homebrewandbeer.com

ryan wrote:The good Dr. has gone into interrogation mode

The old Good Doc / Bad Doc treatment

drsmurto wrote:So you are claiming to have something with a higher sugar content (and hence specific gravity) than pure sugar...

No, not at all. I am claiming there is something else (not sugar) in this malt I am buying. What that is I dont know. It could be impurities through the water they used in the malting process that end up in the result. Could be some kind of preservatives. Anything in solution would raise the gravity, not just sugar.

I dont know the AG process completely but I believe there is a stage in the malting process where water is filtered through the grains and the sugars get washed out into the wort. Correct?

What if the people malting this here are doing a poor job of filtering and there are more particles of the rice and barely going into the malt. Or maybe they are just grinding up the grains and mixing it all together cuz it is cheaper for them than filtering it. I dont know, these are just speculations and as I said I dont know how to brew AG yet and I have no idea how real brewers extract looks, feels, tastes, and acts.

Could it be that the malt extract Aurelius is getting has been extracted at a higher temp and contains a high proportion of dextrins/other non fermentables etc? If it is intended for confectionery or baking where fermentability is not a consideration a quick high temp mash may be the cause.

Cheers,
Greg

I meant what Greg said...

Doc?
Could it be?

gregb wrote:Could it be that the malt extract Aurelius is getting has been extracted at a higher temp and contains a high proportion of dextrins/other non fermentables etc? If it is intended for confectionery or baking where fermentability is not a consideration a quick high temp mash may be the cause.

Cheers,
Greg

Sounds like a possibility to me. From an economical standpoint it would be cheaper to extract the malt at a higher temp it is is quicker. That sounds like a good motivation.

Whatever the case I am pretty content with the results of my brews. Ideally I would like a clear beer and the ability to calculate the ABV but in the end I am just happy to not have to buy imported Coopers kits for $30AUD each. This way I can afford to buy yeast and hops from abroad which works out well for me cuz I like hoppy beers. These I have made are far from the best beer on the planet but a welcomed alternative to the local megaswill and foreign craft brews cost a small fortune.

The density would be huge meaning that each tin of extract would weight a lot more than an ordinary tin. Since you are quoting 1.5kg i am assuming its the same size as a 'normal' tin. If it was the size of a tin of baked beans (450g) then we may be on to something.

Anyway, if you are happy with your beers then its all a moot point and still a mile away from the actual topic of this thread.

drsmurto wrote: Anyway, if you are happy with your beers then its all a moot point and still a mile away from the actual topic of this thread.

Hahaha, I think I worded that incorrectly; I am happy with the progression of my beers. I am still trying to gain experience, to date I have only brewed 8 batches. And only the last 2 have not been kits. But those 2 have been much closer to what I think I am capable of here and what I am after.

For the record the tins are actually plastic and are marked as 250g. They arent exactly uniform either and I get 240-260g out of each one (they weight 260-280g) before they are emptied. They are sold as "Barley Malt Sugar" (literally "Barley Sprout Sugar") but the fine print says it contains a combination of barley and rice malt. That recipe had 12 of those 250g tins of malt which comes out to 3 kilos. I dont know what percentage of the malt is from barley or rice so I just estimate it at half and half for the Beersmith calculation.

From you guys' descriptions this stuff seem to be more more dense than your liquid malt (definitely more dense than the Coopers kits I used). The cold honey example someone said above is a good comparison however this malt isthat viscous at 30*. And not that I claim to be an expert in ABV taste evaluation but the ABV I get in Beersmith and the ABV it tastes like are pretty close. So I am guessing this malt contains roughly the same amount of fermentable sugar that your malt does but also has a bunch of nonfermentable stuff in it and less water making it more viscous and more dense.

Sounds rational to me.

But as the Doc says it does seem to be a moot point! Then again we are all a bunch of beer/brewing nerds and find these discussions interesting! All in the noble quest for knowledge!

I ended up bottling the whole lot in plastic using only one carbonation drop, is tastin wuite nice after 4 weeks.

Plastic was probably the best option.

Whilst we are discussing FG. I have a friend who is new to HBing and is computer iliterate.

I helped him with a Coppers Draught Kit nothing special and 23lt of beer all ingredients as per instructions.

The FG after 2 weeks was 1014 @ 20c then we checked it the next day and it had gone up 1026 @ 26c The hydometer is callibrated to 20c however it is only a +/- .001.

In the gathering of the first one he has informed me that he did open the top and move the mixure around.

Could this have reactivated some 'sleepy' yeast?

Not too concerned just curious we will just wait for 2 consective readings the same.

In theory, more stuff in solution = a higher gravity reading. My guess would be that his stirring it up (why would he do that?!) put yeast and sediment back into solution and therefore made the liquid "heavier."

aurelius121ad wrote:In theory, more stuff in solution = a higher gravity reading. My guess would be that his stirring it up (why would he do that?!) put yeast and sediment back into solution and therefore made the liquid "heavier."

I am not quite sure how much he mixed it up, however in laymans terms thick solution the higher the SG.

I have know doubts when I lok at it he is missing something.

Thanks

Could be also that there was a lot of sediment in the tap when he drew some out to take the reading. You'd want to discard the first little bit thats all junk then take your sample.

gregb wrote:Could it be that the malt extract Aurelius is getting has been extracted at a higher temp and contains a high proportion of dextrins/other non fermentables etc? If it is intended for confectionery or baking where fermentability is not a consideration a quick high temp mash may be the cause.

Cheers,
Greg

+1 My money's on a highly dextrinous malt extract...

Cheers,
TL