Malt Extract | All Grain | Extract/Grain
Here are some simple, but good, recipes. I've arranged them pretty much
from lightest to darkest. Besides the usual brewing equipment, you will
need a good sized stock pot (15 litres recommended).
View instructions • Download
instructions
Wheat Beer O.G. 1.045
7lb Wheat Malt Extract
6 AAU Mt. Hood, Hallertau or Tettnang
Liquid wheat beer yeast culture
This is a light, refreshing summer beer, often served with a slice of lemon. For the distinctive clove and banana flavours of German wheat beers, use a liquid yeast culture.
Summer Lager O.G. 1.045
4.5lb Pale malt extract
2.5 lb Liquid Invert Sugar OR 1 KG dextrose
5 AAU Mt. Hood or Cascade - 45 mins
1/2 oz Mt. Hood, Hallertau or Saaz
Finnish Lager Yeast or Nottingham Ale Yeast
A true lager is fermented cold (12-15 Celsius) and aged colder (5-10 Celsius) in the secondary using a pure (liquid) lager culture. If this is not possible, use a neutral dried ale yeast. Typical Canadian Lager, just like the big breweries make. Enough said.
Summer Lager II O.G. 1.045
7 lb Pale Malt Extract
5.25 AAU Hallertau or Mt. Hood (45 minutes)
1/2 oz Hallertau or Mt. Hood (finishing)
Neutral Ale Yeast or liquid lager culture
A true lager is fermented cold (12-15 Celsius) and aged colder (5-10 Celsius) in the secondary using a pure (liquid) lager culture. If this is not possible, use a neutral dried ale yeast. This is a light, hot weather thirst quencher. By using a very light malt extract - light colour means less caramelization and "cleaner" malt flavour - and avoiding the use of adjuncts, this recipe produces a high quality Canadian style lager, similar to Labbatt's classic, or some of the less adventurous microbreweries.
Mexicannish Pilsner O.G. - 1.048
6lb pale malt extract
1.5 lb invert syrup
1 oz cascade (6.1%) (45 minutes)
.5 oz saaz (3.5%) finishing (15 minutes)
.5 oz saaz finishing liquid lager culture or dried neutral ale yeast
This is a dry, thirst quenching lager, a la "corona". Drink with spicy food, on the beach. A true lager is fermented cold (12-15 Celsius) and aged colder (5-10 Celsius) in the secondary using a pure (liquid) lager culture. If this is not possible, use a neutral dried ale yeast. This is a European style pilsner more intense in maltiness, body and hop aroma than my standard Pilsner recipe.
Storm Hurricane India Pale Ale O.G. 1.065
10 lb Pale Malt Extract
18 AAU Centennial or columbus bittering hops
1 oz Willamette finishing hops
.5 oz Centennial or Cascade finishing hops
1 oz Willamette Dry hops Ale Yeast
This recipe is, of course, an extract version of the commercial beer. Storm Brewing uses Gambrinus 2-row pale malt, for which I've substituted pale malt syrup. The original gravity of the commercial beer actually varies from 1.057 and 1.070 depending on the time of year, what kind of mood James is in, not to mention what kind of day the beer gods are having. The whole flower hops that I sell are from the same bales that Storm uses, and I usually have yeast from the brewery available.
Amber Ale O.G. - 1.045 - 1.050
7.25 - 8lb Amber malt extract
9.2 AAU Northern Brewer or other bittering hop
.75 oz Mt Hood, saaz or sterling (15 minutes)
.75 oz Mt Hood, saaz or sterling (finishing)
1 oz Mt Hood, saaz or sterling dry hop (optional)
neutral ale yeast
This is a much hoppier version of the Real Ale recipe. Adding some of the finishing hops 15 minutes before the end of the boil broadens the hop flavour spectrum, and the dry hopping more than makes up for the sacrificed bouquet.
Brown Ale 1.045 7.25
lb Dark Malt Extract
6 AAU Goldings, Willamette or Cascade hops - boil 1 hour
1/2 oz goldings, Willamette or Cascade - finishing Ale Yeast
Dark, sweet, smooth, English classic.
Porter O.G. - 1.050
8 lb Dark Malt Extract
1/2 cup, no more, dark molasses (optional)
8-10 AAU Bittering hop (Northern Brewer, Pride of Ringwood, Willamette)
1/2 oz Willamette, Goldings, Pride of Ringwood finish
Ale Yeast
A rich, creamy, thick, chewy, London Porter. Best served not too cold on a rainy Vancouver winter evening.
Top
1. Fill your brewing kettle about half full of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, set the tub of malt extract in a sink full of hot water to soften the contents. When the water comes to a boil, move the kettle to a cold burner and stir in the malt extract, making sure that none sticks to the bottom. Rinse the container with hot water to get all the malt. Your kettle would now be about 3/4 full. Return to hot burner, bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and watching it carefully to avoid a boil over.
2. Yeast Starter: Re hydrate yeast in warm water as per packet instructions. When your wort comes to a boil, scoop out about 1/2 cup and put it in a sanitized jar. Cool to below body temperature (30 C) by diluting with cold water, add yeast and cover loosely. This is your yeast starting culture and it should have a healthy head of foam on it by the time you are ready to pitch (in about an hour.)
3. As soon as a gentle rolling boil is achieved add the first addition of hops. This will be indicated in the recipe as "boiling" or "bittering" hops along with the boiling time required-either 60 or 45 minutes.
4. Add any mid-boil hops at the times indicated. For example "15 minutes" means to add them 15 minutes before the end of the boil.
5. About two minutes before the end of the boil toss in the finishing hops. Precisely when these are added is a matter of taste. Boiling longer than two minutes will result in more flavour at the expense of aroma. Tossing them in as you remove your kettle from the heat will result in maximum aroma at the expense of hop flavour. In any case don't boil finishing hops more than 5 minutes.
6. Set your kettle in a sink full of cold water to chill the wort while the finishing hops steep. Change the water often, OR set the kettle on a flat cloth over the unstopped drain and turn on the cold water. Move the kettle until the water is draining at the same rate that fresh, cold water is filling the sink. If the phone rings, don't answer it. Cover the kettle while it is cooling. Putting ice cubes on the lid will speed the process. After about 15 minutes it should be down to 40 C or less. Topping up your fermentor with cold water should bring the pitching temperature to below 25 degrees. Better still, make yourself a wort chiller from 25 ft of bendable copper tubing.
7. Ferment as usual.
8. If the recipe calls for dry hops, add them to the empty carboy when you rack the beer from the primary to the secondary.