Extract brew question

[Ian A]

Hi, I’m going to start my first extract brew this weekend that should yield about 9-10pints. The recipe tells me to boil the grains for 15 mins but the videos I’ve watched on YouTube say this should be for an hour (but they are making a 40 pint brew).
So my question is; is the length of time you need to boil your grain proportionate to the about of grain/water you are working with?
Thanks in advance for any response.

 

[terrym]

First you don't boil grains. You either first mash them if they require it, to convert the starch into fermentable sugars (like pale malt) or you steep them in hot water if they have been kilned (like crystal malt) to dissolve the sugars. You then filter off the grains from the liquid and then sparge or wash the grains with hot water (another thread on here today recommended water at about 76*C). Then you boil the collected liquor to sterilise it ready for brewing, with, if required, hops to extract bitterness and flavour. The longer you boil the hops with the liquor the more bitterness you extract. And hop boils vary according to the hop you are using, the bitterness required and the flavour profile you want. So each recipe can vary.
And the reason you don't boil grains is that by doing so you could extract unwanted tannins from the grain itself.
These might be helpful to you
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/simple-kit-plus-mini-mash-method-to-improve-a-kit.52938/
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/a-simple-guide-to-extract-brewing.75501/

If you tell us the recipe we might be able to help a little more.

 

[Ian A]

Hi

Thanks a lot for the reply. Getting used to the brewing terminology so I didn’t mean to say “boil”. Here is the recipe I’m following

 

[Sandimas]

I think you're getting confused between mashing base malts and steeping adjust grains. With AG brewing, you need to mash the base malts for an hour or more - this is where your hour comes from. With Extract, the malt extract is this stage of the brewing process already done, but you often add adjunct grains such as crystal malt to add colour and flavour: these do not need mashing but do need steeping in hot water <80C typicallys for 30mins: your instructions say 15 but I'd do them for 30, which seems to be the standard.

 

[terrym]

I think you're getting confused between mashing base malts and steeping adjust grains. With AG brewing, you need to mash the base malts for an hour or more - this is where your hour comes from. With Extract, the malt extract is this stage of the brewing process already done, but you often add adjunct grains such as crystal malt to add colour and flavour: these do not need mashing but do need steeping in hot water <80C typicallys for 30mins: your instructions say 15 but I'd do them for 30, which seems to be the standard.

+1 on all of that.

 

[Ian A]

I think you're getting confused between mashing base malts and steeping adjust grains. With AG brewing, you need to mash the base malts for an hour or more - this is where your hour comes from. With Extract, the malt extract is this stage of the brewing process already done, but you often add adjunct grains such as crystal malt to add colour and flavour: these do not need mashing but do need steeping in hot water <80C typicallys for 30mins: your instructions say 15 but I'd do them for 30, which seems to be the standard.

Ok, thanks for that.