Extract number 2

[Oakers73]

A day off work and about to embark on extract beer number 2....A top secret recipe gleaned from my local microbrewery. ....They even gave me enough hops to have at least a couple of bashes at it....Top work.

 

[pittsy]

Good luck today . Have you tried any of your extract 1 batch yet ( don't know when you did it ) . If so what do you think about extract compared to kit ? :thumb:

 

[Oakers73]

Hi Pittsy.

I bottled Extract number 1 yesterday and the sample I tried tasted very clean and almost finished compared to kits I have done at this stage. Have very high hopes for it. I really enjoy the creativity extract gives me without the need for boilers etc. I only invested in a 15 litre pot and a wort chiller and I was off. I am doing a partial mash/steep and a 9 litre partial boil topped up to 23 litres.

I love the fact that no one in the world has a beer like the one in my airing cupboard! :

Cheers,
Chris.

 

[Duxuk]

Airing cupboard Usually this will be too warm for fermentation and can give fusal alcohols with a hot, chemical, overly alcoholic taste. Not such a great issue for secondary fermentation, perhaps, but I hope you don't do your primary in the airing cupboard. You should be fermenting at 18-20C for an ale, and cooler still with lager yeasts.

 

[PaulCa]

Careful with the airing cupboard. What temp does it get to in there? I wouldn't even think about bottling conditioning for carbonation above about 25C. Presently I ferment at 18C, 16C sometimes with Danstar Nottingham Ale yeast and condition at "room temp", ie, 21-23C.

 

[Oakers73]

Ambient temp in my AC is only 21 -22 C....got me worried now folks. :-/

 

[clibit]

Don't worry! But airing cupboards are soooo 1970s.

Find a cooler place in the house with as stable a temp as possible, I'd say in the 16-20*C range. It depends on the yeast strain of course, and what you are trying to achieve flavour wise, but most English ale strains seem, as a general rule, to want to be at about 18*C. That's where I'm at, I know there are all sorts of nuances, and experienced brewers raise the temp after the initial ferment and things like that, but for us mere mortals I think 18*C is a good place to be.

Your beer will be fine though - we are talking about differences to the yeast flavours, not about ruining the beer. You don't want it to go to 25 and above though, and airing cupboards will easily do that - the beer will be warmer than the air in the cupboard cos fermentation creates heat.

 

[Oakers73]

Primary fermentation has been going on at 18 in the kitchen....just bottle conditioning in the airing cupboard....They are now back Iin the kitchen!

 

[Pjam]

I bottled Extract number 1 yesterday and the sample I tried tasted very clean and almost finished compared to kits I have done at this stage.

That's exactly what I found from my first extract brew Chris. Mine is also very early but a kit brew at this stage would be very harsh, not nice at all, this extract one I could drink already. I've got high hopes for it too. :)
I'm even hoping to pass the 'Feck Test' on #2 :lol:

 

[Oakers73]

Well extract number 2 is now sat in the FV.... let's hope she's a good un'.
trying this one with a yeast starter made from the trub of extract number 1.....let's see how she goes! SGof 1042 and a nice bitter wort.....

 

[Pjam]

1042, did you use 3kg of LME? I found I got 1052 with 4kg.

trying this one with a yeast starter made from the trub of extract number 1.....

That's great going Chris, your certainly ahead of me with your knowledge and confidence :thumb:

 

[Oakers73]

P jam, Knowledge was gleaned of this forum and confidence can be misplaced...He he he.

 

[Oakers73]

And no...It was 1.5kg of LME and 1kg of DME and 300g of Wheat extract. Recipe said i should get 1044 so i was pretty close. ..