Back to kits - questions

[stubrewworx]

I'd call myself an all grain brewer, but living in a flat it's proving problematic. So back to kits I go, although I only ever did 2 over 6 years ago.

I'm ready to do a Ritchies Simply Lager with 1kg medium spray malt, liberty bell yeast and dry hopped with solero.

Ideally, should the spray malt be boiled?

Is there a calculator to tell me the est. Gravity points the 1kg spray malt will give, in 20l?

Cheers, Stu.

 

[DavidDetroit]

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator
With a little fiddling around, you can get used to the above calculator.

 

[soupdragon]

Or try

https://www.brewersfriend.com/extract-ogfg/
Cheers Tom

 

[Graz]

No need to boil, you wouldn't normally boil the malt supplied with the kit so why bother with the spraymalt.

 

[Bernie]

I use DME with one an kits and dissolve it beforehand. I boil till it stops foaming and I geta controllable rolling boil. I have also thrown the DME into the fermenter as is but the yeast seems to ferment much more readily if the DME is dissolved.
A question for extract brewers. I can dissolve amber DME anddark DME quite readily but light DME was very difficult to get into solution. These were all Muntons. Any ideas why?

 

[Slid]

The only real need to fully dissolve is to get a reliable OG reading, I suggest. That is given that the fermentation process will ensure it is broken up completely.

 

[DavidDetroit]

A question for extract brewers. I can dissolve amber DME anddark DME quite readily but light DME was very difficult to get into solution. These were all Muntons. Any ideas why?

I hear you on the light DME. I always figured it was because I use so much. My foam will go up over the edge if I'm not careful but once it's done foaming, it's done which is nice.
To the question, my guess (stress on the word "guess") is the darker contains slightly less sugar? I say that because if I recall, the light DME gives a higher ABV value.
I too keep at it until the foam disappears and have wondered if it had anything to do with the "hot break"--not that I really know what that is.

 

[stubrewworx]

Got this on.

I dissolved the liquid extract from the kit with approx 3l boiled water, taken from my starting 20l. I then added the spray malt whilst stirring, sure enough it clumped but a good stir sorted it.

I then added this to the remaining water. Giving me approx 22l of 1.043 wort.

The tap water at 5c and 3l of boiled brought the temp to 18c, so spot on to getting the yeast pitched straight away.

Now the waiting game.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi i do kits over the winter when it's to cold to brew outside mostly wilko one's, my method is 1 can 1kg of dme, put the can in warm water in the sink, boil a kettle of water put this in your sanitised fv add the dme slowly stirring all the time until dissolved add the lme boil another kettle fill the tin up to get the rest out add to fv and stir until all dissolved, at this stage you can add sugar white or brown or really dark you can add honey golden syrup just don't go mad i used to put maybe 250gr in, add the rest of the last kettle then top up to 20ltrs, swap the yeast out for wilko gervin or a yeast of your choice then wait for the magic to happen, you can dry hop if you like, i have made some really good kit brews but i do prefare all grain