Caramalt & Extract Brew

[Pollux]

It's free to download, 21 day trial, then you need to purchase...


Still, it's probably one of the best things I have bought in terms of HBing....

 

[Gavo]

Gavo, the morgans specialty malts are in 1kg tins. It turned out that after the first post today, which was listed as 21L, it settled back down to 20L when the frothing subsided...so It was purely the 3L less pushing the grav up.....But all worked out in the end.

A me sees the error of my ways, I was looking at the Coopers site and seeing the 1.5 kg tins thinking all might have been the same. Yes 3 litres difference in the volume would do it.

Butters, Gavo, Jase and others. This has been a great thread for info and entertainment. Thanks for following through with fixes and explanation info.
I have a question, This beersmith thing is it expensive?, free ? download ? puchase a disc or sharewear? : :icon_cheers: :
Daz

If you are going beyond kits get Beersmith , at least download the trial and play with it. Link Here. Even with the current exchange rates it's still only around $30 -$35 AU.

Cheers
Gavo

 

[Jase71]

Perhaps it should be worth mentioning that after a quick peek my fermentation has a head on it after 24 hours that's 1/2 white with fine bubbles, and the other 1/2 is quite brown, and thicker. :huh: Is this the 'rocky head' transforming into the 'cauliflour head' (Got that term from Michael Jackson, thought it sounded quaint) or is something amiss ? Must admit that I haven't looked at previous fermentations so have no basis for comparison..........

 

[Pollux]

Sounds the norm for a higher temp ferment from what I have seen in my limited experience...

I just walked through the kitchen and heard a galoomp.......While not overly important, it is a nice sound....

 

[Gavo]

Perhaps it should be worth mentioning that after a quick peek my fermentation has a head on it after 24 hours that's 1/2 white with fine bubbles, and the other 1/2 is quite brown, and thicker. :huh: Is this the 'rocky head' transforming into the 'cauliflour head' (Got that term from Michael Jackson, thought it sounded quaint) or is something amiss ? Must admit that I haven't looked at previous fermentations so have no basis for comparison..........

I have seen this on a starter of wyeast 3787 of mine, thought what the heck is that. Tasted the wort before pitching and all was fine. So me thinks that all is going well for you.

While I am here, glad yours has gone well also Pollux.

I don't think I will get a chance to brew for another two weeks, hopefully a partial with 2kg of grain.


Cheers
Gavo.

 

[Jase71]

Update:

Thanks again to the members who gave feedback on my first extract, and especially butters for the 'tech support helpline' in adjusting the IBU's at the last minute. Quite unexpectedly, the sample tasting reveals a definite but not overwhelming coffee tone to the tastebuds - if that makes any sense. With my ghetto cooling system, I kept it <21c for primary fermentation, and for most of secondary, although it shot up to around 24c in the last few days, but I'm not overy concerned about this at the last stages of fermentation. It's a lot darker than beers I would typically enjoy, and it taste like it too, but this isn't an issue. It comes in at around 5.4 % ABV.

This one's going to age for a couple of months before I give it a go, although I might be tempted to have a cold one in two weeks to see how it's progressing.

So cheers (& beers) to all who contributed to this thread.

 

[Gavo]

Update:
This one's going to age for a couple of months before I give it a go, although I might be tempted to have a cold one in two weeks to see how it's progressing.

You know you want to try one in two weeks.... you won't be able to resist... It will be calling for you..

Interesting flavor you have described as the Morgans site describes a Toffee caramel flavor.. I would describe a Toffee Caramel flavor as a sweet roasted flavor may be like coffee (thinking out loud).

I should age quite well by the sound of what you have said, no other nasty flavours.

Cheers
Gavo

 

[Jase71]

I should age quite well

Good clean living and a healthy diet is what you need to aim for. Don't you hate typo's

Perhaps the coffee flavour is due to the tiny residual crystal malt husks that, after straining, were invariably left in the boil and very slighty burnt to the base of the pot. Well, something got stuck on there, and that's my suspicion. This could well be one of those 'never to be repeated' happy little accidents. This didn't concern me at the time, and it still doesnt, especially if it was responsible for an added dimension (there is no 'burnt' taste' as such that I could pick, so all's good)

 

[buttersd70]

Jase, in the sample tasting, how was the bitterness? did it come in about right?

 

[Jase71]

Jase, in the sample tasting, how was the bitterness? did it come in about right?

I'm still a bit unrefined when it comes to bitterness on small samples especially, but I can say it wasn't too sweet at all, nor was it too bitter. A more comprehensive bioassay will be posted when I sit down to a cold one in a month or two I'll send you a sample if you like. (seriously)

 

[Gavo]

I should age quite well by the sound of what you have said, no other nasty flavours.

Good clean living and a healthy diet is what you need to aim for. Don't you hate typo's

Well I am hoping that I will age well, you know smooth and mellow with a hint of bitterness. :lol: I reckon the beer should age well also.

Cheers
Gavo.

 

[buttersd70]

I'm still a bit unrefined when it comes to bitterness on small samples especially, but I can say it wasn't too sweet at all, nor was it too bitter. A more comprehensive bioassay will be posted when I sit down to a cold one in a month or two I'll send you a sample if you like. (seriously)

Perfic....I love it when a plan comes together.
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