I know malt extract can be quite expensive, is it worth replacing some of the fermentable malt extract with sugar to help bring the costs down?
I know this could be a bit of a trade off and end up with a thin beer if two much sugar is used.
I know somebody out there must be able to advise on this.
Keeping the cost of extract down
-
davew
- Piss Artist
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:22 am
- Location: Nottingham and Gods own country of Yorkshire
Keeping the cost of extract down
Fermenting: Wilkos Cider
Drinking: Wilkos Hoppy Copper (very nice)
Drinking: Wilkos Hoppy Copper (very nice)
-
GARYSMIFF
Re: Keeping the cost of extract down
Not wishing to push you as i know its all about cost, have you looked into AG, you may already have most of what is required to start spend a few quid on building a AG set up and drop back to kits untill you have whats required for AG, the time spent is where the cost is but worth ever penny.
then the worlds your Cellar kits,extract,Part or Full mash
then the worlds your Cellar kits,extract,Part or Full mash
-
Kev888
- So far gone I'm on the way back again!
- Posts: 7701
- Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2010 6:22 pm
- Location: Derbyshire, UK
Re: Keeping the cost of extract down
Hi,
yes, Gary has a point there - depending on what boiling facilities you have you could get into AG quite cheaply with Brew-In-A-Bag (BIAB) and grain is cheaper than extract. Even upgrading could be financially worthwhile in the longer run if you're going to brew often.
But getting back to the original question, I think you already have it right there; the sugar results in a thinner and often drier tasting beer because sugar is more fully fermentable by beer yeast; malt on the other hand is less completely fermentable by the yeast, so the brew retains some sweetness and body after the yeast has done what it can - which is generally beneficial in taste but not in price (or to a small extent alcoholic strength).
But its a matter of personal taste and generally as a home brewer its your own choice and your own taste you're working to. You'll also probably find that high gravity beers can stand it better than low ones, and in fact some higher gravity brews could seem like they have too much body unless you reduce the residual maltiness a bit.
It also depends on the yeast; some yeasts attenuate more - they can ferment more of the malty goodness, resulting in a drier (and slightly more alcoholic) brew. If you were going to use sugar to replace some of the malt you may want to avoid such yeasts - even the lesser attenuating yeasts can utilise sugar quite well and as the brew has essentially been diluted with sugar you'll want to preserve as much of the remaining difficult-to-ferment residual maltyness as possible.
There are possibly some other considerations, some people find (for example) that sugary brews give them hangovers and/or flavours they're sensitive to.
Cheers
kev
yes, Gary has a point there - depending on what boiling facilities you have you could get into AG quite cheaply with Brew-In-A-Bag (BIAB) and grain is cheaper than extract. Even upgrading could be financially worthwhile in the longer run if you're going to brew often.
But getting back to the original question, I think you already have it right there; the sugar results in a thinner and often drier tasting beer because sugar is more fully fermentable by beer yeast; malt on the other hand is less completely fermentable by the yeast, so the brew retains some sweetness and body after the yeast has done what it can - which is generally beneficial in taste but not in price (or to a small extent alcoholic strength).
But its a matter of personal taste and generally as a home brewer its your own choice and your own taste you're working to. You'll also probably find that high gravity beers can stand it better than low ones, and in fact some higher gravity brews could seem like they have too much body unless you reduce the residual maltiness a bit.
It also depends on the yeast; some yeasts attenuate more - they can ferment more of the malty goodness, resulting in a drier (and slightly more alcoholic) brew. If you were going to use sugar to replace some of the malt you may want to avoid such yeasts - even the lesser attenuating yeasts can utilise sugar quite well and as the brew has essentially been diluted with sugar you'll want to preserve as much of the remaining difficult-to-ferment residual maltyness as possible.
There are possibly some other considerations, some people find (for example) that sugary brews give them hangovers and/or flavours they're sensitive to.
Cheers
kev
Kev
-
strideredc
Re: Keeping the cost of extract down
i do both and my kit is a 27l boiler from lidl £30, a mesh bag made out of a mesh fabric off ebay for £5? and a £7 25l cool box from asda.
thats all grain for less then £50! but i dont always do AG i mostly do minimash and extract plus a bit of crystal and they turn out just as good. if you want cheap LME then get it from rob at the malt miller for £53 for 23l = £2.30 per liter!!! i have never had a problem storing it but i have brewed 55 brews in a year and a half!
thats all grain for less then £50! but i dont always do AG i mostly do minimash and extract plus a bit of crystal and they turn out just as good. if you want cheap LME then get it from rob at the malt miller for £53 for 23l = £2.30 per liter!!! i have never had a problem storing it but i have brewed 55 brews in a year and a half!