| One beer kit and two pounds
of dry malt will result in a finished beer of
low to medium strength with good body. Adding more dry malt (up to three
pounds total) will increase alcohol strength, accent malt character and
produce richer body. Dry malt extract (DME) is an excellent choice for
60% to 100% of the additional sugar required to reach your original gravity
target. DME is available plain (unhopped) or hopped. If you like strong
bitter character you may opt to use all or some hopped dry extract. If
you prefer medium to light bitterness use the plain version. Remember that
the beer kit is already bittered at a ratio of one pound of malt to five
gallons of water. Using more than two pounds of additional sugar will reduce
the perceived bitterness of the finished beer. |
| Dry malt is available in
four color ratings. Extra light, light, amber and dark. Selecting the color
rating of dry malt is a little tricky unless you are making a dark beer.
I prefer to control color by steeping specialty grains. I use a dry malt
which is lighter than the finished beer. Check the beer kit instructions
to see if the manufacture has made any recommendations. |
| There are two major manufactures
of dry malt. Each has it’s own character. Munton’s DME from England tends
to ferment more completely giving the finished beer a lower final gravity
(more alcohol) and drier finish. Laaglander DME is imported from Holland
and is produced in a way which leaves residual un-fermentable malt sweetness
which adds body and malt character to the finished beer. When selecting
dry malt pick the brand which suits the beer style, your taste and your
expectations. |
| Steeping grain is a critical
step in making a kit beer. The processing of the malt extract (syrup or
dry) is not without losses in the malt character. Steeping specialty
grains for 20 to 30 minutes at between 150 and 160 degrees will make
up for some of the character that was sacrificed for convenience. The list
of grains to choose from and possible combinations are limitless. Each
malted grain makes it’s own statement in the finished product. |
| Crystal malt is the most
common steeping grain. Crystal adds color and caramel character. If you
want to make the kit beer the same color as it’s rating on the label and
you want crystal in the formula then select a crystal with a Lovibond (color)
rating which is less than the kit. Higher Lovibond grains will add color.
To add body and character without adding color use dextrin or carapils
malt. Combining grains for steeping will add to the complexity of the malt
flavors in the finished beer. Just make sure that the selected grains are
compatible with your desired results. Even I would not add ice-cream to
pork-n-beans or black patent malt to a Pilsner. |
| Crystal malt is the most
common steeping grain. Crystal adds color and caramel character. If you
want to make the kit beer the same color as it’s rating on the label and
you want crystal in the formula then select a crystal with a Lovibond (color)
rating which is less than the kit. Higher Lovibond grains will add color.
To add body and character without adding color use dextrin or carapils
malt. Combining grains for steeping will add to the complexity of the malt
flavors in the finished beer. Just make sure that the selected grains are
compatible with your desired results. Even I would not add ice-cream to
pork-n-beans or black patent malt to a Pilsner. |
| Selecting a finish for your
kit is the same thing as tasting a pot of augmented beans and deciding
what spices are needed to make it complete. With over 25
hop varieties to choose from, hops are the spice rack of brewing. When
selecting finishing hops, take the time to smell each one and seek out
the aroma which suits your anticipated palette. Leener’s has every hop
variety available for sampling. Keep in mind that just like salt in cooking,
over hopping is almost impossible to repair. |
| Choose hops with alpha acid
ratings of less the 5% and try mixing different varieties. It is not necessary
to use a full ounce. Finishing hops, added to the boiling wort for 15 minutes
or less, become the signature of your brew. You don’t have to add them
all a once or even to boil them at all. Steeping one half to one ounce
for one or two minutes after the boil will add distinct aroma without adding
much flavor or any bitterness. |
| Brewer’s
yeast is not just responsible for the production of alcohol and carbonation.
Many of the complex flavors which make a beer distinctive are contributed
by the yeast strain used in fermentation. The 5 to 7 gram packet of dry
yeast included with most kit beers is about half the yeast that should
be pitched. |
| Some of the better beer
kits make recommendations for substituting
liquid
yeast strains for the dry yeast packet supplied with the kit. Liquid
yeast is available for just about every beer style. These do require more
planning of your brew schedule to allow time for the yeast to activate.
