Recipe Advice Thread

[denimglen]

Thought it might be handy to have a thread for some of the more advanced brewers to give some advice on recipes.

Let's see how it goes eh...

[jt]

Hops Ropenuts ?
I think you've got good bitterness there @ 60 mins and plenty of flavour from the 15 minute additions. I usually add a 30 minute hop as well, but that's not very fashionable, I just like the depth of flavout it adds. I split the IBU's between the 15 and 30 minute additions.
If you're going to drink ityoung & fresh, I'd also add 15gm each cascade & Mot as dry hops, I've just cracked a keg of a very similar brew and it's great

[RopenutS]

Cheers fellas, well i might just go for the 300g then. This is my first extract and grain brew. I dont think i'll be able to get my hand on any choc malt locally, might give it a go on my next one. So jt you dont do a 60 min hop addition, just 30 and 15?. I was goin to ask about dry hopping into the primary fermentor if you can? Is it safe to just lift the lid and chuck them in? or should i definitly rack to secondary?

[Christian]

I purchased a carboy for lagering and dry hopping though I think you could go without a secondary and still dry hop. Experts say that CO2 bubbling drives off hop oil flavour and aroma so you could wait till this has subsided after about a week and then put some hops in your primary.

I put put the pellets straight into my carboy rather than bag them - most of them eventually sink to the bottom and are left behind after siphoning. However, in primary the combined layer of yeast and hop sediment may come up to the level of the tap so bagging may be necessary.

[denimglen]

You're asking JT but I'm bored so I'll add my 2c.

You can go without a 60 min hop addition, as long as you're making up your IBUs further down the track, just use some brewing software to figure out your bitterness. I still like to use a 60 min addition as I think it adds a little more 'solid' bitterness, whereas an all late hopped beer seems to be a little softer. The all late hopped beers seem to loose the bitterness a little sooner too. Either way it's no biggie, just a matter of personal taste.

Dry hopping in the primary is all good, I don't secondary anything unless it's over 1.70 or needs to be lagered. So yup, most ales are dryhopped in the primary, just chuck 'em in about 7 - 10 days before you plan on bottling/kegging. On the 7 - 10 day thing, too little time and you won't extract enough flavour/aroma from your hops, too long and you start extracting nasty tannins and vegetal flavours.

[RopenutS]

Cheers guys, you fellas are wicked! haha. Yeah ive read not to dry hop the primary straight away cos of the CO2. I was just worried bout infections and all, opening up the fermentor. Nice info bout the hopping schedule denimglen. I mean this is only my first extract/grain brew so i could try it one way this time and another way next time, could be good for comparisons.

[jt]

So jt you dont do a 60 min hop addition, just 30 and 15?.
I think it adds a little more 'solid' bitterness

Always a 60, then usually 30, 15 and either 5 or 1 and sometimes 1 and/or 0. That's the beauty of it all, you can formulate to suit your own tastes.

As for dry hopping, check out jokings posts on the subject, he's described it really well a few times.

I've brewed a few extract & grains like that recipe you've listed above and I reckon it looks good.

I remember my first extract & grains brew day, it was a step into the unknown after zillions of kits and sheer concentration from start to finish and I still managed to cock up the hop additions. The result was fantastic though and probably one of my biggest beer revelations. As bad as that beer must have been, not many beers have tasted that good again.

How's your preperation ? What are you steeping your grains in, what size boil pot, how are you cooling, got a good thermometer, are you straining the hop & trub out between the pot and fermenter ... are you all sorted ?

When are you brewing and what are you planning for the next !

cheers, jt

[jt]

I dont think i'll be able to get my hand on any choc malt locally

Wellington ? I think we could sort you out some choc in Welly ?

[RopenutS]

True that, i might split the hop amounts into 10 gram sizes and make a 30 min addition of Motueka and Cascade. I have nothing to compare it to anyways, being my first non kit brew, and only my 3rd brew all up! Im going to be steeping my grains in a litre of water, but i got no grain bag so i was going to use pantyhose haha. Not the ones i wear tho,nah jk. Anybody have opinion on that idea? ive read that they are alrite as long as you boil them and everything before use to get rid of dyes and stuff. I was going to cool in a big sink filled with ice hopefully that works pretty good. Im going to do the brew this Sat hopefully, so im goin to go thermometer shoping tommorow after work when i have some funds. You reckon i should strain between hop and fermentor?? i wasn't going to really, i was just going to pour carefully from the pot but considering my pots a 5 gallon and im doing a 3 gal boil it might make it easier to pour it through a strainer of some sort.

Yeah im about an hour north of welly, on the kapiti coast. Theres a homebrew shop here but the clown that runs it doesnt beleive in grains, so i just cant nip out and get some willy nilly.

I havent really thought about my next brew, been pretty focused on getting this one done i guess.Got a good recipe for me? haha

[jt]

I'd go steep the grains 30 minutes in a litre of water in a smaller pot while your main pot comes upto the boil.
At the end of the steep, pour the liquid through a seive into the big pot. Discard the grain, composting is good and very good for rodents too.
A fine seive is good, anything other than liquid getting through is unwanted and you probably want to scoop out any grain bits that get through with the seive

While it's cooling, any hop & trub will settle out, pour gently - through seive if you like - into fermenter. You don't want too much crud sitting in the fermenter.
Are you cooling in the laundry tub with ice ? Sounds good. If all the ice melts, fill the tub with water, tap water's pretty cool at the moment, shouldn't take too long though you may need to change the water a couple of times

Is everything weighed out, grain cracked yet ?

[RopenutS]

Cheers for the help man. Yeah i was goin to use that method for steeping my grains. The sink is a kitchen sink, but its plenty big enough for my pot ive been doing test runs haha. I was goin to way out all my hop additions on the day, the grain came pre crushed.

[jt]

Do you have plenty of time set aside ? Post back and let us know how it goes.

cheers, jt

[RopenutS]

Yeah mate i got the whole day if i need it. Im goin to tread carefully on this one haha. Definitly will let you know how it goes, you've been a wicked help. Cheers