Two beginner questions

[rydia131]

Ok so these should probably be really easy for you guys, just wanted to clarify two things before I brew. This is my second batch and its a simcoe ipa. I received dry and liquid malt extract in the kit, I add them at the same time right? All it says is "add malt extract". Although I assume yes I think assuming things can get someone in trouble.
Also, how do people decide on whether to dry hop or not? If my recipe calls for me to add the hops add different times throughout the boil then I should just do that right? Or is that something where you can choose to add the aroma hops later? And that's dry hopping right? As always thanks so much for the help!!

 

[masterblaster]

Add all the the malt dry and liquid together. Kill the heat, mix it all good, get back to a boil, follow hops schedule. 60 minute hops are for bitterness, 30 minute hops flavor, and 15 or less are aroma. Woot I got to answer a question!

 

[mbauer013]

Dry hopping is usually in addition to the hop schedule in recipes (unless one addition is included as a dry hop) since any amount you remove from the boil to dry hop later will reduce the bittnerness to some degree. If you want to dry hop, just purchase an additional oz or two of hops and add these post-primary fermentation. Leaf hops work best for me.

 

[rydia131]

Add all the the malt dry and liquid together. Kill the heat, mix it all good, get back to a boil, follow hops schedule. 60 minute hops are for bitterness, 30 minute hops flavor, and 15 or less are aroma. Woot I got to answer a question!

Haha congrats on the question answer. And thanks to both answerers, makes perfect sense now!

 

[dozer5454]

With regards to the malt you do have options. You can add the dry malt in the beginning of the boil and save the liquid for the last 15-20 minutes. As your doing an IPA I am assuming you want it to fall into a particular color range. The boiling of liquid extract can caramelize creating a darker color than desired.

Dry hopping allows a different floral note to the beer. I generally get the beer fermented out 2-3 weeks then rack it to a secondary. In the case of Citra Pale from Morebeer dry hopping with citra hops really makes this beer great. Just a few thoughts to consider.

 

[unionrdr]

For lighter color (like recipes sometimes show),& cleaner flavor,use the DME in the boil for hop additions. Add the LME at flame out as a late extract addition. That's what I do. Since the wort at the end of the boil is still boiling hot,& pasteurization happens about 160F,just stir in the LME till completely dissolved. Then put a lid on it a steep a couple minutes. Then chill,etc.

 

[woozy]

It was a complete surprise to me when I was begining, but you can add the malt extract at *any* time[1] and most people prefer to add most at the very end as a "late addition".

Two common practice. DME at beginning and LME AT end. 1/3 at beginning rest at end. Rare but not unheard of practise: just water and no extract until end.

Late addition keeps extract from darkening. Some claim overcooked extract has a noticiable twang taste. (or so they claim.). Less extract effects hop utilization some how but probably not by much.

[1] except you don't want add in the middle of the boil. But only because to temperature difference will interupt and stall the boiling.

 

[unionrdr]

It doesn't change hop utilization enough to matter enough to where the average person could likely tell. And the extract twang is indeed a cooked extract sort of flavor. Particularly LME. They've been through a boil once already by the maltster,doing it a second time is a touch much. So late extract additions solve this.

 

[boydster]

Not that you need someone else to jump in with the same opinion, but I am a big fan of the late extract additions. Better hop utilization, lesser chance of scorching the extract, final color that is true to the type of beer you are trying to make.

Dry hops bring a lot of aroma to the table. You don't want them in all of your beers probably (a Northern English brown ale might not be the best beer to dry hop, for example), but if you are brewing something where the hops are the star of the show, dry hops add an almost necessary touch.

 

[rydia131]

For lighter color (like recipes sometimes show),& cleaner flavor,use the DME in the boil for hop additions. Add the LME at flame out as a late extract addition. That's what I do. Since the wort at the end of the boil is still boiling hot,& pasteurization happens about 160F,just stir in the LME till completely dissolved. Then put a lid on it a steep a couple minutes. Then chill,etc.

Sorry noob here but what do you specifically mean at "flame out"? Is it just when you turn he heat off? Seems stupid to ask but i think i may give this a whirl. So i follow the recipe and add the DME at the time they say to and then at the very end of the boil i remove from heat and stir in the LME?
Also referring to the responses on the dry hopping. If this is he first ipa ive done should i just try it out first and then dry hop next go around? Or just go for it? My wife and i both love strongly hopped ales. Is there a suggested hop to use for dry hopping that would add a strong fruity and floral note to the beer? Thanks again!

