| Brewing Tips / Quaffable Pale |
| Home Brewing Recipes Brooks Brewery Associate Brewer Arny Lands |
| Beer Nexus the crossroads of the beer world |
First let me thank all of the readers who stopped in to say hello to me at
my new position at the Brooks Brewery in the Northside Lounge in
Manville, NJ. Although we don't do it for the general public if you write
me here at BeerNexus we can set up an appointment for a private tour.
Our head brewer Art Hanneman and I invite you to come in and enjoy
some of our beers. I may be prejudiced a bit, but they're the best
around. Okay, now for this month's article. First let me start with some
tips for newer home brewers that also apply to all levels of experience.
1. I can't over stress the importance of brewing with fresh ingredients..
The quality of homebrewed beer can only be as good as the quality of
the ingredients going into the brew kettle. This is especially important
for those who brew with extract. Be sure to find quality malt extract that
is not past its prime.
2. I'm sure I don't have to remind experienced brewers but for beginners
be sure you chill your wort! New extract brewers are told to pour their
hot wort into a fermenter filled with cold water to chill it down to yeast
pitching temperatures. That will make drinkable beer when fermentation
is complete, but you run the risk of oxidation, with that technique.
Instead, use an ice-bath to cool the hot wort down to about 70°F (21.1°
C) before adding it to the cool water in the fermenter. This will reduce
the chances of oxidation, and ultimately produce cleaner tasting beer.
When chilling with an ice batch, be careful not to let any water (or
anything else for that matter) into the boil kettle as it can cause
contamination. When the steam stops coming off the kettle, you can put
the cover on, which will help prevent anything from getting into the wort
that shouldn’t.
3. Stick with recipes that work. After your first batch of beer, it’s
tempting to start concocting your own recipes. There is nothing wrong
with creating your own —in fact it can be one of the most rewarding
processes of homebrewing—but it can be very beneficial to brew a few
tried-and-true recipes before branching out on your own. Using recipes
from a book, an issue of Zymurgy magazine or one from my columns will
ensure a fine beer if followed exactly.
4. Some extract brewers advocate adding half the called for malt extract
during the last ten minutes of the boil. This technique is said to decrease
the darkening of the malt extract, which can then darken beer and affect
the overall taste. This is particularly beneficial when brewing light-
colored styles, like pale ales or pilsners. Hop utilization (the bitterness
derived from the hops) may be slightly higher if altering a recipe that
calls for all the extract to be added at the beginning of the boil. If
conducting a partial mash, all the extract can be added at the end to
achieve a similar outcome.
5. This may seem like a silly technique for creating better beer, but do
not underestimate the importance of sanitizing and the ease of a no-
rinse sanitizer. Getting in the habit of sanitizing everything that comes
into the contact with the wort/beer after the boil is crucial in ensuring
your homebrews don’t become contaminated. Using something like Star
San allows you to soak everything that needs to be sanitized and then
use it without having to thoroughly rinse, unlike bleach. No-rinse
sanitizer + spray bottle = effortless sanitizing.
===================
How about a quick and easy recipe for a single malt, single hop Pale Ale?
Glad you said yes. Here is my quick extract sure to work recipe -
Malt Extract
8 lbs Maris Otter Liquid Malt Extract
Hops
1 oz Cascade pellets (6.3% AA) boiled for 60 minutes
1.5 oz Cascade pellets (6.3% AA) boiled for 10 minutes
1.5 oz Cascade pellets (6.3% AA) boiled for 1 minute
Yeast
Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast or White Labs WLP 001 California Ale
Yeast
Procedure
Heat six gallons of water, and as it approaches the boil, add the malt
extract. Once boiling add your first hop charge. After 50 minutes add
your second hop charge and after 9 more minutes add your third hop
charge, boiling for one more minute. Chill to 68º F and pitch your yeast.
Allow a week to ten days for fermentation. Check your final gravity. If it
has reached 1.013 (or is at least within a few points) proceed to bottling
or kegging your beer. Woo hoo - told you it was quick and easy!
