Unhopped Or Hopped Lme

[Diggles]

What's the norm when adding hops to your brew, should you use unhopped LME or pick a decent off the shelf hopped LME?

 

[keifer33]

It really depends on what you wish to achieve Diggles.

Using hopped extract saves time as its already pre-bittered and ready to go. Adding hops to this brew can either be for adjusting the bitterness a little to suit the style and/or to add flavour and aroma. Most of the kit cans have an iso-hop extract in them which can leave a real 'twang' in the final product which is some what undesirable.

Next up is the unhopped extract which opens the door to longer boils 45-60 minutes to achieve the bitterness factor and then using hops later in the boil to add flavour and aroma if desired to suit the style of beer. By adding your own hops you can literally do what ever you please and removes that real 'twang' as its fresher real hops being used in the beer. This also allows you to fine tune and get specific bitterness levels to suit your tastes.

 

[Bubba]

I use either depending on what I am trying to achieve...if using a hopped kit that I particularly like as a base for my beer I also do a boil with unhopped LME and add my hops to add bitterness, flavour and aroma.

If you use a hopped kit, I would be careful not to boil for too long, or do as I do and do your boil with unhopped LME.

 

[[email protected]]

Hopped kits to unhopped LME is a stepping stone. Start out with the kits but as you improve step up to the LME. Unhopped LME is a good way to improve your knowledge about brewing and will put you on the track to becoming an all grainer. And if you've made this step then your a more advanced brewer then 90% of homebrewers out there.

Keep in mind Kits are not just LME and Hops, they have varying degrees of specialty grains that are added. A beer that is just LME and Hops will lack flavours. Read about steeping grains and you will learn about adding these flavours.

Think of it this way: kits are the TV diner of brewing. everythings there, just heat it up and your done. However they don't taste that good when you compare it to food made from scratch. An unhopped LME beer is the frozen vegies and sausages of brewing, a little bit more effort required then a tv dinner, and a lot more rewarding, but still a lot of room to improve.

 

[Silo Ted]

Low IBU, light coloured malt kits such as mexican or canadian style (sorry dont know the names its been so long) can be good because they are much cheaper, and in most cases can be picked up closer to home instead of travelling to the homebrew store. You can even buy DME from Coles etc. As long as you have a range of hops, a few small portions of specialty grains and some packets of Safale yeast in your brew pantry, you can keep making extract beers for months without having to go any further than your local supermarket for malt, rice or sugar supplies.

 

[Diggles]

Thanks guys, looks like I'm on the right track in my development. Trouble is the lack of fresh supplies up here in Karratha is a bit limiting. The local HBS has unhopped LME but I can guarantee it will be old and possibly out of date. Would you recommend unsing the out of date unhopped or buy fresh hopped LME from the supermarket? I'm leaning towards the latter!!

 

[Diggles]

Recipe I'm looking at trying is:
1 can larger
500g Dark dried malt extract
500g Light Dried Malt extract
250g Corn Syrup
250g Crystal Malt
100g Chocolate Malt
70g Roast Barley
15g Goldings hops

What do you reckon? the recipe only lists a can of larger??

 

[[email protected]]

Recipe I'm looking at trying is:
1 can larger
500g Dark dried malt extract
500g Light Dried Malt extract
250g Corn Syrup
250g Crystal Malt
100g Chocolate Malt
70g Roast Barley
15g Goldings hops

What do you reckon? the recipe only lists a can of larger??

What do you plan to do with the hops? It doesn't seem like much.

 

[Diggles]

That's what my dilema is! The can of larger is I take it a can of LME, as for the hops that's what the recipe states....open to suggestions.

 

[glaab]

swap the lager for a can of stout or dark ale and it'd be ok, choc malt and ekg don't go in a lager

 

[[email protected]]

That's what my dilema is! The can of larger is I take it a can of LME, as for the hops that's what the recipe states....open to suggestions.

Do you know how to steep the grains?

As for Hops depends on bitterness, aroma and flavour that you desire. Basically the longer you boil hops in a wort the more of the aroma of the hops is converted to biterness. Boil for 5 mins and you will get hops flavour and aroma, boil for an hour you get bitterness. I suggest you do both with 15g at each. Theres about a million articles you can read on this.

Have a good read through this:

http://www.howtobrew.com/

 

[rendo]

FRESH is best....by a long shot....dont use any old stuff. I'd much rather get hopped malt than old unhopped malt...anyday....no brainer...

well done!

Thanks guys, looks like I'm on the right track in my development. Trouble is the lack of fresh supplies up here in Karratha is a bit limiting. The local HBS has unhopped LME but I can guarantee it will be old and possibly out of date. Would you recommend unsing the out of date unhopped or buy fresh hopped LME from the supermarket? I'm leaning towards the latter!!

 

[keifer33]

I think in this case using a light colored can and darkening through grain and malt isn't a bad way to go. It isn't going to be a very bitter beer with all those specialty grains with around 20ibu from a quick calc. I'd want more bitterness to balance out the maltiness which would involve a boil and more hops. What type of beer are you aiming for?

 

[Diggles]

I got the recipe from the blue book Vic Brew 2001, AABC 2001 recipe book so I thought it might be a good one to follow. But the recipe doesn't give too much detail, well actually none regarding the hops!!