First Extract Brew

[triumph]

I have 2 tins of Black rock LDME, 45 gms Galaxy hops, 15 gms Willamette, and 15 gms Cascade, plus 500 gms Crystal grain, and US-05 yeast. I am plannimg to use the tins, 250 gms of the crystal (steeped), boil with 15 gms Willamette at start of boil, add the cascade and 25 gms of the Galaxy with 20 to go, and add the rest of the Galaxy at flameout, then add to fermenter as normal. As I am a novice to Extract, does this sound drinkable?
Any advise would be much appreciated!
cheers stu

 

[thanme]

Sounds good to me. I love Galaxy
Not sure how bitter 15g of Willamette would be though..Whats the AA% of it??
Apart from that, I'd consider 200g-500g of Dextrose to thin it out a little. 2 cans of LME and 250g of crystal will see you with a fairly high FG.

 

[vykuza]

Stu, sounds like a winner with that hop combo.

Only thing I would do is drop that crystal addition right down. Extract always ended a little sweet for me. Maybe 100g max on the crystal and you'll love it.

I'd use some of the Galaxy early as it's high AA, and the Willamette later on to temper the fruitiness of the other hops.

For a nice pale ale I'd go

The two tins
100g crystal steeped

15g of the Galaxy for a 60 minute boil
Then the Willamette and 15g of Galaxy at 20 minutes
Then the rest of the Galaxy and the Cascade at flameout
US-05 at a low temperature, 16-17 degrees.

She'll be fruity. And delicious, about 38 IBUs.

 

[triumph]

Thanks for that guys, I will have a crack tonight, the wife is out, so its the perfect time to stink up the house with hops, beautiful hops! I will back off on the crystal as suggested. and Nick, cheers for the hop addition regime. was a bit sketchy on that, so cheers!

 

[beerbog]

I can feel an AG coming on! :beerbang:

 

[triumph]

Had a go as I said, I overestimated the amount of hops I had (oops) and put in a bit more grain (150 gms) but it smelled bloody beautiful, even the Handbrake thought the place smelled good when she got home (win). I used all of the hops I had, mostly did this brew to do a "clean out" of existing stocks, probably used 10 gm Cascade 10gm Willamette, and 30 gm Galaxy. Hopefully it will have a bit of a hop hit to it, but if not thats ok, I dont mind beers a little sweeter! My OG is 1070, which is a bit of a concern! Pitched at 24 deg, garage sits at about 15, so should be ok.
Thanks very much for the advice, I'll keep you posted on how it goes! Oh yeah I brewed to 21 litre.
cheers stu

 

[kelbygreen]

yeah sounds nice. I would use at least 250g of crystal the malt profile doesnt get thrown out to much from it. maybe if you dont like the caramel some crystal throws use carapils to just get more body and head. I usually use 2.2-2.5kg LDME with 300-500g crystal and 600-800g dex that is my base now. I am starting to try adding amber malt and will get some wheat soon. I must add use amber lightly unless you like it as I use 1kg as was a bit much put brew down yesterday and only had 200g so will see what its like

 

[Lodan]

Hi Triumph,

Been watching the thread to see the final brew (never thought i could answer your questions!!).
I'm surprised that your OG is so high, what volume are you brewing and did you add the dex as well?

Lodan

 

[thanme]

Yeah that OG would be a bit higher than I expected too. Are you sure everything was disolved/stirred before you did the test??

Glad it all worked out for you though. I'm sure it'll be awesome

 

[the_yobbo]

+1 for NME
I'd suggest taking another OG reading as it seems a bit high. I didn't bother stirring my last extract brew (10L boil volume) after topping up with cold water. Discovered a problem when my OG reading was ~1100. Gave it a stir and it come down to the expected 1052. Before stirring, there were 2 visibly identifable layers in the fermenter, it was most bizarre.

 

[triumph]

I think you might be right there Muzz, I didnt stir it. It should still be ok though? I did another reading just before when i got home from work and it is now 1060. But the temp had dropped to 14 (it is cold as a witches tit in my garage), so I have lovingly brought it into the house to warm it a bit. Hopefully this will give it a foot up the arse. Thanks for the replies, i had not even thought of that!

 

[manticle]

I'd be pretty surprised if two tins of malt (presuming 1 or 1.5 kg ea) + 250 g crystal hit 1060, let alone 1070. What does your hydrometer read in room temp tap water?

Are you taking half a sample, drinking or throwing away, then taking another full sample to test? Malt can get into the tap and give overly high readings.

The spreadsheet I use gives me 1046 for 3 kg of LME and 250 crystal in 21 litres.

 

[triumph]

Thanks Manticle,

I will take another one soon, but my guess is by looking at the fermenter there is a good 2 inches of darker stuff at the bottom, and i am getting that, which may explain the reading. Serves me right for not stirring. Am I correct in assuming that this will all get eaten up by the yeast anyway? Since i brought the lot inside the temp has hit 16 and the airlock is bubbling every 40 seconds or so. Thats a bit more concerting! And the Hygrometer is accurate, 1000 at room temp with tap water.

thanks for the reply and advice.

stu

 

[manticle]

A lot of the darker stuff now will be yeast - happens with every brew. Yeast won't affect gravity reading. Next time you take a sample, take half a tube, discard then take another sample. This should be more accurate.

Not stirring might affect your OG but now that things are well underway the malt has most likely dissolved or been fermented so don't worry too much about the stirring until next time.

 

[bum]

It should still be ok though?

The yeasties will find the lot so don't worry about that. But your alc calcs won't be worth a pinch. Just remember you can't be sure of the % when you consider if you're right to drive or not, you know? You'll have beer and it'll be pretty much the same beer it would have been had you stirred it completely.

 

[triumph]

Thanks for the replies blokes, the airlock is having a bubble every 12 seconds, so all good. Yeah Bum, my calcs are all up the shit now, may have to relegate this batch to drink at home, or when the missus has the keys. Luckily we have a 50/50 drive deal. I drive there, she drives home. Only ncosts me a little housework, so I can deal with that!
Thanks for the tips, I feel a bit better about it now, cheers stu

 

[triumph]

well i tried this for the first time tonight, and what i suspected would happen, did happen. Its shite. I buggered up the hop amounts, didnt stir it adequately, and put too much crystal in. It is drinkable, as in it is possible to drink it, but Bear Grylls proved it is possible to squeeze fluid out of elephant shit and drink that too, so drinkable aint the best descriptor. I will chalk it up to experience, and moderate my amounts next time. This all means i will have to get another brew going. DAMN!!!!
thanks for the replies and advice, I will listen better next time...