Super Noobie question (extract instructions)

[Jhoss]

So my wife walks into a retail home brew shop to get her better half (me) a brew kit. Sales person says what does he like, "Two Hearted" is his fav says me lady. She comes home with a kit for me....and these ingredients.
(1) 1.8 kg can of Muntons IPA Bitter.
(1) 1 lb. paper bag of Light DME
(1) 1 lb. paper bag Corn Sugar.
Here's a pic:

I have not trust in my guesses! Sombody please 'splain to me what to do here - nowhere do I see combining both the LME and the DME but that is my intention - but the sugar too? I have not seen that anywhere.Or, is that just for priming bottles? Thanks to HBT for being a resource!
Coach the newbie, mold me into a competent brewster oh yee Meisters of the Malt!

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Wow...I'm suprised a homebrew shop would suggest a kit like that. My LHBS doesn't even stock pre-hopped extract.

Also, if you're looking for a two hearted clone, this is nowhere near it. If this is meant to be a 5 gallon batch, you'll end up with a beer that's somewhere around 4.5%...not even close to two hearted.

Either way...it will make beer.

The corn sugar was probably meant for the beer. You could save 4-5 grams of it to carbonate your beer though.

If I were brewing this, I would boil 3-5 gallons of water (full boils are always better if you have a big enough kettle). Add your dry malt extract and boil for 60 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes left in the boil, add your liquid extract and corn sugar. Chill to 65F, add yeast, and ferment for a few weeks.

I've never used prehopped extract, so you may not even need to boil it for 60 minutes.

 

[bad67z]

After looking at your LHBS "Hopman's" website they should have all the ingredient to make a two hearted extract clone. I think your wonderful wife bought your kit from a not so knowledgeable salesperson. If you would like to make a beer closer to you favorite Bells brew take a look at this thread. Take back your ingredients and exchange them for the correct ones.

And the corn sugar is not only for bottle conditioning, it is also added to boost the ABV.

 

[sculpin]

The prehopped extract is, well... prehopped, so there is no need to boil it for 60 min, actually most of the kits say you dont have to boil it since it must be sterile.

There must be some instructions with the kit, usually under the lid.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

My suggestion, take a few minutes to read some of the primers for beginning brewers at the top of the forum.

Realize the kit you got is less than optimal, have the best experience you can with it, and then do a minute amount of research before brewing again...expect a superior product. Enjoy. Brew again. Enjoy. Start to experiment with your extract brewing. Enjoy. Go All Grain. Realize how much equipment you need. Enjoy. Realize the possibilities of beer you have complete control over. Enjoy. The list goes on, must I continue? Enjoy!

Cheers!

 

[ReDim]

I would get a bucket, throw all the suff in there (preferably taking it out of the package) Pour some boiled water over it, cool to room temperature and throw in the Yeast.

Did she get Yeast ?

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I would get a bucket, throw all the suff in there (preferably taking it out of the package) Pour some boiled water over it, cool to room temperature and throw in the Yeast.

Did she get Yeast ?

C'mon man you make it sound like she did a bad thing.

Look. She did a great thing. Please don't be discouraged. Brew a batch, no matter what, you will have beer.

My philosophy is that there is no such thing as bad beer (except for extreme cases [rare]). Simply, some beer is better than others.

Follow your directions. There is so much info here on HBT, and the fact that you found it is amazing. It reveals that you are truly interested in brewing beer. If you weren't you wouldn't have bothered.

If you find the process fascinating as I do (making sugar for yeast to eat, then piss alcohol, and fart co2) I think it is awesome. Having a hobby that has a real reward such as a delicious beverage to imbibe...well...that's just freakin' awesome!

So give it a whirl, ask questions on the forum, do a little research here, there is a literal wealth of information. I happen to be passionate about brewing, as you will find most HBT members are. Maybe you will find you are too! Just give it a fair chance. It ain't exactly easy, but it is rewarding. I do it for me right now, but someday I hope to do it for many. There are plenty of members who have taken it beyond "homebrewing." And I hope too as well someday (although, I think carefully about doing what I am passionate about for a hobby versus a living. [ I don't want ruin it.])

So good luck in your ventures, and PROST to you!
PM with any questions I'll be more than happy to give you any pointers that I can.

Cheers!

 

[bottlebomber]

I would get maybe 4 more pounds of DME (5.40 a pound eek!) and the hops listed in one of the clone recipes on this forum. Then make beer! I don't think you'll be too thrilled with what you have there. I would assume the bitterness was there, and pick up your aroma, flavor, and dry hops.

 

[ReDim]

C'mon man you make it sound like she did a bad thing.

Look. She did a great thing. Please don't be discouraged. Brew a batch, no matter what, you will have beer.

