looking to move forward

[adictv]

Hi all looking for recommendations im finding myself wanting a bit more than the bassic can kit. I have been doing a few pale ales but would love to do a pilsner also.
So bassically in need of advice on my next step to take. Maybe steeping or partial im all ears

 

[Brewsta]

i guess that depends on your time, money & expectations? I know if i could i'd just go straight to all grain, but I have to settle on less due to lack of time & distance from grain suppliers!

I have found a happy medium with trying to stay away from kits, using two cans of malt extract, steeping some specialty grains & experimenting with my own hop additions & different yeasts. Although sometimes i'll still try a kit here and there just to mix things up a bit.

If you haven't already check out John Palmers website / book "How to Brew' a lot of good info on there & then use the search function on this site for more info.

http://www.howtobrew.com

maybe check out the recipe section on here as well?

Partials or BIAB could be an option? all depends on you mate….

good luck!

 

[Seaquebrew]

Fresh wort kits are more widely available these days

Great way to experience the taste of all grain beer before you take the plunge on equipment

Cheers

 

[pist]

Google nickjd all grain 30 bucks. I would read this and maybe have a crack at that to see if its for you before taking the plunge. Personally i would not bother doing partials. I did maybe two then realised moving to all grain was what i was after

 

[Yob]

I think you'll find that thread a mess of broken links and now confusing pages.

LRG's 2 pot stove with lauter is far better anyway.

 

[Gigantorus]

[SIZE=12pt]adictv,[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Pils will need a fermenting temp around 12C to 15C and will probably need to ferment for 3 weeks at this temp. Whereas Ales can sit up around 18C to 24C.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Having said that maybe try something like:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Steep 500grams of CaraPils or say CaraMunich1 (for 30 mins) then add the strained & boiled liquid (need to boil for 5 or 10mins to pasteurise) in the FV with either 3kg of LDME or 1 can of Coopers Pale Ale + 1.5kg LDME, then top up to 23 litres and pitch your american ale yeast. Ferment for 14 days. Then 3 or 4 days from bottling throw in 50grams of Cascade hop pellets plus 50grams Simcoe for a nice American Pale Ale.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]I tend to brew along these lines. Either use a can of goop or dry malt plus a good amount of steeped grain liquid and either drop hop pellets in the liquid after taking off the boil and sit for 10 or 15mins or via a dry-hop or both. It makes a nice beer and the steeped grains can add some nice flavour and body as well. This is my next assignment on the weekend. An IPA, which will be a heavy brew:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]El Bracko IPA (5.5%)[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=12pt]1.7kg Coopers Brew A IPA Can[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]1.5kg Light Dry Malt Extract[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]300grams CaraMunich1 Malt[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]500grams CaraPils Malt[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]90grams Experimental Pine Fruit Hops @ 17.7%AA (first time trying these)[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]1 American Ale Yeast packet (plus yeast from under can lid)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Add cracked grains to 4 litres of hot tap water (65C to 75C temp range), steep for 40 mins, then remove the grains then bring the liquid to the boil. Once boiled take of the heat and add 90grams Exp. Pine Fruit hops and sit for 15 mins.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Put 2 litres of cold water into the fermenting vessel then add the strained steeping liquid. Then add the contents of the IPA can and LDME and stir. Add cold water up to the 20 litre mark and stir vigorously.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Check the brew temperature and top up to the 23 litre mark with cold water to get as close as possible to 20C. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Sprinkle the can yeast on the wort surface and give a light stir, then sprinkle American Ale yeast on surface and fit the lid. I'll ferment at 18C for 2 weeks. 3 days before bottling I'll drop fridge temp to 10C (a light cold crash).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Cheers,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Pete[/SIZE]

 

[adictv]