 

[dozer5454]

Yes, you just stir in the LME when you turn the flame off. With the temps sitting around the 200 degree mark it will be fine.

With the dry hop part. Dry hopping adds more to the smell of the beer rather than the over all bitterness. A good citrus fruit hop is Citra. Awesome smell and taste.

 

[boydster]

Sorry noob here but what do you specifically mean at "flame out"? Is it just when you turn he heat off? Seems stupid to ask but i think i may give this a whirl. So i follow the recipe and add the DME at the time they say to and then at the very end of the boil i remove from heat and stir in the LME?

Yes

Also referring to the responses on the dry hopping. If this is he first ipa ive done should i just try it out first and then dry hop next go around? Or just go for it? My wife and i both love strongly hopped ales. Is there a suggested hop to use for dry hopping that would add a strong fruity and floral note to the beer? Thanks again!

If you both like strongly hopped ales, dry hop it. You won't regret it. Any of the "C" hops.

 

[rodwha]

If this is an all Simcoe IPA wouldn't you want to stick with Simcoe?

Simcoe gave me a very grapefruity taste in my latest IPA. I used Chinook to bitter though. I liked it. My best one yet.

I use my DME (~1-3 lbs) and steeping/mashed grains in the beginning and add the LME or remainder of DME (4+lbs) at flameout as many others have said.

 

[woozy]

It doesn't change hop utilization enough to matter enough to where the average person could likely tell.

And the extract twang is indeed a cooked extract sort of flavor. Particularly LME. They've been through a boil once already by the maltster,doing it a second time is a touch much. So late extract additions solve this.[/QUOTE]

I was typing on my phone which is a frustrating experience so I didn't explain to the degree I usually would.

The amount of hop utilization does seem to be too minimal to notice but it does exist and thus the technical and the picky would be upset if I hadn't mentioned it. Also if one doesn't add *any* extract during the boil hop utilization is probably quite different. Which is why "late addition" proponents (of which I probably am one) usually add *some* extract at the start.

And the extract twang is indeed a cooked extract sort of flavor. Particularly LME. They've been through a boil once already by the maltster,doing it a second time is a touch much. So late extract additions solve this.

That is, if you notice the twang at all. I never have. But some folks do. At any rate, as the extract doesn't require *any* cooking and has already been thouroughly cooked, late additions will always taste *somewhat* better and fresher than early additions, which will always be somewhat technically overcooked, even if it's minimal and unnoticeable.

The only advantage to early additions is the make the directions easier to write and to follow.

And you want *some* extract early on for hop utilization. I *did* do a hop boil with *no* extract once but folks on these forums pointed out that I probably shouldn't have because of hop utilization. They are probably right. At any rate I didn't know what I was doing and I still don't know what I did, so I can't in good conscious recommend it. (Although I'm sure the beer will be quite drinkable).

Sorry noob here but what do you specifically mean at "flame out"? Is it just when you turn he heat off? Seems stupid to ask but i think i may give this a whirl. So i follow the recipe and add the DME at the time they say to and then at the very end of the boil i remove from heat and stir in the LME?

That's *exactly* what "flame-out" means. Hypothetically you can add the LME at any time, even *after* you've cooled the wort. Practically however you want the wort to be hot enough that a) everything mixes and b) everything's sanitary.

 

[rydia131]

Thanks guys for spending the time to be so thorough. Woozy, woulda quoted some of the things you said here but you wrote alot and i havent quite mastered pulling quotes from a post. Anyway im brewing today and im definitely going to add the DME early and the LME at flameout. Im still considering the dry hop. I think i may just see what my LHBS has and decide there. Citra hops are sounding pretty nice

 

[unionrdr]

Adding DME to boil & LME at flame out always works best for me. You'll see what we mean with this batch.

 

[rydia131]

Adding DME to boil & LME at flame out always works best for me. You'll see what we mean with this batch.

Thanks man. Excited to give this a try. Best part of this whole thing is that my first brew is just finishing up carbing so i get to drink my own homebrew while brewing this time!!