My philosophy is that there is no such thing as bad beer (except for extreme cases [rare]). Simply, some beer is better than others.

Follow your directions. There is so much info here on HBT, and the fact that you found it is amazing. It reveals that you are truly interested in brewing beer. If you weren't you wouldn't have bothered.

If you find the process fascinating as I do (making sugar for yeast to eat, then piss alcohol, and fart co2) I think it is awesome. Having a hobby that has a real reward such as a delicious beverage to imbibe...well...that's just freakin' awesome!

So give it a whirl, ask questions on the forum, do a little research here, there is a literal wealth of information. I happen to be passionate about brewing, as you will find most HBT members are. Maybe you will find you are too! Just give it a fair chance. It ain't exactly easy, but it is rewarding. I do it for me right now, but someday I hope to do it for many. There are plenty of members who have taken it beyond "homebrewing." And I hope too as well someday (although, I think carefully about doing what I am passionate about for a hobby versus a living. [ I don't want ruin it.])

So good luck in your ventures, and PROST to you!
PM with any questions I'll be more than happy to give you any pointers that I can.

Cheers!

There is a reason I pay more attention to my Belgian Blonds then to the blond in the bead... She never got me those kits I wanna divorce actually

But you know, the worst brew I ever made was still better then anything i got in the store So like Schnitzengiggle says "brew !"

And like people have suggested get get some materials, books and what not and just figure it out...

 

[venquessa]

As newbie to newbie:
Boil some (a gallon or 2) or water, melt the DME into it. Warm the kit can in some other water (makes it easier to pour). Tip the DME solution into your barrel, tip in the kit can, add a little more boiling water, stir in the sugar (you can buy more or use table sugar for priming), fill to 5 gallons with cold water. Rest with the lid on, until it's below 22C 70F and spread the yeast over the top. Put the lid on tight and leave it for 2 weeks.

It won't have the experienced guys applauding, but it will make totally drinkable beer!

 

[boist]

As newbie to newbie:
Boil some (a gallon or 2) or water, melt the DME into it. Warm the kit can in some other water (makes it easier to pour). Tip the DME solution into your barrel, tip in the kit can, add a little more boiling water, stir in the sugar (you can buy more or use table sugar for priming), fill to 5 gallons with cold water. Rest with the lid on, until it's below 22C 70F and spread the yeast over the top. Put the lid on tight and leave it for 2 weeks.

It won't have the experienced guys applauding, but it will make totally drinkable beer!

Two things:
1. This may be obvious, or it may not, but don't just put a lid on the bucket. Use a lid with a hole for an airlock, and use an airlock (filled with cheap vodka).
2. Don't just spread the yeast on top. I mean, you can, but hald of it would likely die. It's better to re-hydrate the yeast instead:
-Take a small jar with a tight fitting lid.
-boil both jar and lid (off the jar) in boiling water for 15 min
-empty jar, fill about half-way with boiling water, put the lid on
-wait until the jar cools to about 80F (it should feel warmish, but not hot)
-open jar, empty yeast into it, seal it back up.
-wait half an hour, shake several times for the yeast to thoroughly mix with the water, and then tip the whole thing into your bucket.

But yeah, venquessa is right, there's a ton of things you learn to do to/with beer as you go, but for the first time keep it simple. It'll be decent beer.

 

[venquessa]

I "got away" without either of those my first 2 times. Quality of beer asides, it fermented (though granted the second one stalled halfway through and never really restarted, it remains to be seen if it even carbs in a sensible timeline).

The lid did puff up, but they (mine at least) where not airtight and I very much doubt it could build enough pressure to pop the lid. A firm press to squeeze out the CO2 everyday worked fine and gave the same indications of an airlock: press produces a hiss of escaping gas = still fermenting.

I suppose it just depends on how many improvements you want to add to your early brews.

I think it's difficult to go wrong at first if you k.i.s.s and don't do anything completely stupid.... and even then I'm sure the beer will win.

 

[unionrdr]

When I was at your stage,I boiled about 2 gallons of water. Added the DME to disolve the resulting clumps. Then added the enhancer (I had cooper's kit),& stired to dissolve that. Then take the kettle off the heat & add the pre-hopped LME can. Stir to dissolve till no more LME can be scrapped off the bottom of the kettle. Chill in sink with ice fillibg the empty space around the pot. Then top that off with water. Get it chilled in 20 minutes or less,& you'll get little or no chill haze when the bottles go into the fridge.
Anyway,once it's chilled down to fermenting (pitch) temp of 65-70F,pour it roughly into the fermenter & top off to the recipe's total volume. Stir roughly for 5 minutes straight to get some aeration & mix the wort/top off water better. Take hydrometer sample & pitch re-hydrated yeast. Seal & fill airlock to the line with cheap vodka.

