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Need recipe using these ingredients-
I am looking to brew this weekend using parts from a True-Brew kit and some stuff I picked up at the lbhs. Here is what I have:
2 cans (6.6lbs) of Dark Malt Extract
1 lb of crushed crystal 2 row
Hops: 1 oz of Hallertau, 1 oz of UK Fuggle, 1 oz of Mt. Hood, 1 oz of Williamette
Muntons Dry Yeast
Now I am not stuck on using all of these ingredients and I am willing to buy a few more things but I am trying to keep it under $20 of extra purchases. I have played around with beer tools but unfortunately it doesn't tell you if it's going to taste good or not! This is only my 3rd brew so I don't want anything too dark or extensive, just a good, hearty beer. Any ideas, recommendations, etc will be helpful. Thanks!
Sweet stout maybe? Use 8-10 AAU for bittering, save the other hops for another brew. Maybe buy a pound of flaked oats(oatmeal stout). If you decide to do a stout, I would go with an Irish Ale Yeast.
Do you know what degree lovibond is the crystal malt? You have a pound so it should be dark enough, especially with the dark extract.
What are the acid percentages for your hops? 1 ounce @ 8% or so would be good enough, 2 ounces @ 4% and so on for bittering.
You could do a brown ale without the crystal malt. Use the highest alpha acid hops as your bittering, and add another ounce periodically throughout the boil(60/20/flame out). Then dry hop with the other ounce. You have a lot of options. If you don't use the crystal malt, I would buy more extract. Maybe 1-2 pounds light to up the alcohol content.
What was the kit originally supposed to be?
With Dark extract you're limited a dark beer. And dark extracts don't ferment completely like light extracts do. But a sweet stout is what you could do with minimal purchase. Get some chocolate malt and lactose, 1 pd each. Use all the Extract you have, and if you want to up the Alcohol just add some regular table sugar, molassas, honey, or light or dark brown sugar, Make sure all the grains are crused. Add the lactose the last 15 minutes of the boil. It won't ferment but it will sweeten it a litttle.
I made a sweet stout recently, here's the recipe for 5 gallons you can use as is or as a reference if you want.
5 pds LME
1 pd lactose
1/2 pd chocolate malt
3/4 pd black patent
1/2 pd crystal 40 L
1/2 pd victory
1 oz target hop pellets (8.5 % AA) 60 min (35 IBU) (style range is 25-40 IBU)
Came out very nice. OG was about 1.045
Didn't notice hops in taste so it's not too hoppy. You can use what you have.
Victory malt wasn't apparent so it's not needed.
Also with all dark extract you will have a higher ending gravity.
I also used a muntons dry yeast.
On beer tools my recipe is "creamy stout". It's for a 3 gallon batch but can be changed.It's in the extract section
DC
Thanks for the responses! The kit was a true-brew Dark kit. Just wanted to do something different. I am not a very big fan of malty type beers, more of a hop guy myself. But I may give this one a try. One question, when do you add the honey in the process and how much? I keep bees and have plenty of it but dont wont to waste too much of my hard work on trial and error. I am also not sure what lovibond of the malt is. Thanks!
I just helped a friend with a tru brew kit. He had an amber kit, and we modified it slightly, similar to what you have already. Although, maybe I'm confused. Do you have Crystal, or 2 Row malt? It would make a big difference.
Anyway, this is just off my head, early morning idea.....
Steep 1lb crystal in water at 150 for 45 minutes.
Sparge(rinse) the grains with about 1qt of water per lb of grain. Should be about 1 1/2 qts. Do not squeeze the grains!!!
Bring this tea to a boil(boil volume should be 3 gallons), and add one can of extract, and the Fuggles.
Add the Mt Hood at 45 minutes
Add the Willamette and the other can of extract at 30 minutes
Add the Hallertau at 15 minutes.
Add 1/2 lb Honey at 10 minutes.
Cool to 75-80, pitch rehydrated dry yeast, ferment 10 days, bottle 2 weeks, drink, repeat......
