Flameout

[Ster]

If you brew with both DME and LME, which do you save for flameout and why?

Thanks.

 

[twistr25]

Better to save the LME for flameout because it has the greater chance of scorching if you happen to leave it on the heat, or you could get malliard reactions that may cause the wort to darken more than you want and can cause the extract "twangy" flavor.

 

[bobeer]

late extract additions are supposed to help with clarity. If you put it in too early you can caramelize the sugars which will make your beer cloudy. I think the late addition of extract will also help with head retention, and hop bitterness utilization but I could just be thinking of full volume boils vs partial boils. It's been a while since I've done an extract brew...

 

[DasHos]

I was curious about this, too. I seriously boiled the crap out of my wort (over 90 minutes) because I could never reach that rolling boil. I really hope my stuff doesn't end up with whatever "twang" you guys are speaking of.

 

[Ster]

What was your boil volume?
Must be a full boil if you couldn't get it rolling.

Oh and remember... flameout extract affects boil gravity (as opposed to boiling all extract) which affects hop utilization. So calculate your IBUs with the BG not the OG.

 

[DasHos]

Actually it wasn't full volume, only 3.5 gallons. My stove is pretty much an Easy Bake and doesn't have enough power. I'll be picking up a turkey fryer for the next batch.

 

[Ancient_Hopus]

My two cents; which is also a question

I brought my wort for the IPA to a boil; turned the flame off added 1 3.3 lb LME and 1/2LB of DME; the boiled for 40 mins.. turned off flame added another 1/2lb DME and another 3.3 of LME; and boiled for another 20mins.. Beer is in Fermentation right now.. experts; thoughts?

During both flames off; mixed Extracts in for a good 5-10mins before turning the flame back on.

 

[twistr25]

That works just fine. After my first batch I started adding all at final flameout. That way you don't have to spend the extra time to reheat the wort to boil.

 

[Ancient_Hopus]

Thanks; I will give that a try next time..

 

[woozy]

I've never had the extract "twang" but I've definitely had the darkening. I usually add about 1/4 or a third or 1/5 of the extract at start on the basis that my gut instinct is that to boil for the full period of time without any extract at all will have too radical an impact on the hop utilization (I'm too lazy and I'm not fussy enough to actually calculate hop utilization [beer is an *inexact* science]). Although I have done just hops and water for an hour with all extract at flameout with no notable effect. If the recipe has DME, my early addition is all DME because it mixes more easily. I add the rest of the extract at flameout because I don't want to bother with bringing the wort back to a boil. Fear of scorching plays utterly no concern to me as anyone who has ever cooked soup or pasta sauce simply develops the instinct to not to scorch (it called "stirring").

But that's just me. Any method that works will work. If you haven't experienced early addition darkening, or you simply don't care, there's no reason not to do complete early additions.

 

[DasHos]

If the recipe has DME, my early addition is all DME because it mixes more easily. I add the rest of the extract at flameout because I don't want to bother with bringing the wort back to a boil.

I'm about to brew a kit that has only 1 lb of DME and I think 9 lbs of LME. So you're saying it's totally okay to put all the LME in at final flameout? That's what I was planning on doing but I just wanna make sure. Oh, it's also gonna be a full volume boil. I'm trying to go for a nice lighter colored IPA. The recipe says it's got like 250+ IBU's so I'm not too concerned about over utilizing the hops (came with a full pound. I'm excited).

 

[twistr25]

Hope you have a spare set of tastebuds

Yeah, you can add all of that at flameout if you want. You could also add a little at the beginning if you want and save the majority for the end, but up to you.

 

[Math0]

You should put all DME before boil. Helps with hops utilization then add the LME at the end. You can also put in half a can just to be sure you have enough sugar in there. It wont make a big difference