General Newbie Brewing Questions

[ChimayLover]

Hey guys,
Im new to the world of homebrewing, and I just placed an order for a kit online...Ive been reading up on the process, but I am still confused about a couple of things...Maybe you can help me out
My first question is about malts. The kit I got comes with some liquid malts(Munstons I believe)... My question is, will using liquid malts result in a lower quality beer than if I had used dry ones? Is it cheating to use a malt extract? I cant shake the feeling that my brew wont be truly my own if I am using someone else's premade product...
I was also wondering, how can I manipulate the strength of the beer? Is it a simple matter of adding more priming sugar? What can one do to increase the strength of their brew?
Lastly, it seems that boil overs are pretty common among new brewers...Any tips on preventing them? In the case of a boil over, is it necessary to start completely over?
Thanks in advance for you help!

MIke

 

[cweston]

My question is, will using liquid malts result in a lower quality beer than if I had used dry ones? Is it cheating to use a malt extract? I cant shake the feeling that my brew wont be truly my own if I am using someone else's premade product...

No, and no. DME is not better than LME. Many homebrewers do prefer DME: it is less perishable and easier to store and handle. But fresh LME and fresh DME make comparable beer.

You might decide at some later point to mash your own grains, but many homebrewers never do, and you can make downright stunning beer for extract or from all-grain if you get good at the process.

I was also wondering, how can I manipulate the strength of the beer? Is it a simple matter of adding more priming sugar? What can one do to increase the strength of their brew?

No! all that adding more priming sugar will do is overcarbonate your beer, possibly even to the point of turning your bottles into dangerous explosive devices.

You increase the alcohol by using more sugars in the inital brew phase, not at priming. But a recipe is designed to have a certain balance of malty sweetness and hop bitterness. Messing with the malt amounts will mess up the balance. You'll learn, soon enough, how to successfully tweak recipes and design them from scratch, but for now, just brew the kit according to the instructions.

Alcohol percentage is a relatively insignificant factor in the interest of flavor in a beer, anyway, IMHO.

Lastly, it seems that boil overs are pretty common among new brewers...Any tips on preventing them? In the case of a boil over, is it necessary to start completely over?
Thanks in advance for you help!

MIke

Watch it carefully. If a gas burner, you can adjust. If it's electric, be ready to move the pan if needed. Stirring vigorously helps avoid boilovers.

No, you don't need to start over, unless you have a colossal boilover.

 

[TheJadedDog]

I would concur on all the responses from cweston. I would only add that in my experience LME can, not always but can, leave a slight "twang" (you'll know what I mean when you taste it). I have converted to mainly using DME to eliminate this problem. My LHBS recommends using half LME and half DME, but he can't really tell me why (most likely cost).

 

[cweston]

I would only add that in my experience LME can, not always but can, leave a slight "twang" (you'll know what I mean when you taste it). I have converted to mainly using DME to eliminate this problem.

Yeah, when I brewed extract I got that from LME in a can. When I orderd LME in bulk containers from high-volume retailers like morebeer.com or Austin HBS, I always thought I got excellent results...every bit as good as DME.

 

[RichBrewer]

You sound like an all grain brewer.
I wouldn't worry about using liquid extract for your first brews. My first beer was made with a Cooper's extract and it was fantastic.
If you want to increase the alcohol in your beer I suggest adding an additional 2 to 3 pounds of dried malt extract. It will boost the alcohol without the cidery notes that sugar gives beer.
The easiest way to avoid a boil over is to watch the pot. It is worse right when the boil starts. You will be surprised at how fast the foam will form and rise up to the top of the pot and onto your stove. If you try to react when the foam is at the top it is too late. Better to be expecting it and react before the foam starts to rise. What I do is when I see the wort start to bubble, I turn the heat down and stir until the foam subsides. Once you get to this point, the threat of a boil over decreases significantly. Be aware though that if you put a lid on the pot it will boil over.
I hope this helps. Happy brewing.

 

[gruntingfrog]

Saying that people that use malt extracts aren't brewing is like saying that someone who uses canned spaghetti sauce isn't cooking. The process is still called cooking and still yields good results.

I used extract for my first several beers, but for my own reasons decided to go all-grain. It's the same reason that I choose to make my own spaghetti sauce. I just like to be able to more closely customize the final product.

Using malt extract is a great way to learn the brewing process and if you pay attention you'll make really good beer with it. If you choose to go further in the future, you've got the foundation to build on. If not, you're still making beer!

As a matter of fact, several people that I know think that one of my extract beers is "the best beer I've made yet."

 

[olllllo]

I cant shake the feeling that my brew wont be truly my own if I am using someone else's premade product...

Get over that notion. If you extend that logic, you need to pelletize your own hops or use leaf. Culture your own yeast. Malt your own grains. Pen your own recipe. Build most of your equipment from scratch.

You are able to do this all because of the collective knowledge of thousands or years of brewing. You are the consumer of the product called information and this is the golden age.

 

[ChimayLover]

Thanks for all the wonderful advice!

 

[BarryNL]

I think starting out with a kit is a great way to get into this. There's still plenty to learn. All the procedures of sanitising, measuring, priming and bottling are exactly the same with kits as with all-grain, and are important skills to learn.

It's a good idea to get the hang of these skills with a kit before moving on to some of the more complex procedures of mini-mash and all-grain. Plus, if you screw up a kit its less painful than if you spent all those extra hours with an all-grain

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I think starting out with a kit is a great way to get into this. There's still plenty to learn. All the procedures of sanitising, measuring, priming and bottling are exactly the same with kits as with all-grain, and are important skills to learn.

It's a good idea to get the hang of these skills with a kit before moving on to some of the more complex procedures of mini-mash and all-grain. Plus, if you screw up a kit its less painful than if you spent all those extra hours with an all-grain

+1

But with that said, I will say that according to "Designing Great Beers", there is a flavor difference between LME and DME. The book says that LME often may have a barely perceptable off flavor. In other words, the best award winning beers tend to use DME. But at your stage, the beer you make will be sooo much better than anything you've bought in a store, that you have no reason to worry at this stage.

You will learn, however, that despite being a bit more expensive, storing, using, and measuring DME is a lot easier. No big deal though, there's nothing wrong with LME.