What Is Extract Brewing?

Discussion on brewing beer from malt extract, hops, and yeast.
Uncle Joshua
Steady Drinker
Posts: 87
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:34 am

What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by Uncle Joshua » Wed Apr 15, 2020 11:51 pm

What is extract brewing exactly?

I know what extract is. Are there any how to videos and what equipment is needed ?

User avatar
LeeH
Under the Table
Posts: 1921
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:42 pm
Location: North Lincs
Contact:

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by LeeH » Thu Apr 16, 2020 5:35 am

Brewing with liquid or dried malt extract instead of grain. You can do this by purchasing pre hopped liquid malt that you just add water and yeast or boil up LME or DME and add you own sometimes with a little bit of steeped grain.

Brew UK do some very good crafty brew kits, all you need it a large pan and ice if possible.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Sabro Single Hop NEIPA 25/02/20 CLICK ME to monitor progress with Brewfather & iSpindel

User avatar
LeeH
Under the Table
Posts: 1921
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:42 pm
Location: North Lincs
Contact:

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by LeeH » Thu Apr 16, 2020 5:35 am

You tube is your friend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Sabro Single Hop NEIPA 25/02/20 CLICK ME to monitor progress with Brewfather & iSpindel

User avatar
Jim
Site Admin
Posts: 10250
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:00 pm
Location: Washington, UK

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by Jim » Thu Apr 16, 2020 7:06 am

We also have a section on that here - https://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/extract_equipment.htm
NURSE!! He's out of bed again!

JBK on Facebook
JBK on Twitter

User avatar
Jim
Site Admin
Posts: 10250
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:00 pm
Location: Washington, UK

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by Jim » Thu Apr 16, 2020 7:07 am

Actually, this page here is the how-to https://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/extract_method.htm
NURSE!! He's out of bed again!

JBK on Facebook
JBK on Twitter

Bibinimis
Steady Drinker
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2021 8:44 am
Location: Wolverhampton

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by Bibinimis » Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:09 pm

For various reasons ( mainly not making a very good job of mashing 4kg plus very well in my ancient equipment) I will almost certainly move to extract brewing. I have a question about the need to avoid base malts as surely it would be a simple matter to separately mash a small adjunct of a base malt in a saucepan and then add that small portion of wort to the boil? Specifically I have 100g of wheat malt left that I would rather use than chuck. Presumably the advice was with a view to keeping matters as uncomplicated as possible.

User avatar
MashBag
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2140
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:13 am

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by MashBag » Thu Apr 29, 2021 6:58 am

Extract brewing and all grain brewing are very different.
Even a good extract brewer cannot match the taste of an average pint of all grain. It is worth doing. Worth the learning and the equipment.

Or put another way AG will give commercial piss water a kick in the pants. Extract at best is comparable.

Bibinimis
Steady Drinker
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2021 8:44 am
Location: Wolverhampton

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by Bibinimis » Thu Apr 29, 2021 7:37 am

I know that my intended move is retrograde but without going into details it suits the limitations of my equipment and possibly me! My query concerned the possibility of preserving one small aspect of AG.
.

f00b4r
Site Admin
Posts: 1528
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2014 10:54 pm
Location: Berlin

What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by f00b4r » Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:13 am

http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/03/22/st ... r-brewing/

Although it is also covered in Jim’s link here if you read through that too.

User avatar
Cobnut
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 758
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 4:23 pm
Location: Ipswich
Contact:

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by Cobnut » Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:10 am

I began brewing with extract before moving to AG.

In my humble opinion, there is a perceivable difference between beers made with LME and those made with DME. The former often have the classic home brew "twang" whereas using DME it is quite possible to produce very good, even excellent beers.

In fact, I took prizes at competitions with extract beers.

My typical method was to boil the hops in plain water and then add the DME to this liquid (diluted to a warm temperature with more water) - usually using a kitchen hand whisk to ensure good mixing and some aeration - before topping up to target volume and pitching yeast. Coloured malts (which don't need mashing) can be added to the boil too.

