Seeking Advice For My First Extract Batch

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

beerandgarden

Well-Known Member
Joined
26/12/10
Messages
111
Reaction score
0
Hi,
I've done 2 kit based batches and for my next one I'm going to have a go at an extract + speciality grain brew. I have most of my ingredients lined up already so now I just need to figure out the quantities. I want to make an American Pale Ale.

Heres my ingredient list so far (for 23L batch):

* Safale US-05 Yeast 1 packet (11.5g)
* Medium Crystal Malt not sure of amount yet, probably 250g ( I have 1kg)
* Simcoe Hops pellets (for bittering) not sure of amount yet
* Cascade Hops pellets (for finishing) not sure of amount yet
* 3kg Liquid malt extract perhaps 1 can of Coopers Light for the boil and 1 jar of a cheaper amber (Brewmaster) to add after the boil

Any advice on quantities to use? More details of my brew plan in my latest blog:
http://beerandgarden.com/planning-my-first-extract-batch/

Cheers,
Aidan
 
I would suggest you grab yourself a copy of Beesmith, makes life so much easier when formulating recipes, and really you'll need some sort of brewing programe so you can hit your IBU's, Acl and such. But I would say go with what you've intended 250g of Med Crystal is a good starting point IMO, personally I'd use up to 400g but it depends on what IBU your after. For the hop amounts you'll need to give us the AA% for any chance of being accurate
 
Hey I just chucked some numbers into the Kit and extract beer spreadsheet (See this thread)

Hop Additions for a total of approx 38.2 IBU

Simcoe 30g for 60mins (27.88IBU)
Cascade 30g for 15mins (10.37IBU)
Cascade 30g for 0mins (flameout; 0IBU)

Try the 250g of medium crystal and see how you go. You may find its not sweet enough, but its all up to personal taste. It just depends on what extract you use, and make sure you get unhopped cans, otherwise you will end up with a bit more bitterness.
 
Ok, this is only a rushed one because we're flat out at work (first day dack), hope it helps,

21L batch
3kg LME
250g crystal steeped
20g cascade @ flameout
20g Cascade @ 20 mins
10g Simcoe @ 60 mins
US-05, 2 packs

Dry hop if you want, bout 15-20g will suffice

I've based this on a 10L boil and using one tin of LME (1.5kg) in it, adding the other at flameout. It's at 35 IBU, adding another 5g Simcoe at 60 mins will bump it up near 45 IBU so use your own palate to decide where you want it. Color will be about 16 EBC, personally I'd up the crystal to 350g for a bit more of it and also some backbone for those hop additions.

Done this in a bit of a hurry so if I've missed anything someone will point it out
 
Ok, this is only a rushed one because we're flat out at work (first day dack), hope it helps,

21L batch
3kg LME
250g crystal steeped
20g cascade @ flameout
20g Cascade @ 20 mins
10g Simcoe @ 60 mins
US-05, 2 packs

Dry hop if you want, bout 15-20g will suffice

I've based this on a 10L boil and using one tin of LME (1.5kg) in it, adding the other at flameout. It's at 35 IBU, adding another 5g Simcoe at 60 mins will bump it up near 45 IBU so use your own palate to decide where you want it. Color will be about 16 EBC, personally I'd up the crystal to 350g for a bit more of it and also some backbone for those hop additions.

Done this in a bit of a hurry so if I've missed anything someone will point it out

Ah bugger... didn't account for boil volume. Disregard mine, and go for what Pennywise said. You won't necesarilly need to use 2 packs of US05, just re-hydrate it.
 
Hey I just chucked some numbers into the Kit and extract beer spreadsheet (See this thread)

Hop Additions for a total of approx 38.2 IBU

Simcoe 30g for 60mins (27.88IBU)
Cascade 30g for 15mins (10.37IBU)
Cascade 30g for 0mins (flameout; 0IBU)

Try the 250g of medium crystal and see how you go. You may find its not sweet enough, but its all up to personal taste. It just depends on what extract you use, and make sure you get unhopped cans, otherwise you will end up with a bit more bitterness.

Thanks mate! I actually took Pennywise's advice and downloaded the Beersmith software - it's pretty cool. I plugged in some similar numbers to the Liberty Pale Ale recipe in John Palmer's book and came up with:

Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 9.00 L
Boil Time: 60 min

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.25 kg Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 52.94 % <- after the boil
1.50 kg Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 35.29 %
0.50 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 11.76 %
20.00 gm Simcoe [12.20 %] (60 min) Hops 23.9 IBU
20.00 gm NZ Cascade [9.00 %] (30 min) Hops 13.5 IBU
20.00 gm NZ Cascade [9.00 %] (15 min) Hops 8.7 IBU
1 Pkgs Safale US-05 (Fermentis) Yeast-Ale


Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.60 %
Bitterness: 46.2 IBU
Calories: 90 cal/l
Est Color: 13.7 SRM

I actually had to increase the malt to 2.5 x 1.5kg can/jar to come out with a reasonable abv. (Or I guess I could just add some sugar instead?) My hops weights are only 2/3 of yours and yet the IBU is coming out quite high. Maybe it's because I'm only adding 1 tin to the 9L boil.
 
