Simple Question. First Extract Brew

[TheLocalMuso]

I have done a few kits, and want to move onto some extract (and eventually AG in time)

I have 1.7Kg Light LME
1.5kg Morgans Wheat ME
50g Hersbrucker Hop Pellets
Safbrew wb-06

And I do not need any "Brewing Sugar" do I? Since the Malt will have enough sugars in it.

is this a reasonable recipe for an attempt at my first Extract brew, (Bavarian Style)

thanks guys

 

[Nick JD]

You are making a hefeweizen with that yeast.

The 1.7kg LME - are you sure that doesn't have any hop bitterness added to it?

 

[Shifter]

Looks like an IBU of 23 ish with a 60 min boil of 40 g of your hops and then 5g at 20 mins. I used an AA of 4.3% for those hops? Boil volume of 10 ltrs with about 1300g of LME in the boil with the hop additions. That is as long as there are no hop additions in the LME. Pretty light on hops for my taste but worth the go.

 

[manticle]

Looks like an IBU of 23 ish with a 60 min boil of 40 g of your hops and then 5g at 20 mins. I used an AA of 4.3% for those hops? Boil volume of 10 ltrs with about 1300g of LME in the boil with the hop additions. That is as long as there are no hop additions in the LME. Pretty light on hops for my taste but worth the go.

Not that anyone has to be bound by style history or guidelines but a hefe (which this approaches) is traditionally low bittered. 23 IBU would actually be quite high in that instance.

Around 12-19 would be the maximum suggested range (suggested by me - I think BJCP has it at 8-15 but I take those numbers with a grain of salt).

IBU will also greatly depend on the gravity of the wort which will depend on how much extract in what volume of water. I know you mentioned that but we currently have no idea how the OP is approaching that.

OP: sugar in an otherwise all extract brew can help balance. the amounts of free amino ntrogen in extracts can sometimes make it a struggle for the yeast to attenuate. Don't necessarily dismiss sugar's role - you just want to be judicious with it.

However what you have looks like a decent brew (to be more 'hefe'-ish I'd drop the hops back as explained above) but brew as is once and tweak next time.

Have you run this through software to see if it gives the IBU and ABV you want? How are you adding the hops and how much of the extract will you be boiling?

 

[Nick JD]

Again: do un-bittered LME cans come in 1.7kg?

This is important if we're evaluating a recipe for this fellow. 1.7kg = bittered LME.

 

[cspencer]

i have a LHBS that have done LME in 1.7kg plastic sealed containers that are unbittered (well so they tell me). used one on the weekend

 

[manticle]

Again: do un-bittered LME cans come in 1.7kg?

This is important if we're evaluating a recipe for this fellow. 1.7kg = bittered LME.

Fair question

 

[TheLocalMuso]

Again: do un-bittered LME cans come in 1.7kg?

This is important if we're evaluating a recipe for this fellow. 1.7kg = bittered LME.

The 1.7Kg is NOT Bittered LME, it just says "Light Liquid Malt Extract", It is a local product from my area as well.

 

[TheLocalMuso]

Have you run this through software to see if it gives the IBU and ABV you want? How are you adding the hops and how much of the extract will you be boiling?

Nope, I have not, I dont really know what programs there are either.

Also, how will I know when sugar is needed in this brew?

Thanks

 

[manticle]

You will know when you make it where your palate lies. If it underattenuates or tastes a little bit chewy, tweak the recipe next time. If it's A-OK then you don't need any.

Brewmate, beersmith, ianh's excel spreadsheet, beerrecipator.org and several other programs can help.

If no-one links you to these in the meantime, I'll try and hunt up the links for you a bit later. Ianh's spreadsheet will be on here though - go to the google search bar at the top (not the default forum one) and search for 'ianh spreadsheet extract'. Do a similar search for 'brewmate'.

 

[petesbrew]

There's a free online one at www.Beertools.com that's good to start out with.

Put in your chosen style, say Hefeweizen, enter your recipe, and it shows how close to the style parameters you are.

IMO I don't think you'll need any sugar in this one

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Beer Calculus

 

[manticle]

recipator spreadsheet (free online): http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator
Brewmate (free download): http://www.brewmate.net/
Beersmith (free trial, cheap software): http://www.beersmith.com/download.htmianh kit and extract spreadsheet (kit and extracts only, latest and probably last ever version): http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...9655&st=260 (see post 267)
Promash( free trial, paid software): http://www.promash.com/
Brewtoolz (free, open source): http://www.brewtoolz.com/

Please note I have only ever used Beer recipator. I know the others are commonly used and recommended by people here but I have no experience with them.

 

[TheLocalMuso]

You will know when you make it where your palate lies. If it underattenuates or tastes a little bit chewy, tweak the recipe next time. If it's A-OK then you don't need any.

I thought upping the sugar in the brew only added to the alcohol content, does it add to the taste as well?

Thanks.

 

[michael_aussie]

I thought upping the sugar in the brew only added to the alcohol content, does it add to the taste as well?

Thanks.

The malts you use effects the "mouthfeel" of your beer.

.........or tastes a little bit chewy, tweak the recipe next time. If it's A-OK then you don't need any.

As Manticle said, with no sugar you may find your beer too "chewy", and if so add (more) sugar (and maybe less malt) next time.

 

[Hoser]

Nope, I have not, I dont really know what programs there are either.

Mate I've only been using recipe calculators for the last 4 or 5 batches I've done but I've found tastybrew.com to really work. Strongly recommend reading up a bit too though to get a handle on how the sugars and yeast interacts, how and why hops add bitterness and flavour, etc etc.

Once you have a view to that, the recipe calculators not only make sense but also start to become a requirement to be sure you're building something that fits your palate.

 

[manticle]

I thought upping the sugar in the brew only added to the alcohol content, does it add to the taste as well?

Thanks.

Not really the taste so much as the body although it's suggested by many that too much sugar of the sucrose kind can give an apple character. Generally I put that down to something else.

Altering the body will alter the balance. Malt is not as fermentable as sugars like dextrose and sucrose and malt extract tends not to be eaten by yeast as much as that derived from grain (various mitigating circumstances notwithstanding).

To keep it simple and untechnical: sugar = alcohol, no body, no flavour
Malt = body, flavour and alcohol (but less than sugar)

Beer is a balancing act.