Hi folks
I am a fan of beers with a malty flavour to them. I've just put down a Coopers Dark Ale which is bubbling away nicely in the background as i type. After consultation with my fellow brewer (Ashy) we decided to put in 1 kg of dextrose and 500 grms of light malt for the first fermentation. This is my first try with adding malt to a brew.
Firstly, does this amount of malt sound about right for a 21 litre brew?, and secondly, is there a difference in taste between a light malt and a dark malt?
Any recipies that have been complimented by using malt would be appreciated too.
Cheers
Prickles
Brewing with malt
-
Super Max Power
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Wednesday Sep 15, 2004 7:34 pm
- Location: Brisbane
Hi Prickles,
The amount of malt should be fine - although you might find your brew has a slightly higher alcoholic % than others you might have done before.
The difference between light and dark malt is dark malt is 'cooked' for longer giving it more of a burnt taste.
You can substite any sugar for any other type of sugar you want. But remember:
1kg dextrose = 1.25 kg dry malt
1kg dry malt = 1.25 Kg liquid malt
Or there abouts - correct me if I am wrong.
The amount of malt should be fine - although you might find your brew has a slightly higher alcoholic % than others you might have done before.
The difference between light and dark malt is dark malt is 'cooked' for longer giving it more of a burnt taste.
You can substite any sugar for any other type of sugar you want. But remember:
1kg dextrose = 1.25 kg dry malt
1kg dry malt = 1.25 Kg liquid malt
Or there abouts - correct me if I am wrong.
Prickles,
I'm with Super Max but especially in the darker beers you should (in my opinion) go even further and ditch the dextrose and use all dry or liquid malt. A straight replacement of 1kg of dry malt instead of 1kg sugar/dextrose is a good place to start and you can go up from there. Unlikely you'll use less, especially if you are after more 'malty' beers. Don't be afraid to change your yeast either.
Shawn.
I'm with Super Max but especially in the darker beers you should (in my opinion) go even further and ditch the dextrose and use all dry or liquid malt. A straight replacement of 1kg of dry malt instead of 1kg sugar/dextrose is a good place to start and you can go up from there. Unlikely you'll use less, especially if you are after more 'malty' beers. Don't be afraid to change your yeast either.
Shawn.
-
Dogger Dan
- Posts: 3168
- Joined: Thursday Aug 26, 2004 10:43 am
- Location: Lucan, Ontario, Canada
I got a bit confused the other day when talking to a mate, He said that when they make malt it is a liquid. He then went on to say that dry malt is more expensive per kilo as then they have to go and dehydrate it (which takes money) and then the weight is less as there is no H20 (which costs bugger all) in it so that is why it costs more than liquid malt in terms of weight, but he said then you get a know quantity of malt. He reckons with the liquid malts that there is a range of weights of actual malt you get due to the variations in the H20 in the malt. Is this man a conspiracy theorist nut or is he correct, and is there really that much variations in the liquid malts?? Thanks.
p.s. I have never seemed to have any trouble with my malts not performing their set tasks.
p.s. I have never seemed to have any trouble with my malts not performing their set tasks.
This is the writ of the Baron, thou art truly blessed.
-
Oliver
- Administrator
- Posts: 3424
- Joined: Thursday Jul 22, 2004 1:22 am
- Location: West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Baron,
Yes, malt is a liquid when it's made (there's no other way to make it, as you have to go through a chemical process to convert the starch in the barley (or other grain) to fermentable sugar).
On my calculation, liquid malt contains about 15%-20% water. Dried malt contains next to none. This is why liquid malt costs less. i.e. it has less "active ingredients" (sugar) in it per kilo.
(I suppose it's a bit like buying the no-name baked beans instead of a brand name. It might cost less but there will be fewer beans and more sauce
)
I'm sure there is variation in the amount of water in different liquid malts, but I would have thought it wouldn't be great, because if there was too much water the liquid would start to get too runny.
Cheers,
Oliver
Yes, malt is a liquid when it's made (there's no other way to make it, as you have to go through a chemical process to convert the starch in the barley (or other grain) to fermentable sugar).
On my calculation, liquid malt contains about 15%-20% water. Dried malt contains next to none. This is why liquid malt costs less. i.e. it has less "active ingredients" (sugar) in it per kilo.
(I suppose it's a bit like buying the no-name baked beans instead of a brand name. It might cost less but there will be fewer beans and more sauce
) I'm sure there is variation in the amount of water in different liquid malts, but I would have thought it wouldn't be great, because if there was too much water the liquid would start to get too runny.
Cheers,
Oliver
-
Dogger Dan
- Posts: 3168
- Joined: Thursday Aug 26, 2004 10:43 am
- Location: Lucan, Ontario, Canada
The sugar content is measured in BRIX which is a measure of percent by weight of solids.
So, something that has 1 kg in weight and has 60 Brix will have 600 grams of solids in it.
No matter how much water you remove from that one kilogram you will always have 600 grams of solids.
That is why you need less dried malt as you do liquid.
All that being said, liquid malt has a standard of identity which says it needs to have a certain water content, a certain BRIX etc so you can get what you are expecting, malt.
Make sense?
Dogger
So, something that has 1 kg in weight and has 60 Brix will have 600 grams of solids in it.
No matter how much water you remove from that one kilogram you will always have 600 grams of solids.
That is why you need less dried malt as you do liquid.
All that being said, liquid malt has a standard of identity which says it needs to have a certain water content, a certain BRIX etc so you can get what you are expecting, malt.
Make sense?
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette
-
Dogger Dan
- Posts: 3168
- Joined: Thursday Aug 26, 2004 10:43 am
- Location: Lucan, Ontario, Canada
Not today, although I believe it is 20 percent water or so (80 BRIX).
The other reason to keep it thick (low water content) is so it doesn't catch a wilder and go off on its on.
I can look it up when I go back to work.
We were mentioning about enzymes in the malt also and I suspected that they were added after the fact. Turns out that the process control for the pasturization is short and temp low enough so the enzymes aren't destroyed (should have known that myself actually).
That being said there will be no enzymes in the dried malt extract. That stuff is blown dry against a hot plate and scraped off, just like milk powder.
Dogger
The other reason to keep it thick (low water content) is so it doesn't catch a wilder and go off on its on.
I can look it up when I go back to work.
We were mentioning about enzymes in the malt also and I suspected that they were added after the fact. Turns out that the process control for the pasturization is short and temp low enough so the enzymes aren't destroyed (should have known that myself actually).
That being said there will be no enzymes in the dried malt extract. That stuff is blown dry against a hot plate and scraped off, just like milk powder.
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette