Boosting a Simply Bitter kit with Medium spraymalt

[Hughtheboatman]

I'm about to build up a stock of beer ahead of a holiday break and have bought a couple of Simply Bitter kits and two x 500g bags of medium spray malt. The malt bags suggest using it 'pound for pound' to replace granulated sugar. As I'm not averse to a sensible experiment would members suggest using all the spray malt with one brew or divide it equally between both FVs?

 

[Clint]

It'll be best if you chuck all the malt in one kit but it'll still be good if you use half malt,half sugar per kit as per some "beer enhancer" products. Although most use brewing sugar (dextrose) I'm sure it'll be fine with normal stuff.

 

[MashBag]

What you haven't said is, what do you want to achieve?

 

[Hughtheboatman]

What you haven't said is, what do you want to achieve?

I'm hoping to get the best beer for my bucks, and using 500g of spray malt increases the overall cost by around £5. Using 1 kg would put the price up to around £1 per litre!

 

[MashBag]

Best - strongest
Best - flavour
Best - mouthfeel
Best - what

 

[Hughtheboatman]

Best - strongest
Best - flavour
Best - mouthfeel
Best - what

Mouthfeel, I guess. Maybe I could just use less water to give it a bit more 'body'? I've never used spray malt before so I don't know what to expect.

 

[MashBag]

https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/ritchies-simply-40-pint-beer-kit-bitter

Is this is your first go, with the 2 kits, do one with 1kg spraymalt and one with sugar. That way you will be able to tell the difference.

When you are next near a supermarket, go in the baking Isle and get some glycerine..

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254914123

You will be amazed what a little will do, to improve body and mouthfeel in finished beer.

 

[Hughtheboatman]

https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/ritchies-simply-40-pint-beer-kit-bitter

Is this is your first go, with the 2 kits, do one with 1kg spraymalt and one with sugar. That way you will be able to tell the difference.

When you are next near a supermarket, go in the baking Isle and get some glycerine..

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254914123

You will be amazed what a little will do, to improve body and mouthfeel in finished beer.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll do it that way. I already have glycerin which I have used with 'country wines', made from a variety of local fruit found in the bottom of the chest freezer. Thanks also for the link to B2b.
Cheers, H

 

[Bitter_Dave]

With beer kits I would always add more DME rather than sugar. It will give it more body. If you shop around you can find a kilo of DME for as little as £6. Medium works well in a bitter. If you are paying £5 for 500gms of DME you are paying too much.

 

[soupdragon]

When you are next near a supermarket, go in the baking Isle and get some glycerine..

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254914123

You will be amazed what a little will do, to improve body and mouthfeel in finished beer.

I thought that was only a wine tweak thing?

Cheers Tom

 

[MashBag]

Nope. Makes vape too.

 

[soupdragon]

Nope. Makes vape too.

It's alchemy I tell you.

Cheers Tom

 

[MashBag]

I made a lot of vape juice years ago. Bourbon flavour, very nice. A little bit in a steam iron can be impressive

 

[.Tom.]

I'm about to build up a stock of beer ahead of a holiday break and have bought a couple of Simply Bitter kits and two x 500g bags of medium spray malt. The malt bags suggest using it 'pound for pound' to replace granulated sugar. As I'm not averse to a sensible experiment would members suggest using all the spray malt with one brew or divide it equally between both FVs?

I've had good results and a very agreeable drink by brewing 50:50 brewing sugar & spray malt and then adding 50g of dried hops at day 5 (First Gold, but I'm sure Fuggles, Golding would work just as well)...

 

[soupdragon]

I made a lot of vape juice years ago. Bourbon flavour, very nice. A little bit in a steam iron can be impressive

Innovation at its best

Cheers Tom

 

[Hughtheboatman]

I'm 6 days into the fermentations at 19C now and think they will be ready to bottle in a couple of days.
The first 7 seconds of the video show the Simply + sugar, and the second sequence shows the Simply + 1kg of DME.

 

[MashBag]

The second one looks nicer, but is that me?

Have you tasted?

 

[old dog new tricks]

I thought that was only a wine tweak thing?

Cheers Tom

Think it holds true for almost any form of brewing

 

[Hughtheboatman]

The second one looks nicer, but is that me?

Have you tasted?

I haven't tasted either yet. In reply to my first post about Geordie kits behaving badly I was advised, towards the end of the first fermentation, to give it a good stir and wait a couple more days. I've always been very careful to keep the lid on just peel inside and of course with a plastic FV I can't give it a 'good stir' without taking the lid completely off.
Is a late stir recommended to get the yeastbergs back into action, or something to be avoided at all costs, or simply unimportant?

 

[Hughtheboatman]

I tried to write "...been very careful to keep the lid on and just peek inside..." in the belief that anything bad in the room air would fail to penetrate the layer of heavier CO2 covering the brew's surface.
Anyway, in the words of the song, "It's all over now", both brews were bottled this afternoon and both tasted nice.
End results in due course.