Ok, this is only a rushed one because we're flat out at work (first day dack), hope it helps,

21L batch
3kg LME
250g crystal steeped
20g cascade @ flameout
20g Cascade @ 20 mins
10g Simcoe @ 60 mins
US-05, 2 packs

Dry hop if you want, bout 15-20g will suffice

I've based this on a 10L boil and using one tin of LME (1.5kg) in it, adding the other at flameout. It's at 35 IBU, adding another 5g Simcoe at 60 mins will bump it up near 45 IBU so use your own palate to decide where you want it. Color will be about 16 EBC, personally I'd up the crystal to 350g for a bit more of it and also some backbone for those hop additions.

Done this in a bit of a hurry so if I've missed anything someone will point it out

Cool. Pretty close to what I came up with using Palmer's recipe and Beersmith. I'll probably follow your advice and go a bit lower with the Simcoe - maybe split the differ to 15g and also go later with last Cascade addition.
 
The amount of hops you need to add will be dependant on the boil volume, the boil gravity, and to a lesser extent boil vigor (sp?). This is why brewing software is pretty important, take alot of the guess work out. If you click on the liquid extract in BS (while viewing your recipe), you can check a box "add after boil" or "late extract, boil for__mins". You don't need to add all the extract at the start of the boil, best to aim for a gravity of 1040 or there abouts so your hop utilisation is not wasted. A good rule is 100g LDME per litre of water will give you about 1040, LME is 20% water so for ease sake we'll just say 120g of LME in 1L water. So your 9L boil should have 1.1kg of the LME in it, I'd just use a whole tin to make it easier, hops don't cost that much :ph34r:
 
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 9.00 L
Boil Time: 60 min

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.25 kg Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 52.94 % <- after the boil
1.50 kg Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 35.29 %
0.50 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 11.76 %
20.00 gm Simcoe [12.20 %] (60 min) Hops 23.9 IBU
20.00 gm NZ Cascade [9.00 %] (30 min) Hops 13.5 IBU
20.00 gm NZ Cascade [9.00 %] (15 min) Hops 8.7 IBU
1 Pkgs Safale US-05 (Fermentis) Yeast-Ale
I'd seriously look at either moving the cascade additions later (I'd think about 15/20 and 0) for more of the SNPA thing if that's what you're still chasing and dropping the crystal a bit (in fact, I'd definitely do it more like Pennywise's example). If you don't mind straying from your SNPA target a little, don't be afraid to use a little of the simcoe late too. Bloody lovely hop at both ends that one.
 
I'd seriously look at either moving the cascade additions later (I'd think about 15/20 and 0) for more of the SNPA thing if that's what you're still chasing and dropping the crystal a bit (in fact, I'd definitely do it more like Pennywise's example). If you don't mind straying from your SNPA target a little, don't be afraid to use a little of the simcoe late too. Bloody lovely hop at both ends that one.
Yep

Go with a 15 min and a 0 min addition of cascade, and increase your 60 min addition for a few extra IBU's if you still wanna be around the 45 mark.

Don't put too much crystal in!!! I did this once and it was a waste of a batch. Tasted like thick, syrupy sugar beer... Less is more, man. go for the 250-350 mark for starters, then try a little more.

If you want to add extra gravity, don't ruin your beer with sugar. Use light dry malt extract (LDME). There is an option in beersmith to include some as an ingredient.

But boil volume and gravity will have a big effect on hop utilisation (basically how well the alpha acid is converted into bitterness)

p.s. glad you're getting into beersmith. Its a great program. Just don't get too ambitious with the recipes and maybe ask someone on here first before you go and brew something you've toyed with. I wish I had a while ago, but I've learnt my lesson. Oh, and it won't take you long to work out what reasonable quantities are. Look at the percentages as a decent guide. For example, you don't want any more than 10% crystal in the batch but 10% is a maximum and will be quite sweet.
 
Don't put too much crystal in!!! I did this once and it was a waste of a batch. Tasted like thick, syrupy sugar beer... Less is more, man. go for the 250-350 mark for starters, then try a little more.

If you want to add extra gravity, don't ruin your beer with sugar. Use light dry malt extract (LDME). There is an option in beersmith to include some as an ingredient.