I'm sure these aren't the most technical instructions, but I believe they will work without having to buy anything extra, except the honey.....
Thanks for the responses and I like your recipe ricka182, what kind of brew will this make? Deafcones your sounds good too. what kind of brew will this make? About the grains, the bag says "Munton Crushed Crystal 2 Row Barley Malt", so I'm not sure which it is. I need to do some reading up on sparging, is this easy to do without much equipment? Any tips to do it easily without buying anything else?
basementbrewer wrote:
Thanks for the responses and I like your recipe ricka182, what kind of brew will this make? Deafcones your sounds good too. what kind of brew will this make? About the grains, the bag says "Munton Crushed Crystal 2 Row Barley Malt", so I'm not sure which it is. I need to do some reading up on sparging, is this easy to do without much equipment? Any tips to do it easily without buying anything else?
I would just call it a hoppy dark ale. It'll probably be good no matter what.
There is no sparging do worry about. Just steep that crystal in a bag, then let it drain back into the kettle after the steep is done.
As mentioned, a nice hoppy Dark Ale. Also, sparging isn't really required. I just threw it in there, because it's a technique I use, even though I don't have to. Basically, you would just be pouring hot water over the grain bags, after you remove them, and letting it drain back into the cookpot.
Also, with one pound of Crystal to steep, I would use two muslin bags, 1/2Lb in each. You can get one for less than a $1, probably way less. Splitting the grains in two bags will allow better water flow though, and overall better end result. You don't want to pack the grains, nice and loose works best for steeping.
Ok, I brewed the recipe today that ricka182 recommended. (Great Snow Day!) and have a few questions comments and was curious what you guys thought. First off in your recipe you said I would get 3 gallons after sparging for my boil (I didn't sparge just drained the grains and no squeezing!) I started with 4 gallons for the steep and boil. I did everything else by the recipe with a 1 hr boil time. After cooling the 4 gallons in a snow pile for about 30 minutes, I took a OG sample, and I added 2 gallons of cold water and I pitched 2 packets of rehydrated yeast. When I read the SG I got a surprise, it only read 1.020. I thought it would be more around 1.045 or so from reading other recipes. Did I do something wrong? I did take the sample before I added about 1-2 gallons of water, will this change the SG that much? Other than that everything went well. Had yeast activity within 4 1/2 hrs (im sure sooner but I wasn't home to check it) and have about 1 1/2" of trub already in the bottom of the carboy. Someone tell me this OG is ok! I would hate to waste this whole kit, $7 worth of extra hops and 1/2 lb of my own honey on something bad. I appreciate all the help!
basementbrewer wrote:
Ok, I brewed the recipe today that ricka182 recommended. (Great Snow Day!) and have a few questions comments and was curious what you guys thought. First off in your recipe you said I would get 3 gallons after sparging for my boil (I didn't sparge just drained the grains and no squeezing!) I started with 4 gallons for the steep and boil. I did everything else by the recipe with a 1 hr boil time. After cooling the 4 gallons in a snow pile for about 30 minutes, I took a OG sample, and I added 2 gallons of cold water and I pitched 2 packets of rehydrated yeast. When I read the SG I got a surprise, it only read 1.020. I thought it would be more around 1.045 or so from reading other recipes. Did I do something wrong? I did take the sample before I added about 1-2 gallons of water, will this change the SG that much? Other than that everything went well. Had yeast activity within 4 1/2 hrs (im sure sooner but I wasn't home to check it) and have about 1 1/2" of trub already in the bottom of the carboy. Someone tell me this OG is ok! I would hate to waste this whole kit, $7 worth of extra hops and 1/2 lb of my own honey on something bad. I appreciate all the help!
Did you taste the sample you used for the gravity reading? Did it taste good? You need to mix the wort and the top off water good before taking a sample or your gravity reading will be low. I have done the same thing and asked the same question on this board so it happens alot. Just shake it up good and take another one or forget it and see how it tastes after it's ready to drink.
DC
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