I will be getting three brews happening this Friday.
Went to the local HBS and got lots of good advice and wrote it down...and CRIKEY...I can't decipher my own notes.
Firstly I've got a Coopers Real Ale kit
BE2
500g LDME
20g Goldings (steeped)
Got this far...buy stockings...boil...make a "teabag" out of them..then my notes said..."Boil 1 minute, 5 minutes"
From what I remember the instructions were to...bring "some" water to the boil...drop the stocking in...remove after 1 minute...or 5 minutes.
My questions are...
1) How much is "some" water?
2) Should I do 1minute or 5?
3) When do I add this solution?
Furthermore...re LDME
I have two recipes with LDME.
The first is the above mentioned one and the second has
Coopers Sparkling Ale kit.
1.5k LDME
POR (teabag thingy)
I was instructed to take "2 litres of cold water, place LDME in and heat to dissolve"...then throw that in the fermenter and carry on as usual.
My questions are...
1) Should I do this with the the other 500gr lot as well? (I presume so)
2) If so, should I put the BE2 pack in with the 500g LDME?
Thanks in anticipation guys.
hops and LDME
hops and LDME
"In the beginning was the wort..."
Re: hops and LDME
I'd keep it as simple as you can.
I don't know why so many HB shops give advice which is complicated.
Here's what I'd do:
1. Get your largest pot, 5 or 6 litres would be good. Bigger is probably easier, as you can get use a larger volume of water and will get better utilisation of the hops.
2. Fill with 3 or 4 litres of cold water.
3. Add LDME to the cold water, and stir as you heat it up. It should dissolve easily this way.
4. Once dissolved, add the BE2 and stir until dissolved.
5. Once boiling, boil for about 5 or 10 minutes.
6. Chuck the hops into the boil 1 or 2 minutes from the end.
7. Warm up the can of Coopers in a sink with warm water.
8. Add contents of the Coopers can, and stir.
9. Chill in sink with cold water / ice around pot.
10.Add all to fermenter and top up to desired level.
11. Add yeast and ferment.
There's no need to take the hops out. If you do want to take them out, then boil up a stocking for a minute or two to sanitise it and to boil out any dye. Cool it and use it as a strainer as you pour your goodies into the fermenter.
I don't know why so many HB shops give advice which is complicated.
Here's what I'd do:
1. Get your largest pot, 5 or 6 litres would be good. Bigger is probably easier, as you can get use a larger volume of water and will get better utilisation of the hops.
2. Fill with 3 or 4 litres of cold water.
3. Add LDME to the cold water, and stir as you heat it up. It should dissolve easily this way.
4. Once dissolved, add the BE2 and stir until dissolved.
5. Once boiling, boil for about 5 or 10 minutes.
6. Chuck the hops into the boil 1 or 2 minutes from the end.
7. Warm up the can of Coopers in a sink with warm water.
8. Add contents of the Coopers can, and stir.
9. Chill in sink with cold water / ice around pot.
10.Add all to fermenter and top up to desired level.
11. Add yeast and ferment.
There's no need to take the hops out. If you do want to take them out, then boil up a stocking for a minute or two to sanitise it and to boil out any dye. Cool it and use it as a strainer as you pour your goodies into the fermenter.
Last edited by warra48 on Wednesday Oct 22, 2008 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: hops and LDME
+1 on leaving the hops in there. My hops always go in the fermenter loose, stocking and hops are a PITA. They settle to the bottom and I only occasionally get a piece of hop in a bottle, nice reminder of what went in to the beer.
Re: hops and LDME
I stopped straining hops out long ago.
In fact, I think you get a better beer by leaving them in for the ferment.
Pellets I`m referring to, not flowers or plugs.
In fact, I think you get a better beer by leaving them in for the ferment.
Pellets I`m referring to, not flowers or plugs.
Re: hops and LDME
Yeah I left flowers in once and it took me forever to rack the b*****d !
Re: hops and LDME
Warra, you are a champ,
I'll probably put the hop pellets go in...what is the difference if they don't go in?