Just adding to these points.
Becuase I didn't realise you had Amber, must have skipped that bit :rolleyes: I would not use 500g crystal, keep it at the 250g you had at the start.
In regards to the use of sugar, you'll be fine for a few hundred grams to bump up the OG, just keep in mind it wont bump up you FG, because it'll ferment out. But, like Siborg is suggesting, too much can turn a brew on it's head. 5% you'll be fine in an APA
 
Thanks for all the great responses Pennywise, Siborg & bum - this is really helpful. I've tweaked the recipe accordingly. So here's what I have now:

Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 10.00 L
Boil Time: 60 min

Ingredients

2.25 kg Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 52.94 % [add after boil]
1.50 kg Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 35.29 %
0.25 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 5.88 %
20.00 gm Simcoe [12.20 %] (60 min) Hops 23.2 IBU
25.00 gm NZ Cascade [9.00 %] (20 min) Hops 13.0 IBU
25.00 gm NZ Cascade [9.00 %] (0 min) Hops -
0.25 kg Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 5.88 %
1 Pkgs Safale US-05 (Fermentis) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.015 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.95 %
Bitterness: 36.1 IBU
Calories: 90 cal/l
Est Color: 11.6 SRM
 
If that was my recipe I'd be happy to make it, looks good. BU:GU ratio is a good starting point for an APA, I usually have mine up near 8 but like I said before it's a personal preferance so if you like 36 IBU then stick with that, and if need be, adjust next time. It will still be a nice beer regardless
 
Thanks for all the great responses Pennywise, Siborg & bum - this is really helpful. I've tweaked the recipe accordingly. So here's what I have now:

Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 10.00 L
Boil Time: 60 min

Ingredients

2.25 kg Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 52.94 % [add after boil]
1.50 kg Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 35.29 %
0.25 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 5.88 %
20.00 gm Simcoe [12.20 %] (60 min) Hops 23.2 IBU
25.00 gm NZ Cascade [9.00 %] (20 min) Hops 13.0 IBU
25.00 gm NZ Cascade [9.00 %] (0 min) Hops -
0.25 kg Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 5.88 %
1 Pkgs Safale US-05 (Fermentis) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.015 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.95 %
Bitterness: 36.1 IBU
Calories: 90 cal/l
Est Color: 11.6 SRM
Looks good. If you want it a bit more bitter, maybe add 5g to your 60 and 20 min additions, but still should be nice

I'd recommend using LDME over sugar, but its up to you.

I feel like brewing an APA now. Just thinking of all that cascade is making me thirsty!
 
If that was my recipe I'd be happy to make it, looks good. BU:GU ratio is a good starting point for an APA, I usually have mine up near 8 but like I said before it's a personal preferance so if you like 36 IBU then stick with that, and if need be, adjust next time. It will still be a nice beer regardless
what's BU:GU ratio?
 
Looks good. If you want it a bit more bitter, maybe add 5g to your 60 and 20 min additions, but still should be nice

I'd recommend using LDME over sugar, but its up to you.

I feel like brewing an APA now. Just thinking of all that cascade is making me thirsty!

Yeah, I think I'll tweak it a wee bit to up the bitterness slightly, maybe just increase the simcoe to 25g (that'll take it up to 41.9IBU)

Well it's just a small amount of sugar, final gravity is already at the high end according to style guide, and it would be another $11 for a 500g pack of DME, so I'll prob just stick with the sugar.
 
BU:GU is Bittering Units/Gravity units. Basically if you have a 50 IBU beer and it's OG is 1050, that ratio is 1. Some people like to use this as a guide to their beers bitterness/sweetness balance. This link has some good info http://beercolor.netfirms.com/balance.html
 
One question that's still nagging me (I've been asking it in other threads), Is there a downside to doing a very small boil for the hop additions? e.g. just 2L water and enough malt to bring it to 1.020. It certainly would be very fast/easy to cool and would maximise hop utillisation with a lower SG. Granted you would possibly need a bit more water to steep the crystal, but leaving that out of the equation, why are extract brewers going for larger boils? There must be a reason but I have not found it yet.
 
To be honest I have no idea how low a volume would be detrimental, but when I started extract brews I stuck with 10L boils. I think one of the issues about boiling small amounts is that after an hour you wouldn't have much left at all except a thick sticky mess (prolly much like the kits, but burned to the shit house) if you only started with 2-3L. I know with my old extract "system" after an hour I was left with 8L so no way would I have been able to only boil 2L

Edit: it really doesn't take that long to cool 10L down in the sink. And don't forget you can chill some top up water (your other 10L) in the fridge the night before so that will bring it down quick smart.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top