For those of us with less control over our brewing schedule there are specialty
dry yeast strains available which are an improvement over the packets included
with the kits. I have had great success with Glenbrew’s Secret Yeast which
has exceptional attenuation (fermentability) and far less fruity esters
than most ale yeast. It produces a fresh, crisp, lager type finish without
lager fermentation temperatures. |
| If all of this is getting
confusing, relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew. You can get started creating
your own special recipes with simple additions to your favorite Brewer’s
Best Recipe. Here’s some great suggestions brought to us by customers.
To make a Honey Porter or Honey Brown, add one pound of honey for 30 minutes
of the boil. For a Belgian Brown, start with the Brown Ale and add one
pound of amber Belgian brewing candi to the boil. Leener is looking forward
to a Honey, Cherry Wheat made from the Wiessnbier recipe, one pound of
honey and some cherry extract syrup. The sky’s the limit. If you can think
it, you can brew it. We look forward to sharing your ideas and helping
in any way we can. I think I’ll stop at the grocery store an the way home
and pick up some pork-n-beans for dinner. |
SUMMER
BREWING |
| I have been telling you
about the problems associated with warm weather brewing. The serious problems
are airborne wild yeast and temperature control during fermentation. The
simpler problems are cooling wort and allocating time to make beer. Here
are some tips you can use to overcome these problems year round without
a major investment. |
| Selecting a Beer Kit:
I look for solutions which solve multiple problems and when it comes to
summer brewing, heat is the root of all fermentable evils. Eliminate the
heat and many potential flaws in the finished beer will become manageable.
The easiest way to avoid heat is to use a beer kit which requires no boil.
Pre-bittered beer kits are perfect for this. Sixty minute boils are necessary
to extract bitterness from the boiling hops. The manufactures of bittered
kits have done this for you. Any extract syrup kit will work. |
| Water: I recommend
using bottled water for all brewing and wine making. This is especially
true in the summer when tap water has increased treatments for the same
reasons summer brewing is a problem. |
| Basic Extract Brewing:
Simple summer brewing should start one day and be completed the next. On
day one the full amount of water required should be boiled for at least
fifteen minutes. This will sterilize the water and allow you the opportunity
to add steeping grains and adjuncts to the kit. |
The primary fermentation
must take place in a serialized 6.5 gallon plastic fermenter. Never put
boiling water into a glass carboy. The heat shock to the glass will break
it. Place the wort concentrate into the plastic
fermenter and then splash the water into the fermenter picking up a
lot of oxygen. Any bacteria in the air will be killed by the hot water.
This method of aerating the wort is called hot side oxidation and some
brewer’s feel that it should be avoided. I have used this method and made
good beer. If you are a partial boil brewer who cools your wort with cold
make up water, you are
using this method already. |
| Natural Cooling:
Close the fermenter and fit it with an air lock. The wort is hot so you
will experience ‘suck back’ as it cools. To prevent contamination during
cooling the airlock needs a filter. You must use a three price airlock
to do this. The three piece airlock should be filled half way with 100
proof vodka. A sterile cotton ball or two must be place loosely into the
air space in the top of the air lock and then the lid should be snapped
on. You can tell that the airlock filter is working by the bubbling as
air is pulled through the cotton and vodka and then into the fermenter.
