Boil Size For All Extract Brew

[Fantoman]

Hi all, I am currently looking at moving from K&K to all extract brewing with my own hop schedules, etc, but at the moment, I only have the ability to do a boil of around 6 liters (stock pot on stove) and am wondering if the small boil size affects the hop utilization as much as Beersmith thinks it does...

I am currently looking at doing the following recipe, and beersmith shows the IBU's of a 6 liter boil as 19.1 which is really low, but if I up the boil size to 23 litres, then it goes up to 31.5 which is within the style... Am also wondering if the recipe below looks ok in general as it will be my first full boil with my own hop schedule, etc... am looking for something similar to LCPA...
Am also contemplating steeping some Crystal in this as well but i'm not sure how much to use and am also after any other advice people have for the budding all extract brewer....

0.50 kg Wheat Dry Extract
3.00 kg Pale Liquid Extract
15.00 gm Centennial [9.40%] (60 min)
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30%] (60 min)
15.00 gm Centennial [9.40%] (30 min)
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30%] (30 min)
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30%] (10 min)
1 Pkgs SafAle US-05 yeast

I will hopefully have a brew fridge with a fridgegmate by the weekend so will have this at 18c for 7 days and then rack to secondary where it will most likely stay until I get a keg system in the next 4-6 weeks (that way I will hopefully have a really tasty nicely aged beer in my first keg... that's the plan anyway B) ).

Any other advice is welcome as well as I've only done around 6 K&K brews and am totally hooked! :icon_chickcheers:

 

[Mantis]

Hi all, I am currently looking at moving from K&K to all extract brewing with my own hop schedules, etc, but at the moment, I only have the ability to do a boil of around 6 liters (stock pot on stove) and am wondering if the small boil size affects the hop utilization as much as Beersmith thinks it does...

I am currently looking at doing the following recipe, and beersmith shows the IBU's of a 6 liter boil as 19.1 which is really low, but if I up the boil size to 23 litres, then it goes up to 31.5 which is within the style... Am also wondering if the recipe below looks ok in general as it will be my first full boil with my own hop schedule, etc... am looking for something similar to LCPA...
Am also contemplating steeping some Crystal in this as well but i'm not sure how much to use and am also after any other advice people have for the budding all extract brewer....

0.50 kg Wheat Dry Extract
3.00 kg Pale Liquid Extract
15.00 gm Centennial [9.40%] (60 min)
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30%] (60 min)
15.00 gm Centennial [9.40%] (30 min)
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30%] (30 min)
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30%] (10 min)
1 Pkgs SafAle US-05 yeast

I will hopefully have a brew fridge with a fridgegmate by the weekend so will have this at 18c for 7 days and then rack to secondary where it will most likely stay until I get a keg system in the next 4-6 weeks (that way I will hopefully have a really tasty nicely aged beer in my first keg... that's the plan anyway B) ).

Any other advice is welcome as well as I've only done around 6 K&K brews and am totally hooked! :icon_chickcheers:

Been doing extracts for the last 8 brews after some Kit brews, so am not an expert by any means.
I would add 300g of pale crystal grain and drop the wheat extract down to 200g
Hops are more personal but your schedule looks ok to me

Go for it

Oh yeah, your original question. I have a 12 lt pot and boil about 6-8lt with about the same amount of hops you have there. I use beertools.com to work out the bittering for the style and put the boil size in as my finishing ferment batch volume and this seems to work fine.

I do try to boil only enough malt in my 6-8lt so as to be around the expected SG of the final wort. So I usually boil the malt from the crystal grain steeping with a big spoonful (around 300g) of extract, with the bittering hops. Then I add the rest of the malt with about 20 min left of the boil with the flavour hops, then the aroma hops at the end . Seems all good so far.

 

[Goofinder]

The easiest way I found when doing small boils for extract was to go with 1/3 the final volume, because then all you need to do is use 1/3 the fermentables and not worry too much about the difference in utilisation because the gravity will be the same.