That's it for this month. Hope to see you next time!
Good Brewing and Cheers!
Arny Lands
my new position at the Brooks Brewery in the Northside Lounge in
Manville, NJ. Although we don't do it for the general public if you write
me here at BeerNexus we can set up an appointment for a private tour.
Our head brewer Art Hanneman and I invite you to come in and enjoy
some of our beers. I may be prejudiced a bit, but they're the best
around. Okay, now for this month's article. First let me start with some
tips for newer home brewers that also apply to all levels of experience.
1. I can't over stress the importance of brewing with fresh ingredients..
The quality of homebrewed beer can only be as good as the quality of
the ingredients going into the brew kettle. This is especially important
for those who brew with extract. Be sure to find quality malt extract that
is not past its prime.
2. I'm sure I don't have to remind experienced brewers but for beginners
be sure you chill your wort! New extract brewers are told to pour their
hot wort into a fermenter filled with cold water to chill it down to yeast
pitching temperatures. That will make drinkable beer when fermentation
is complete, but you run the risk of oxidation, with that technique.
Instead, use an ice-bath to cool the hot wort down to about 70°F (21.1°
C) before adding it to the cool water in the fermenter. This will reduce
the chances of oxidation, and ultimately produce cleaner tasting beer.
When chilling with an ice batch, be careful not to let any water (or
anything else for that matter) into the boil kettle as it can cause
contamination. When the steam stops coming off the kettle, you can put
the cover on, which will help prevent anything from getting into the wort
that shouldn’t.
3. Stick with recipes that work. After your first batch of beer, it’s
tempting to start concocting your own recipes. There is nothing wrong
with creating your own —in fact it can be one of the most rewarding
processes of homebrewing—but it can be very beneficial to brew a few
tried-and-true recipes before branching out on your own. Using recipes
from a book, an issue of Zymurgy magazine or one from my columns will
ensure a fine beer if followed exactly.
4. Some extract brewers advocate adding half the called for malt extract
during the last ten minutes of the boil. This technique is said to decrease
the darkening of the malt extract, which can then darken beer and affect
the overall taste. This is particularly beneficial when brewing light-
colored styles, like pale ales or pilsners. Hop utilization (the bitterness
derived from the hops) may be slightly higher if altering a recipe that
calls for all the extract to be added at the beginning of the boil. If
conducting a partial mash, all the extract can be added at the end to
achieve a similar outcome.
5. This may seem like a silly technique for creating better beer, but do
not underestimate the importance of sanitizing and the ease of a no-
rinse sanitizer. Getting in the habit of sanitizing everything that comes
into the contact with the wort/beer after the boil is crucial in ensuring
your homebrews don’t become contaminated. Using something like Star
San allows you to soak everything that needs to be sanitized and then
use it without having to thoroughly rinse, unlike bleach. No-rinse
sanitizer + spray bottle = effortless sanitizing.
===================
How about a quick and easy recipe for a single malt, single hop Pale Ale?
Glad you said yes. Here is my quick extract sure to work recipe -
Malt Extract
8 lbs Maris Otter Liquid Malt Extract
Hops
1 oz Cascade pellets (6.3% AA) boiled for 60 minutes
1.5 oz Cascade pellets (6.3% AA) boiled for 10 minutes
1.5 oz Cascade pellets (6.3% AA) boiled for 1 minute
Yeast
Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast or White Labs WLP 001 California Ale
Yeast
Procedure
Heat six gallons of water, and as it approaches the boil, add the malt
extract. Once boiling add your first hop charge. After 50 minutes add
your second hop charge and after 9 more minutes add your third hop
charge, boiling for one more minute. Chill to 68º F and pitch your yeast.
Allow a week to ten days for fermentation. Check your final gravity. If it
has reached 1.013 (or is at least within a few points) proceed to bottling
or kegging your beer. Woo hoo - told you it was quick and easy!
That's it for this month. Hope to see you next time!
Good Brewing and Cheers!
Arny Lands
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