Sounds good gigantorus ill have to give it ago.
Im in a unit and the only place for my FV in in the underground car park but unfortunately temps are around 22-24 down there. Im waiting for a cold snap to see if i can get temps close to 12 then i can try a larger or Pilsen.
Im some what familiar with all grain due to distilling but for some reason hesitant to do it but yes i can see this is my fate haha

 

[Gigantorus]

adictv,

You can always try using blocks of ice around your fermenter to bring the temp down. I've heard of some guys using dry ice wrapped in towels, which lasts longer than standard ice. But you'll need to ferment a lager for nearly 3 weeks though. That's where a fridge is so handy.
I'm in Brisbane and my brew cupboard under the internal stairs only ever got to 18C in the middle of winter. The fridge is a god send.
After the El Bracko IPA I'm doing a dark/black ale for winter. Recipe is:

Bracko Midnight Ale 2016

* IBU: 35
* ABV: 5.9%
* Colour: Black (EBC = 78)
* Body: Medium-High

Ingredients:
* 3.0kg of Dark Dried Malt Extract (600grams in boil and 2.4kg mixed in FV later)
* 1kg Shepherds Delight Malt (cracked/milled)
* 90grams Mandarina Bavaria hops (7.4%AA)
* 90grams Experimental Grapefruit Hops (16.6%AA)
* 2 packets of American Ale Yeast (Safale US-05 etc.)

Method:

1. Put cracked malts in 4 litres of hot water (65C to 75C) and steep for 40 minutes. Strain steeped liquid into large pot and add extra 4 litres of hot water (bring 8 Litres of liquid) and add 600grams of Dark Dried Malt Extract bring to boil.
2. The boil will be for 30 minutes.
3. At 10 minutes left add 30grams Mandarina Bavaria hops and 30grams Exp. Grapefruit hops and stir.
4. At Flame-out, add 60grams Mandarina Bavaria hops and 60grams Exp. Grapefruit hops and stir. Let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Then sit the pot in a sink of iced water and cool.
6. Pour through a sieve into the fermenter, then add remaining dark malt and stir and top-up with cold water to reach volume of 23 Litres at a temperature of around 20C.
7. Ferment at 18C for 2 weeks. Cold Crash for last 2 days.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[Gigantorus]

adictv,

I did the El Bracko IPA on the weekend and changed a couple of things, which were:

- 250grams CaraMunich1 Malt
[SIZE=12pt]- 550grams CaraPils Malt[/SIZE]
- Added 50grams of Galaxy to the flame-out hop addition (90g Exp. Pine Fruit + 50g Galaxy at flame-out)

Should be a tasty brew.
Cheers,
Pete

 

[adictv]

Looking good pete. Iv got to head to my local hbs this week i think you have given me some inspiration ill let you know how i go.
Cheers Tom

 

[Rocker1986]

My lagers are all fermented out in 8-10 days, what the hell are you doing with yours? :lol:

They do get left in the fermenter longer than that though.

That's a shitload of specialty malt :blink: it may work for some tastes but I'd suggest starting with a smaller amount at first (maybe 300g tops) and then increasing it on the next batch if you feel like it needs more. It's a lot easier to do that than it is to remove it if it's too much.

 

[Gigantorus]

My lagers are all fermented out in 8-10 days, what the hell are you doing with yours? :lol:

They do get left in the fermenter longer than that though.

That's a shitload of specialty malt :blink: it may work for some tastes but I'd suggest starting with a smaller amount at first (maybe 300g tops) and then increasing it on the next batch if you feel like it needs more. It's a lot easier to do that than it is to remove it if it's too much.

Rocker,

I like heavy doses of spec malts. Been playing with them for a year or so now and have found some nice blends. So all good. Been playing with a mixture of cold and hot steeping as well, which appears to provide some very good flavours. I'm starting to get to the point when I can go with higher levels of specialty malts and cut back on LDME etc. - very much in the partial-mash area.