Also, with the chill stage...how will I know when the stuff is ready to throw into the fermenter?
My yeast is safale US 05...pitch at 22C I'm presuming.
My pot is big. (It's the one I used in 1975 in my first shot at HB.) Is the optimum more than 4 litres of water?
I've got a couple of questions about my other two brews but I'll do those in the next post.
Hey, 4 brews bottled, first two tasting great and 3 and 4 in secondary! Who would have thought that when I started 6 weeks ago? You guys have been great!
I'll probably put the hop pellets go in...what is the difference if they don't go in?
Also, with the chill stage...how will I know when the stuff is ready to throw into the fermenter?
My yeast is safale US 05...pitch at 22C I'm presuming.
My pot is big. (It's the one I used in 1975 in my first shot at HB.) Is the optimum more than 4 litres of water?
I've got a couple of questions about my other two brews but I'll do those in the next post.
Hey, 4 brews bottled, first two tasting great and 3 and 4 in secondary! Who would have thought that when I started 6 weeks ago? You guys have been great!
"In the beginning was the wort..."
Re: hops and LDME
svyturys,
A bigger pot is better, because it allows you to use more water. A higher ratio of water to malt and extract gives you a lower gravity in your boil, and this improves the utilisation of your hops, ie more bang for your buck with your hops. There have been a few threads on here where that issue has been discussed. You can also check this out, under the heading Gravity of the Boil. http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter5-5.html
The simple way to know when your brew is ready to go into the fermenter is to use your thermometer! If you are down to pitching temperature of 24ºC or below, then you're ready to go!
I brew AG, and use an immersion chiller to cool down my full volume boil. I can only get mine down to about 25ºC that way, but I transfer mine to my fermenter and put the whole fermenter into my brew fridge. It's down to 18ºC the next morning, and I then aerate my brew, and pitch my yeast.
It's fine to let the hop pellets go into the fermenter. You will get some more hop flavour and character than if you strain them out, as otherwise they will only be in contact with your wort for a short time.
US05 is a great yeast, it ferments well and leaves a clean beer (ie little in the way of extra yeast generated flavours, few esters, and low diacetyl) and will allow your malt and hop characters to come through as they are. The recommended temperature range is 15 to 24ºC, but I personally always find that mine seems to go to sleep below 18ºC. If you can ferment between 18 and 20ºC you'd be great, although 22ºC if you can control it is still OK.
A bigger pot is better, because it allows you to use more water. A higher ratio of water to malt and extract gives you a lower gravity in your boil, and this improves the utilisation of your hops, ie more bang for your buck with your hops. There have been a few threads on here where that issue has been discussed. You can also check this out, under the heading Gravity of the Boil. http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter5-5.html
The simple way to know when your brew is ready to go into the fermenter is to use your thermometer! If you are down to pitching temperature of 24ºC or below, then you're ready to go!
I brew AG, and use an immersion chiller to cool down my full volume boil. I can only get mine down to about 25ºC that way, but I transfer mine to my fermenter and put the whole fermenter into my brew fridge. It's down to 18ºC the next morning, and I then aerate my brew, and pitch my yeast.
It's fine to let the hop pellets go into the fermenter. You will get some more hop flavour and character than if you strain them out, as otherwise they will only be in contact with your wort for a short time.
US05 is a great yeast, it ferments well and leaves a clean beer (ie little in the way of extra yeast generated flavours, few esters, and low diacetyl) and will allow your malt and hop characters to come through as they are. The recommended temperature range is 15 to 24ºC, but I personally always find that mine seems to go to sleep below 18ºC. If you can ferment between 18 and 20ºC you'd be great, although 22ºC if you can control it is still OK.
Re: hops and LDME
Thanks warra,
I'm a mother duck when it comes to temperature control. With my first two brews I kept one at about 12C and the other at 20C when they were only 40cm apart and in the same room.
I'm a mother duck when it comes to temperature control. With my first two brews I kept one at about 12C and the other at 20C when they were only 40cm apart and in the same room.
"In the beginning was the wort..."