To use up some ingredients I recently brewed an extract based dark ale and although very young (i.e. only just carbed up)I tried one last night and was surprised and pleased with it. I won't touch it again for a few weeks as I am sure it will mature a lot more.
Appearance was very dark, slightly red and the head stayed for quite a time. I thought it was quite fruity, spicy and had chocolate and a bit of coffee in there somewhere, quite like some Xmas beers I have sampled, and so on the basis of that decided to share the recipe since some of you are now talking about brewing beers for Xmas, and those just doing kits may want to take the plunge into extract brewing.
Anyway here we go...
[FONT=Verdana, serif]1.95kg Liquid Malt (1.5 tin +0.45 H&B)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]100g Chocolate Malt*[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]25g Black Malt*[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]300g Pale Malt[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]100g Torrified Wheat[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]50g Crystal*[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]350g Golden Syrup[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]* Steep for 30 mins at 65*C; boil for 15 mins
Minimash with Pale Malt and Torrified Wheat at 65*C for 60 mins
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]25 g Target - 65 min boil** [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]10 g Challenger - 10 min boil*** [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]** 65min Hop boil used minimash plus 250g LME to 5 litres, with [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]ü protofloc tab in boil at final 10 mins[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]*** 10min Hop boil used 200g LME to about 3 litres [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]To 18 litres [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Actual SG 1.044[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]GV12 yeast[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]10 days in the FV at 19.5*C increasing to 21*C for last three days[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Rack off ; Hop Tea 20g Challenger + 20g Target with about 350ml water all added (liquid and solids) when cooled[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]
4 days @ about 19*C, finally 2 days at about 17*C
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]FG 1.009[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Packaged nearly clear and primed at 1 tsp per litre. I was worried it might not carb up due to clarity but it has.
And a big bonus for me was that the unbranded tin of HBC extract I used which has previously produced a twang with it and which only mostly goes after months of conditioning, was not detected :thumb:[/FONT]
Appearance was very dark, slightly red and the head stayed for quite a time. I thought it was quite fruity, spicy and had chocolate and a bit of coffee in there somewhere, quite like some Xmas beers I have sampled, and so on the basis of that decided to share the recipe since some of you are now talking about brewing beers for Xmas, and those just doing kits may want to take the plunge into extract brewing.
Anyway here we go...
[FONT=Verdana, serif]1.95kg Liquid Malt (1.5 tin +0.45 H&B)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]100g Chocolate Malt*[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]25g Black Malt*[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]300g Pale Malt[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]100g Torrified Wheat[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]50g Crystal*[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]350g Golden Syrup[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]* Steep for 30 mins at 65*C; boil for 15 mins
Minimash with Pale Malt and Torrified Wheat at 65*C for 60 mins
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]25 g Target - 65 min boil** [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]10 g Challenger - 10 min boil*** [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]** 65min Hop boil used minimash plus 250g LME to 5 litres, with [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]ü protofloc tab in boil at final 10 mins[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]*** 10min Hop boil used 200g LME to about 3 litres [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]To 18 litres [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Actual SG 1.044[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]GV12 yeast[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]10 days in the FV at 19.5*C increasing to 21*C for last three days[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Rack off ; Hop Tea 20g Challenger + 20g Target with about 350ml water all added (liquid and solids) when cooled[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]
4 days @ about 19*C, finally 2 days at about 17*C
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]FG 1.009[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Packaged nearly clear and primed at 1 tsp per litre. I was worried it might not carb up due to clarity but it has.
And a big bonus for me was that the unbranded tin of HBC extract I used which has previously produced a twang with it and which only mostly goes after months of conditioning, was not detected :thumb:[/FONT]
