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Hey all..
I want to try a malt extract brew..
Any tips or hidden secrets?

The recipie i'm gonna try is;
2500g Light Malt Extract
125g Crystal Malt
200g Malto Dextrin Powder
30g Willamette Hops
20g Goldings Hops
1/2 Tablet Irish Moss

Now, it says LME... can i use dried malt or is liquid better?
The dried will end up more expensive i think... arond $11/kg vs $9 for liquid.. I can also get organic malt from the supermarket. Would this be any good?

Cheers! Look forward to any advice you can give me.

Fixa,

I'd go with dry extract. Dunno about the supermarket organic malt, save it for a later experiment probably.

Your recipe doesn't state how long the hops are in the boil.

Cheers,
Greg

You have to remember that 1kg of dry malt equals about 1.3kg of liquid malt. They don't have the same amount of fermentables as liquid malt has liquid added.

I'd not use the 'organic' stuff. You don't know what else is in there, and it is not prepared for the specifics of brewing.

Definately use liquid malt. I've never even heard of an extract brewer using dry malt.

I'd go 3L of liquid for 20L of brew.

As for the hops, it all depends on what you are planning to do with them.

fixa wrote:Hey all..
I want to try a malt extract brew..
Any tips or hidden secrets?

The recipie i'm gonna try is;
2500g Light Malt Extract
125g Crystal Malt
200g Malto Dextrin Powder
30g Willamette Hops
20g Goldings Hops
1/2 Tablet Irish Moss

Now, it says LME... can i use dried malt or is liquid better?
The dried will end up more expensive i think... arond $11/kg vs $9 for liquid.. I can also get organic malt from the supermarket. Would this be any good?

Cheers! Look forward to any advice you can give me.

Go for it!
I'd use 2 x 1.7kg tins of unhopped liquid malt extract.
Steep the crystal & add to boil. Adding the maltodextrin is up to you, using all malt will give plenty of body anyway.

For hop amounts, boil times & bitterness calcs etc This could be handy.
If you don't have a boil pot big enough for 23+ litres, you can boil one can of extract in about 10 - 15 litres of water for the bitterness & flavour hopping. Then add the second can either straight to fermenter or mix in at flame out.

Thanks guys...
Liquid looks like the go...

So would there be a problem if i boiled say 15 litres of wort, then added the rest as water once in the fermenter?

Definitely go all liquid malt. The taste is sensational. Add a bit of steeped grain if you like, a few hops (don't over do it) and off you go and a good yeast is essential. Couldn't be simpler and you get a beer creation all of your own. Definitely have a go at using the link that velophile posted and you can't go wrong. I just wish I had that a couple of weeks ago when I did a half batch (about 11L) for my first all-grain. All wne well until I forgot to take into account I was doing a half batch and used a total of 60g pack of pellets at varoius stages of the boil instead of a total of 30g. Its a mistake you only make once.

fixa wrote:Thanks guys...
Liquid looks like the go...

So would there be a problem if i boiled say 15 litres of wort, then added the rest as water once in the fermenter?

If doing a 15 litre boil, only add one can of extract for the hopping. There is something about hop utilisation in high gravity wort that could cause you trouble. I think if the SG is too high, ie all your extract in only 10 - 15 litres, you won't get full hop utilisation.

I'd boil 1 can in 11.5 litres of water & add hops as per recipe. Disolve second can into pot after the boil. Cool in sink then add to fermenter, topping up with chilled water to ~23 litres.
That should get you to pitching temp easily. Your yeast can be rehyrating while you boil etc.

And if/when you really get into it, get a nice big stockpot and a wort chiller. Then you'll be set.