going extract

[AT]

I'm gonna go extract in the next 2 months but before i go ahead i thought it might be a good idea to ask the guys on the forum for advice and tips. I was looking at big pots and boilers and i think i'm sold on a bruheat plastic boiler but any advice is welcome, or maybe even a nice easy recipe to start on?

[Frothy]

I've had some great results with extract brews, almost indistinguishable from AG if you steep some malts too. You have the option to do partial boils & use a smaller boiler if you choose. Using some steeped crystal malt adds fresh grain flavours to the brew. This ESB was one of the most memorable (from Palmers How to Brew 2006.)

ESB 35IBU OG1.047 19L
1.5kg Pale Malt Extract
1.5kg pale Malt Extract
227g Crystal Malt 60L
14g Target (9%) 17IBU - 60minutes
21g Goldings (5%) 11IBU - 30minutes
21g Goldings (5%) 7IBU - 15minutes

Procedure:
Steep the crystal in 1L of water @ ~77oc for 1/2hr to extract the sugars. A pan on the hob will do. Strain the liquor into the boiler where 1.5kg of Malt Extract is dissolved in warm water to make a total boil volume of approx' 11.3L @ 1.040. If you want to do a full boil with 19L just add all the extract and the recipe is worked out so that you should still be able to use the same hop schedule. If you choose to partial boil the other half of the extract is simply added in the last 5 minutes of the boil to dissolve. At the start of the boil it's worth letting the boiler really get going & allowing the hot break to disperse before adding the hops. If you do the partial boil version top up to 19L in the fermenter at the end & this had the added benefit of cooling the wort a bit. N.Brewer is a good sub' for Target.

[AT]

To be honest Daab i think i need to take the step between kits and AG and also i don't really have the room now for AG even if i did feel ready. Surely with extract there's a lot i can do compared to kits? and so much more i can learn.

[charlie]

Personaly i'd skip extract brewing. Unless you buy in bulk it's more costly than kits and the results are no better than the quality end of the market.

I disagree. If you buy in bulk 15 or 25kg. You should be able to get extract for approx £1/kg meaning that wuith hops/grains/power etc you should be able to brew for about a tenner.

You're going to want to go AG eventually so you might as well go the whole hog and get the Hop & Grape 10 Gallon brewery (twin element, no thermostat) which provides everything you eed for AG and was certainly the most cost effective option when I was shopping for these items.

I did a year of extract and it gave me the confidence to mess about and experiment with recipes and flavours. Go for it.

[AT]

why no thermostat?

[AT]

okay Daab if i was to do an AG batch what excatly do i need? and do you have a simple recipe for an ale i can do to understand and get used to AG? i don't mind splashing out a few quid on gear cause i know it's gonna pay off in the end I'm the kind of person who would really benefit from a video, is there any AG vids?

[Chiltern Brewer]

I tend to agree with Daab; today with quality 3Kg kits available I see less need for DIY extract brews.

Personally, I only did a few extract brews before going full mash. The way I looked at it was this: I didn't like messing around with grains in the boiler, and it would be much more fun and interesting to try full mash. So I made a "bucket in a bucket" lauter tun, a mash tun out of a 25 litre plastic jerry can*, insulated it with an old duvet, and used a new watering can for sparging duties. This is basically the system I have used ever since. I think it was probably reading Wheeler that de-mystified the whole mashing process - if you can get a copy of "Home Brewing" do so.

On the issue of boilers with/without thermostats - if you're heating your liquor to strike heat or for sparging then I thermostat is a godsend - you put the boiler on a timer switch and go back to bed while the mash proceeds


*Don't ask why I had a separate mash and lauter tun - it seemed like a good idea at the time

[Chiltern Brewer]

Thingy heck Daab, it looks like we were on the same wavelength (almost) again. That's twice in one night

Your HB type/thought rate is obviously more highly toned than mine, so you beat me to it - more details too!

[AT]

so if i was to buy the Hop & Grape 10 Gallon brewery (twin element, no thermostat) i'd need nothing else except ingredients?

[AT]

Good point i am short on room and i don't plan on doing any more than 25l batches so maybe i'm better going for the 33l boiler you mentioned earlier an immersion wort chiller and a mash tun. Thanks for all the advice and help

[Chiltern Brewer]

Good brewing whatever you end up doing, and let us know how you get on. Cheers!

[AT]

Thanks Daab that will keep me busy

[Andy]

[BarryNL]

Personaly i'd skip extract brewing. Unless you buy in bulk it's more costly than kits and the results are no better than the quality end of the market.

Can't agree with this. Obviously, if cost is your main concern then AG is the way to go long term but, hey, this is a hobby right? or are you brewing to save money on your shopping bills?

Unlike kits, extract brewing gives you almost the same level of variety as AG. You can't control the mash for a drier or fuller bodied beer but you certainly have infinite control over hopping levels and speciality grain additions. You also learn a lot more about what goes into giving a beer the flavour it has and can 'tune' a beer to your own tastes.

To answer the original poster, all you really need for extract is a pot around 8 litres (I picked mine up for 20 euros at the local Argos eqivalent). Also, sacks for putting the speciality grains and hops in when boiling will make things easier.

[parkerwitton]

I have got to agree with Barry some good ales can and have been brewed using malt extract....I refer to the Clive of India Pale Ale I posted as a recipe this brew took on the mashers and won hands down. I am not saying Malt Extract is the best but knowadays one can make a brilliant brew for the cost of £14 now come on that is 35 pence a pint!!