Experiments With Dry Extract

[ford-ute]

Hi guys i have read some of your post about this topic and it caused some heated discussions on the board and i dont want that to start again but i have just done my first brew useing dry extract and have found it to have some quite interesting results first i brewed a coopers dark ale and because i like a strong alcohol content i used 2 kg of dextrose i started with a stating spg of 1.062 and then the next day it was fermenting so hard it nearly blew the lid off ( i dont have a bubbler just a bucket) and foam all dowm the side of the bucket for 2 days and at day 4 my spg 0.998 and day 5 the same so i have bottled it acording to my calculator it has a alcohol content of 9.1% and i tasted not too bad when bottled

so my question has any one here used this extract on dark ales before and what was the results i will post my results ( i can under stand that using this extract would make pale beers bland and tastles but what about the realy strong dark stuff)

P.S. i only ever ferment to 18 ltrs not 22ltrs

 

[Mantis]

Hi guys i have read some of your post about this topic and it caused some heated discussions on the board and i dont want that to start again but i have just done my first brew useing dry extract and have found it to have some quite interesting results first i brewed a coopers dark ale and because i like a strong alcohol content i used 2 kg of dextrose i started with a stating spg of 1.062 and then the next day it was fermenting so hard it nearly blew the lid off ( i dont have a bubbler just a bucket) and foam all dowm the side of the bucket for 2 days and at day 4 my spg 0.998 and day 5 the same so i have bottled it acording to my calculator it has a alcohol content of 9.1% and i tasted not too bad when bottled

so my question has any one here used this extract on dark ales before and what was the results i will post my results ( i can under stand that using this extract would make pale beers bland and tastles but what about the realy strong dark stuff)

P.S. i only ever ferment to 18 ltrs not 22ltrs

Yikes, a can and 2 kg of sugar. Drink it slowly now and dont drive after just one glass eh

 

[boingk]

Hey there - thats one hell of a brew! Try using light dried malt extract, or LDME for short [I'm guessing thats what your asking about]. A kilo or a kilo and a half of that will give you a better tasting beer with more head retention and body - probably a more relaxed ferment as well.

Malt extract won't really make beers paler - dextrose will do that, but not the extract. Its fine to use with darker beers like I suggested above. A favourite recipe of mine is a Cascade Choc-Mohogany Porter tin with 1kg of malt extract [light or dark] and 500g honey. That always goes down well after its been in the bottle for a month or two!

Welcome to the forums - boingk

 

[ford-ute]

while that recipe does sound good boingk and thanks for the welcome

im sorry what i ment to ask about was dry enzime not dry extract sorry but do you have any info

 

[kevnlis]

while that recipe does sound good boingk and thanks for the welcome

im sorry what i ment to ask about was dry enzime not dry extract sorry but do you have any info

Makes terrible beer and bottle bombs...

Good move using dextrose, no need to waste money on extract just to kill it with enzyme.

Next time dont bother with the kit or enzyme just ferment a few kilos of white sugar and find a cat to piss in it for you

 

[ford-ute]

be nice

im not after insults im looking for some one who has used this enzime successfully

 

[0M39A]

be nice

im not after insults im looking for some one who has used this enzime successfully

depends on your definition of successfully.

a few people here have used it before, and it has done exactly what its ment to do, break down the long chain sugars in your wort into smaller ones, so your yeast can ferment them.

all this does though is remove any body from your beer, leaving it tasting like shit.

so if you call that successfull, then sure, its great. all the big boys (cub, tooheys etc) use it in their beers.

hell, go for your life, if you enjoy making rocket fuel and can get over the taste, then all the best for you. if you want to make good beer, stick around :beer:

 

[boingk]

What everyone is trying to say is that you'll most likely enjoy your recipes a lot more if you -don't- use the enzyme. There isn't much gained by using it as it takes away the taste of the beer and only gives a little bit more alcohol - why not use an extra 250g of light dried malt extract instead eh?

Of course, nothing is stopping you from using an enzyme! But...we don't recommend it.

If you want some ideas for recipes and which kits to buy, check this site out: hbkitreviews.com They have reviews on pretty much every kit out there, usually with what was added and how it was fermented as well! Great starter site, I've used it a bit as its great for ideas and checking about what goes best with a specific kit.

Cheers - boingk

 

[AlwayzLoozeCount]

I have only ever used it once, it came with a can of brewcraft mexican cervesa. It made a bad tasting beer that was only drinkable with lemon or lime and it got me drunk very quick. The recipe I used was the can of goo 500g light dry malt 500g dextrose and the yeast and enzyme, I was surprized how high the alc was. Also it gave me a bad dehydrated hangover, felt more like I had been drinking straight spirits all night. Never again.

 

[pint of lager]

Have a read of the thread called "Dry Beer Enzyme." It was active today so will be close to the top in the Kits/Extract forum. There are a couple of excellent posts by thirsty boy and MHB in there as well as lots of feedback from people who have used it.

 

[ford-ute]

thanks for the help guy

im one of these people that if told it cant be done i will try and do it just to prove them wrong so i had to ask the question

by the sound of the responses in this threat and others ive read most people are useing it to get more alcohol out of a brew and while i under stand that it turn most of the good stuff (the un fermented malts and sugars flavor into alcohol) i refuse to believe it has no purpose in a brew or most companies would not use it so it must have a correct application where it helps a brew

having said that i dont like most of the beer its used in eg pure blonde but i just wont to know how to use it correctly for my own personal knowledge as a brewer to help round out my skills

 

[Tyred]

A possible use for it is when you want to make a clone megaswill.

If you really want to, try making the same recipe twice, one with the enzyme and one without. See what the difference is and which you prefer.