Best way to add DME during boil

[DamiankS72]

I am a newbie extract brewer. just cooked my third batch on Saturday.

My question is, what is the best way others have found for adding DME to the boil. I have tried just dumping it from the bag, and putting it in a bowl to dump, but the steam just makes it clump up and it sticks to everything.

Thanks for any input.

 

[flars]

I cut the corner off the bag. Length of cut is about three inches. Dump the DME in as I stir. I rinse off what sticks to the bag by immersing the cut corner a few times.

 

[KeninMN]

I do partial boils on my stove top. What works best for me is to split the boil water into two parts. I put one gallon of water into a smaller kettle, heat the water until it hits 160 degrees F and then steep the specialty grains. I put two gallons of water into my 5-gallon boiling kettle and then whisk the DME into the water when it is still cold. Once it's fully dissolved I begin heating it while the specialty grains continue steeping. After twenty minutes of steeping I remove the grains, squeeze the bag, dump the contents of the smaller kettle into the boiling kettle and then heat to boiling.

 

[dand]

I am a newbie extract brewer. just cooked my third batch on Saturday.

My question is, what is the best way others have found for adding DME to the boil. I have tried just dumping it from the bag, and putting it in a bowl to dump, but the steam just makes it clump up and it sticks to everything.

Thanks for any input.

Sometimes in a bag, sometimes in a bowl, depends on the size of the bag. I tend to add it in 1 pound of dme at a time, try to dump it as quick as reasonably possible so it doesn't get too gunked up on the bowl or bag, but if a little bit sticks to the bag and doesn't make it in, don't sweat it, it will still be beer.

Another benefit i find of doing 1 pound at a time is that you don't get 1 big foam over right away. I add a few pounds at the first of the boil and wait for the hot break, then do 1 pound here and there throughout the next hour so you get little mini foams that don't make it over the top of the pot. If you do a larger amount at once you get lots of foam.

 

[DamiankS72]

Thanks for all the replies.

I had been cutting the the top off of the whole bag and it was letting a lot of steam in. Just cutting the corner made a huge difference.

Cooked a cream ale today and everything went very well except for a little boil over. Hop foam caught me unprepared.

This is a great forum with a lot of good information and helpful people, thanks again. Always a first stop when looking for info and recipes.

 

[Cyclman]

Add when slightly below boiling, stir, then heat. I put mine in a SS bowl, and if it got clumpy, rinsed the bowl in the hot water.

 

[J187]

Start using the term "Brewed" instead of "cooked"... you sound like your making meth lol!

Just kidding...


When I use DME, I usually weigh it out on a paper plate and dump it in. One trick that helps a TON is to quickly blow all the steam away just before dumping it... like as if you were blowing down a boil over. Works great. Also, I add DME toward the end of the boil so I reduce boil over and scorching and whatnot... I add it at like 15min just before my chiller so I don't worry about it sticking to the chiller or the chiller obstructing my stirring.

 

[Hello]

I put mine in a bowl and when that sticks I just dunk the bowl into the wort real fast. If you're careful not to dunk your hand then you'll be fine.

 

[mmb]

I'd heat the water up to near boiling, then kill the heat and add the DME, stirring to break all clumps, then turn the heat back on. This is only to avoid scorching the extract against the bottom of the kettle.