I used to do 7L boils and brew to 21L to make it easy in my 9L stockpot. (21L also suited me because of the size of my secondary at the time)

 

[buttersd70]

there is an option in beersmith for the ingredient to be added "at end of boil", which enables you to tweak the BG, it is the high BG of all the ingredients being added that is causing the low utilisation.
My suggestion would be to have enough ingredients added so that BG is around the OG, with the others being added at "end of boil".
OR;
If you do it the way goofinder suggests (which is fine, he is absolutely right) leave the BG=OG, and just reduce everything (except the hops) by a third.

 

[Gavo]

there is an option in beersmith for the ingredient to be added "at end of boil", which enables you to tweak the BG, it is the high BG of all the ingredients being added that is causing the low utilisation.

Just tried this in beersmith and it answers some of my questions also. Good tip. :icon_cheers:

 

[Fantoman]

there is an option in beersmith for the ingredient to be added "at end of boil", which enables you to tweak the BG, it is the high BG of all the ingredients being added that is causing the low utilisation.
My suggestion would be to have enough ingredients added so that BG is around the OG, with the others being added at "end of boil".
OR;
If you do it the way goofinder suggests (which is fine, he is absolutely right) leave the BG=OG, and just reduce everything (except the hops) by a third.

Ahhh... ok, that answers a couple of questions! B)

Just put my first order through with craftbrewer.com.au for about 350gms of hops and 1kg of grain (500 of carapils and 500 crystal), and my fridgemate so I should be set for the next few brews! :chug:

 

[buttersd70]

If you go into "brewsheet" view, it will show you the estimated Boil gravity. Once you know where to find it, you can tweak it to your hearts content.

 

[Cocko]

Fants,

I would flick thru the recipe's on site and go a bit more adventurous with your speciality grain!!

I have done some tasty 'Partials' [as in mini mashes] in a 9 litre pot - yeah took time and fickin around - but still some of my best beers..... Till friday week

Hopping looks good!

Beersmith = can't help here but software helps heaps, I am running Beer Alchemy and you can adjust everything... anything!!

Anyway, good luck!!

GRAIN IS GOOD!

Cocko.

 

[Fantoman]

Fants,

I would flick thru the recipe's on site and go a bit more adventurous with your speciality grain!!

I have done some tasty 'Partials' [as in mini mashes] in a 9 litre pot - yeah took time and fickin around - but still some of my best beers..... Till friday week

Hopping looks good!

Beersmith = can't help here but software helps heaps, I am running Beer Alchemy and you can adjust everything... anything!!

Anyway, good luck!!

GRAIN IS GOOD!

Cocko.

Thanks for the advice Cocko!

Good to know i'm on the right track... although, I think i'll stick with the steeping grains for now.... one step at a time... I'm sure I will eventually move up to partials and possibly AG BIAB, but that's down the track... SWMBO thinks i'm crazy enough as it is! :blink:

On a down note, I just realised that Craftbrewer don't have any stock of the fridgemate's (after ordering it - I really should learn to read)... I have just emailed Ross to see if they have an ETA for them or if I should order it directly from MashMaster, but it doesn't look like i'll be getting that brew down this weekend afterall (long weekend too).... :angry:

 

[Fantoman]

Just got advised by Ross that the Fridgemate's are back in stock and my order was shipped today, so I am still on track for a brew this weekend! Must visit tricky dicky to get myself the other bits and pieces so I can hook it up on the weekend... :beerbang:

 

[Cocko]

Thanks for the advice Cocko!
one step at a time... I'm sure I will eventually move up to partials and possibly AG BIAB, but that's down the track... SWMBO thinks i'm crazy enough as it is! :blink:

So you have a pot to do what you do.... Steep and boil, yeah?

So all you do is monitor your pot while the grains are in there and if you can keep it at 66 deg. for 60 min. then you are doin it!!

MINI MASH! - come on you know you can do it!! Soo.. again, flick thru the partial recipes and try to do one..

If not, enjoy your what you brew and brew often!

night.
<_<