It certainly made for a short brew day!

At risk of highlighting someone else's brewing site - and maybe irritating Jim - I found a quite useful spreadsheet here: http://www.yobrew.co.uk/petes_yobrew_be ... _v5_0.xlsx
Fermenting: nowt
Conditioning: English IPA/Bretted English IPA
Drinking: Sunshine Marmalade, Festbier, Helles Bock, Smokey lagery beer, Irish Export StoutCascade APA (homegrown hops), Orval clone, Impy stout, Duvel clone, Conestoga (American Barley wine)
Planning: Dark Mild, Kozel dark (ish), Simmonds Bitter, Bitter, Citra PA and more!

Bibinimis
Steady Drinker
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2021 8:44 am
Location: Wolverhampton

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by Bibinimis » Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:40 pm

I understand that base malts (and I know that includes wheat malt) need to be mashed and in effect my query was can I just mash separately the wheat malt I would prefer not to waste and add the strained liquid to the extract boil. If terminology has to be applied it would perhaps be a mini partial mash.

Top Cat
Piss Artist
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:59 pm

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by Top Cat » Thu Apr 29, 2021 7:08 pm

Bibinimis wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:40 pm
I understand that base malts (and I know that includes wheat malt) need to be mashed and in effect my query was can I just mash separately the wheat malt I would prefer not to waste and add the strained liquid to the extract boil. If terminology has to be applied it would perhaps be a mini partial mash.
There’s no reason why you can’t, but keeping it simple, just steep the wheat malt in water at about 66c for half an hour or so, remove the grains and bag, then use the resulting water or wort for your brew.

Bibinimis
Steady Drinker
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2021 8:44 am
Location: Wolverhampton

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by Bibinimis » Thu Apr 29, 2021 7:19 pm

Top Cat wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 7:08 pm
Bibinimis wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:40 pm
I understand that base malts (and I know that includes wheat malt) need to be mashed and in effect my query was can I just mash separately the wheat malt I would prefer not to waste and add the strained liquid to the extract boil. If terminology has to be applied it would perhaps be a mini partial mash.
There’s no reason why you can’t, but keeping it simple, just steep the wheat malt in water at about 66c for half an hour or so, remove the grains and bag, then use the resulting water or wort for your brew.
Thanks very much.

User avatar
MashBag
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2140
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:13 am

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by MashBag » Fri Apr 30, 2021 7:40 am

Bibinimis wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:40 pm
I understand that base malts (and I know that includes wheat malt) need to be mashed and in effect my query was can I just mash separately the wheat malt I would prefer not to waste and add the strained liquid to the extract boil. If terminology has to be applied it would perhaps be a mini partial mash.
Sorry I missed your real question. The answer is yes you can.

User avatar
MashBag
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2140
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:13 am

Re: What Is Extract Brewing?

Post by MashBag » Fri Apr 30, 2021 7:46 am

Cobnut wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:10 am
I began brewing with extract before moving to AG.

In my humble opinion, there is a perceivable difference between beers made with LME and those made with DME. The former often have the classic home brew "twang" whereas using DME it is quite possible to produce very good, even excellent beers.

In fact, I took prizes at competitions with extract beers.

My typical method was to boil the hops in plain water and then add the DME to this liquid (diluted to a warm temperature with more water) - usually using a kitchen hand whisk to ensure good mixing and some aeration - before topping up to target volume and pitching yeast. Coloured malts (which don't need mashing) can be added to the boil too.

It certainly made for a short brew day!

At risk of highlighting someone else's brewing site - and maybe irritating Jim - I found a quite useful spreadsheet here: http://www.yobrew.co.uk/petes_yobrew_be ... _v5_0.xlsx
Do you not find that even with DME (and I agree much better that LME) they seem to loose their 'middle' ?

Post Reply