer I need to put on my to-do list...

Errr... I should have added that my LHBS provided me with the liquid Malt in a container similar to the plastic ones that you get take away in. I am assuming that he decanted the liquid from a larger container. It was stored in the fridge at his shop and it has been stored in my fridge for about a month. Noting the comments on 'sterile packaging' with canned extracts, would I be wise to take some action to kill of any nasties? And I guess back to my original question, if it has to be boiled whats the best way to avoid wrecking it ?

I noted the other comments on adding hops which I could also do if I did a boil but it will be a first time boil for me. EEK...I feel some new ground is about to be turned....

BL

 

[Steve]

Errr... I should have added that my LHBS provided me with the liquid Malt in a container similar to the plastic ones that you get take away in. I am assuming that he decanted the liquid from a larger container. It was stored in the fridge at his shop and it has been stored in my fridge for about a month. Noting the comments on 'sterile packaging' with canned extracts, would I be wise to take some action to kill of any nasties? And I guess back to my original question, if it has to be boiled whats the best way to avoid wrecking it ?

I noted the other comments on adding hops which I could also do if I did a boil but it will be a first time boil for me. EEK...I feel some new ground is about to be turned....

BL

As the others have said - no need to boil it. Just stand in warm water for a while and pour into fermenter aswell as the tin....get a few of these under your belt whilst reading/researching about boiling/adding hops etc.
Cheers
Steve

 

[boingk]

If you feel that it is in need of a quick simmer to alay any nastie that may have possibly entered the LME, just pour it all into several litres of warm water and bring to the simmer (not boil) for a minute or two. Watch out though as when malt boils it foams terribly, so use an outsize pot if you feel you may need it. If using hops, this is the perfect opportunity to simmer them with the mixture.

Again, you don't really have to do this but it will provide peace of mind. If the container you got it in is intact and you've kept it refridgerated I don't see any harm in just warming the container and pouring the lot straight into the fermenter.

Cheers - boingk

 

[Brewlord]

If you feel that it is in need of a quick simmer to alay any nastie that may have possibly entered the LME, just pour it all into several litres of warm water and bring to the simmer (not boil) for a minute or two. Watch out though as when malt boils it foams terribly, so use an outsize pot if you feel you may need it. If using hops, this is the perfect opportunity to simmer them with the mixture.

Again, you don't really have to do this but it will provide peace of mind. If the container you got it in is intact and you've kept it refridgerated I don't see any harm in just warming the container and pouring the lot straight into the fermenter.

Cheers - boingk

Thanks boingk and all for their advice. It has allayed my fears somewhat. I think that since the container has remained refrigerated and is sealed it seems on all your advice it should be OK to add as it is. SWMBO might not like any potential malty kitchen boil overs as well so in the interests of peace on earth I might just chuck it in. In future though, and on the advice provided, it might be worth thinking about simmering it and adding hops - always looking for adding minor adjustments to my brews but not quite ready for the partial / AG 'leap of faith' yet. Still a bit timid beyong basic K&K.

Cheers and Beers

BL