 

[Jhoss]

I have been reading and snooping all over gods green earth to become knowledgeable/dangerous about brewing. I have the buckets, the carboy, hydometer, thief and tube, thermometer - all the stuff I think and I understand their ideal roles from primary, secondary, bottler etc.

I stopped by the LHBS last eve to get some incedentals. I think I may heed some advice here and try to shoot as close to a Two Hearted clone as I can get. 5 gallons of bland beer, just to have beer doesnt interest me as I have been a "beer snob" for quite some time and I'll pass on the run of the mill Bud-Lite crap (well, piss I guess) bestowed upon the American public as beer (fallacy). I like the idea of a boil and a "foam break" that identifies timing etc. Just warming up the can of soup and adding some powder to get 5 gallons of "nothingness" would be a dissapointment for sure.

One thing I did find out at the LHBS...they have "brew days"....like a club...this sounds like a group of my new best friends! Thanks again all! I sure do appreciate the viewpoints!

 

[venquessa]

My, just finished fermenting, Kit+Hopped DME+Sugar batch is lovely. Not bland at all. Quite tasty amber ale at about 5% ABV. Going to be awesome when it conditions for 3 weeks.

But... I'm not really a beer 'snob'.

 

[unionrdr]

My, just finished fermenting, Kit+Hopped DME+Sugar batch is lovely. Not bland at all. Quite tasty amber ale at about 5% ABV. Going to be awesome when it conditions for 3 weeks.

But... I'm not really a beer 'snob'.

Not yet anyway. Time changes things around here. I didn't particularly like IPA's or stouts till hangin around here for a year. And you see what they did to me...

 

[GarageDweller]

I will cast another vote for "use what you've got and then try the clone recipe". You can learn volumes about brewing on this site, but real world experience is priceless. The prehopped kit will give you a chance to iron out your process before really nailing the proper "clone" recipe. the key (for someone just starting out) is that you take something from each brew day that will carry on to the next; and have fun while you're taking it all in. Patience is a virtue that homebrewing develops more than anything else (besides beer drinking, of course).
Good luck with whatever your decide!

 

[reibrew]

If you do make what you have there, which should be good; be sure to throw out the instructions and read the forums for what you should do.

I know coopers suggests 1 week in the primary before bottling (roughly, after day 6 you measure for consistent gravity) and then bottle. Don't do that, let it sit in the primary for a few weeks and then bottle.

My first ever kit I let sit a week and it was never good. Also really cidery and gross. I've got kit 2 going right now and its almost 2 weeks in the primary and I can already see the difference in clarity, and it tastes way better.

 

[BrewMU]

I'd go ahead and brew with the extract, even if it's a small batch, save the sugar for priming (carbonation), and get another ounce or two of some cascade or centennial or something for late additions. It won't be a clone of anything, but it should be decent beer.

 

[unionrdr]

The kit is designed to use 1lb of DME & 1lb of dextrose. One pound of sugar isn't too much. It'll just keep it dry enough so as not to be overly malty. But if the op really wants the clone kit,I say take it back for credit on the right one. He'll likely be happier to start with.

 

[Jhoss]

It's official, my bucket's been burping for a couple of hours meaning my first batch is underway!

Thanks for all your insights here people! I took my simple little LME kit and tried to "soup it up" a little bit. After some reading here's what I ended up doing.

4 lbs. prehopped Muntons IPA LME
1 lbs. Light DME
1 lbs. Amber DME
1 lbs. Dextrose
.5 lbs. Carapils
.5 lbs. Crystal 10L
Hops:
1 oz. Columbus (14.4% AA)
1 oz. Cascade (6.4% AA)
1 oz. Amarillo (8% AA)

I steeped the Carapils and the Crystal for 15 mins at 150 degrees but forgot to sparge in the heat of the moment....noobie remember.

Added the dextrose, the Light DME and half the can of LME. and hopped in the Columbus hops. added half the Cascade at 45mins, the other half at 30.

At 15 mins the rest of the fermentables...(Amber and the LME), and half the Amarillo. I saved half the Amarillo for the move to the second fermentor.
Cold crashed the 3 gallons to 88 degrees then added my other 2 gallons.

My OG is/was sitting easy at 50.

 

[Jhoss]

I started getting prepared to rack to secondary (look at me using brew lingo) today. Yesterday (Saturday) I picked the bucket up and set it gently on the countertop it was sitting under. Seemingly this slight agitation has restarted the fermentation as I've seen it bubble a couple of time this morning (Sunday). I havent seen the airlock bubble for a week now. Should I let it sit another of time or go ahead and rack it off?