Cheers,

Pete

 

[Gigantorus]

Looking good pete. Iv got to head to my local hbs this week i think you have given me some inspiration ill let you know how i go.
Cheers Tom

adictv,

Brewed the IPA last Saturday and it's still bubbling away last night at 18C. This gonna be a big brew me thinks. Will bottle it Sat 9 April.

Cheers, Pete

 

[Rocker1986]

That was exactly my point... you like big doses of spec. malts, but adictv may not, or doesn't know yet. I know I don't, it's too chewy and kind of cloying, especially with extracts that tend to finish higher anyway. The only time I use large amounts is in stouts or porters; paler styles I use about 300g max. Hence I feel it's better to start off with a more "normal" level and work up to the larger doses if he/she feels inclined to do that.

I don't see much point in throwing in almost a kg of spec grains straight away and ending up with a big thick beer that may not be desired. I think this outcome, if not desired, would be worse to try to drink through than a beer that's a little too thin in body.

 

[Gigantorus]

Yeah love the thicker brews - it coats your mouth and the flavour lingers longer. I particularly like the thicker ones during the colder months - then move back to less thickness as it gets warmer. And yes, you do need to be careful about which malts you use and how much - you can get a very bitter result or unpleasant flavor if you go too crazy. Brewing is exactly that - try it and find out if you like it, if not, then move on and try something else.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[Gigantorus]

adictv,

You can always try using blocks of ice around your fermenter to bring the temp down. I've heard of some guys using dry ice wrapped in towels, which lasts longer than standard ice. But you'll need to ferment a lager for nearly 3 weeks though. That's where a fridge is so handy.
I'm in Brisbane and my brew cupboard under the internal stairs only ever got to 18C in the middle of winter. The fridge is a god send.
After the El Bracko IPA I'm doing a dark/black ale for winter. Recipe is:

Bracko Midnight Ale 2016

* IBU: 35
* ABV: 5.9%
* Colour: Black (EBC = 78)
* Body: Medium-High

Ingredients:
* 3.0kg of Dark Dried Malt Extract (600grams in boil and 2.4kg mixed in FV later)
* 1kg Shepherds Delight Malt (cracked/milled)
* 90grams Mandarina Bavaria hops (7.4%AA)
* 90grams Experimental Grapefruit Hops (16.6%AA)
* 2 packets of American Ale Yeast (Safale US-05 etc.)

Method:

1. Put cracked malts in 4 litres of hot water (65C to 75C) and steep for 40 minutes. Strain steeped liquid into large pot and add extra 4 litres of hot water (bring 8 Litres of liquid) and add 600grams of Dark Dried Malt Extract bring to boil.
2. The boil will be for 30 minutes.
3. At 10 minutes left add 30grams Mandarina Bavaria hops and 30grams Exp. Grapefruit hops and stir.
4. At Flame-out, add 60grams Mandarina Bavaria hops and 60grams Exp. Grapefruit hops and stir. Let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Then sit the pot in a sink of iced water and cool.
6. Pour through a sieve into the fermenter, then add remaining dark malt and stir and top-up with cold water to reach volume of 23 Litres at a temperature of around 20C.
7. Ferment at 18C for 2 weeks. Cold Crash for last 2 days.

Cheers,
Pete

Am thinking I might also add the liquid from some cold steeped choc malt, as well as throw in some toasted shredded coconut, maybe some raisins, a little orange zest and a pinch of cinnamon at flame-out and turn it into a fruit cake dark ale. Thoughts?

Cheers,

Pete

 

[mongey]

the last 6 months or so I started doing some of the recepies on the coopers site which involve steeping some grains and doing a 30 min boil . first few I followed to the letter and lately have been messing with the hops and timing in the boils just to see what happens .


I have made some real tasty beers just having a bash . once you get the basic idea down its pretty easy to experiment

last beer I just had random leftover hops for the boil so I just guessed when to add them and I have a tasty beer

its been allot more rewarding than the fresh wort kits or simple non boil can kits I was doing before