Dumplings floating on top of my extract?

[Pearlfisher]

I brewed http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/hbc ... -1688.html last Saturday , I didn't boil the whole 23L only about 5L in a pot with just the grain wort and hops.
It now has clumps which look like small dumplings floating on the surface , it smells and tastes ok though.

Anyone any idea what's going on please? :wha:

 

[RobWalker]

dumplings? you've probably got a Lenny Henry infection mate.

heh, nah. you might find it's very under bitter for that because hop utilization is down at that quantity. if so, you can remedy it in the keg/bottling bucket with some isometrized hop extract. it's literally just the bitterness part of the hop.

the dooomplin's are probably clumping malt. give them a bash with a sanitized brew spoon or some other long implement.

i used to brew this method all the time with an 11L boil. you need to put your boil volume, batch size etc into a calculator accurately, and tweak it to that to get a reasonably accurate idea of what you're doing. you can't do anything too hoppy, stick to high AA% bittering hops and minimal aroma hops as they take up way too much space. you get break material in the FV, but it settles out. :

 

[ScottM]

You should really add the extract to the boiling water too. This gets it all dissolved well as malt extract is notoriously bad for clumping in colder temps.

 

[Pearlfisher]

dumplings? you've probably got a Lenny Henry infection mate.

heh, nah. you might find it's very under bitter for that because hop utilization is down at that quantity. if so, you can remedy it in the keg/bottling bucket with some isometrized hop extract. it's literally just the bitterness part of the hop.

the dooomplin's are probably clumping malt. give them a bash with a sanitized brew spoon or some other long implement.

i used to brew this method all the time with an 11L boil. you need to put your boil volume, batch size etc into a calculator accurately, and tweak it to that to get a reasonably accurate idea of what you're doing. you can't do anything too hoppy, stick to high AA% bittering hops and minimal aroma hops as they take up way too much space. you get break material in the FV, but it settles out. :

Thanks Rob ,I don't like my beer too bitter or hoppy so hoping it's ok.

 

[Pearlfisher]

You should really add the extract to the boiling water too. This gets it all dissolved well as malt extract is notoriously bad for clumping in colder temps.

Thanks Scott , the kits liquid ME so I'm not sure that's the problem.

 

[ScottM]

You should really add the extract to the boiling water too. This gets it all dissolved well as malt extract is notoriously bad for clumping in colder temps.

Thanks Scott , the kits liquid ME so I'm not sure that's the problem.

Oh right, no that shouldn't be a problem then.

Are the lumps just bit bumps of foam or something? Or are they quite hard, akin to a dumpling?

 

[Vossy1]

Does it look anything like this Pearl :hmm:

If so it's more likely too much fining agent (whirlfloc), it's not a problem

 

[Pearlfisher]

Thanks Vossy , they look just like that , what happens to them?

 

[Pearlfisher]

I've barrelled this last week and it's clearing really quickly , the first extract I did with dry ME never cleared and it ended up on the rhubarb in the garden.

It already tastes great ,lovely colour,not much aroma, just the right amount of bitterness and hop flavour and lots of fizz.

 

[johnnyh]

I have had similar, I put it down to a bit too much Irish Moss. It was all settled to the bottom within 2 weeks of being out in the cold.