 

[bottlebomber]

It didn't begin to ferment again. There is a lot of latent CO2 trapped in the beer, and agitating it makes some of it come out of solution, like shaking a soda. If you have taken 2 hydrometer reading 3 days apart and they were the same, then your beer is ready.

 

[Jhoss]

Thanks BB, I'm excited to get to play with my beer today!

 

[unionrdr]

The hydrometer reading looks like 1.054 to me. You read through the base of the meniscus,not at the top of it. The meniscus is where the liquid curves up the side of the hydrometer. You read through the base on an imaginary level line. And boiling pre-hopped extract is never a good thing. You'd have done better to use both pounds of DME in the partial boil. That's what I do to preserve the hopping (usually for bittering) in the pre-hopped LME. I add that at flame out to preserve the hop profile,& get lighter color & cleaner flavor.

 

[Jhoss]

Appreciate the help and I am liking the thought that you are right. My hydrometer check at "rack to secondary" phase I recorded as 1.014. The first ABV calculator I played with says 5.3. I took the swig from the hydrometer - holy hopfest batman! Hoping for a little mellowing to happen as she sits in secondary cause WOW! Its got quite a hoppy twang! Here she sits. And anymore suggestions...bring 'em!

 

[unionrdr]

Was the FG tested stable over a couple days? If not,it looks cloudy enough to where it may go down a couple more points given time. And the malt/hop flavors will def mellow over time,so no worries there.

 

[Jhoss]

No. As I plan on it sitting in the secondary for weeks before bottling I just took a single reading while racking. Hope your right about dropping a couple more - I'd like to be as close to style as I can even though its my first batch. I've got another kit coming this week (Morebeer.com's partial mash Stout), got the primary free so off we go on second adventure.

I do have a temperature question about the batch resting in the secondary. I can let it remain where it "primaried" at 72 degrees or take it downstairs into the low 60's. Any advice there?

 

[unionrdr]

No,leave it at 72F,that'll help it finish up if indeed it's not quite done yet. It'll clean up as it settles out clear or slightly misty. Maybe another week or so.

 

[emdiar]

And anymore suggestions...bring 'em!

At the risk of being Captain Obvious, put that carboy someplace dark! And congrats on your first batch!

 

[Jhoss]

Thanks.

 

[venquessa]

The hydrometer reading looks like 1.054 to me. You read through the base of the meniscus,not at the top of it. The meniscus is where the liquid curves up the side of the hydrometer. You read through the base on an imaginary level line.

This depends on the hydrometer. Mine actually says to read at the top of the meniscus.

 

[Jhoss]

I did a partial mash brew Saturday night using Morebeer.com's Irish Stout kit. Washed some grains, added extract late. Got a nice hydrometer reading of 1070 at 5 gallons - which was higher than Morebeer predicted. Pitched the room temperature liquid yeast supplied in the kit at about 74 degrees. This was all Saturday night. Here it is Wednesday morning and not a bubble in my jug. It's sitting at 70 degrees. After my first batch (mentioned at the top of this post), I figured I'd go right to blow off tube.

Can I/should I pitch more yeast this eve. (Wednesday night)? Leave it be?

 

[Jhoss]

It's going into bottles this weekend. That'll be 2 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in secondary. As of this morning its still working the airlock, just off-gassing, they say. I will take hydrometer reading tomorrow (Thursday) and again Saturday before I bottle just to make sure.

 

[bottlebomber]

You guys really need to be making yeast starters for your liquid yeasts... It's not even just about growing yeast, but proofing the yeast in the vial to make sure it's viable. I would take a hydrometer reading to make sure it isn't fermenting and then yeah, some new yeast. 4 days is a little long to not be seeing something.

 

[Jhoss]

Or, just stick with dry yeast. I guess I will throw some dry in.

 

[Jhoss]

I opened up the bucket, krausen showing on the sides of the bucket. I also took a hydrometer reading so I could compare it to my starting gravity. 2 pics here...starting, I'd guess 1072 and present, I'd guess 1024.

 

[bottlebomber]

Lol... Revvy would like to see this.

 

[Jhoss]

I have this thought to bottle my first batch this coming weekend. I brewed it on Feb4th, and IPA 1052ish on the hydrometer. 15 days late went to the secondary. So here we are 2 weeks in the secondary. The airlock is still bubbling pretty regular, maybe every 10 minutes or so. I know, I know use the hydrometer 3 days apart and look for a steady final gravity, but would you? Or, would you let it sit longer until there is absolutely no more gas coming off it?

I kinda hate to disturb it with a thief - my last ajitation seemingly turned it on and its been gassing off ever since.

 

[Jhoss]

Here's the FG Hydrometer.

Here it is all flat and warm - a sampler on bottling day. Bitter as all get out and overpowering hops. I think I'm going to need to clench when I go to crack one - but here's hoping for the best!