Don’t worry if some vodka in pulled into the fermenter. Place the closed
fermenter into a wash tub and fill the tub with cold water. Change the
water a few times as it heats up and let the fermenter soak over night. |
| Dry Hopping and Pitching:
On
the morning of the next day check the water temperature in the tub. It
will be 2 to 3 degrees cooler then the wort. Check the vodka level in the
air lock and add more if needed. Replace the sterile cotton regardless
of the vodka level. Drain the tub and carefully rock the fermenter to stir
up the wort and add more oxygen. Refill the wash tub with cold water and
prepare to pitch the yeast. It will not hurt to change the water one to
two more times while you get ready to start the fermentation. If you are
using a single stage fermentation, one fermenter and then bottling, you
will need to prepare the dry hopping along with the yeast. Two stage fermentation
should be dry hopped at the time of racking. |
| All Grain and Full Boil:
If
time is not a factor, making an all grain and or full boiled wort is still
possible in warm weather. The method described above can be used but if
you are concerned about hot side aeration (adding oxygen to hot wort) there
are two simple devices necessary to prevent contamination. |
| First is a
wort chiller. Cooling the wort quickly and pitching the yeast as soon
as possible will reduce the amount of time your beer is exposed. |
| The second device is an
aquarium air pump. You need to aerate the cold wort and you will want to
prevent any wild yeast contamination previously avoided by splashing the
hot water. In addition to the air pump you will need an air filter and
a medium to fine glass or stainless airstone. The aquarium air pump is
used to force air through a filter and into the wort which should be siphoned
from the brew pot. The pump usually comes with a length of 1/8" I.D. hose.
You will need to insert an air filter into the setup between the pump and
an aerator stone. The filter is easy to make. Two hose fittings which allow
1/8" hose to be connected to 1/2" hose, a 6" piece of 1/2" I.D. hose, some
activated charcoal and cotton is all that is needed. Cut the 1/8" hose
about 6" from the pump and insert a fitting. Attach the 1/2" hose and then
fill it half way with activated charcoal (on the inlet side) and loosely
fill the outlet side with cotton. Connect the aerating stone to the other
piece of 1/8" hose and sanitize this assembly. Attach the open end to the
in-line air filter and place the stone into the fermenter. Turn on the
pump and start transferring the chilled wort. |
| Fermentation Temperature
Control: Controlling temperature during fermentation is a little more
difficult. Air conditioning really helps but it is not critical.
With a little understanding of thermal dynamics you should be able to locate
a spot in your house which will aid in keeping the fermenter cool. It is
the nature of heat energy to migrate to cold. Cold will not transfer to
heat. Heat exchangers are devices designed to facilitate the natural transfer
of heat. The radiator in your car cools the engine water by allowing the
heat to transfer to the coils inside the radiator which are kept cold by
air forced through the many vents in the radiator design. Wort chillers
work the same way. The copper coil is kept cold by running water and heat
in the brew pot transfers through the cold coil and is carried away by
the water. |
| Concert floors and walls
are excellent heat exchangers. With a few inexpensive accessories to help
the heat transfer, basements make great summer breweries . The most efficient
basement cooling can be achieved in a north corner of the building unless
that location is near a heat generating device such as a hot water tank
or washing machine. Placing the fermenter as tightly into the corner as
possible will provide exposure to the concert on three sides. The fermenter
should physically touch as much surface area as possible. The top and front
sides of the fermenter need to be covered by insulation. |
| Hard foam at least one inch
thick works best. The closure should be constructed so that it touches
the floor and walls on all edges and allows about one inch of space around
the fermenter. The top should have a hole cut out for the airlock to poke
through. The whole closure can be held together with duct tape. On moderate
summer days of 80 degrees this device should keep your fermentation well
under 70 degrees with no trouble. If you want to add some useful ‘low tech’
to the device, push a dial thermometer probe through the insulation so
you can check the inside temperature. All heat generated by the fermentation
will be transferred to the concrete and the closure protects the wort from
light and wide changes in temperature during the day. |
| If you don’t have the advantage
of a basement you can still use the above method. Houses built on concrete
slabs may have the concrete exposed, or ceramic tiles in the mud room area.
A fermenter cover, like above, constructed as a box with one end open will
give good cooling results. |
| The Water Cooled Fermenter:
The natural evaporation of water is and excellent cooling source. Place
the fermenter in a cold water bath and then wrap the top in a towel. As
the water evaporates it will migrate from the bath into the towel. Place
the whole system on the floor in the coolest part of the house and top
up the water as needed. If additional cooling power is needed, place a
small fan next to the system and allow the air to blow over the wet towel.
This will speed up the evaporation and lower the temperature. |
BREWING
with PORK-n-BEANS