Help Adding Some Ingredients

[blackcows]

Hi All,

I am new to brewing (just made my second batch yesterday) and also new to Beersmith.  My first batch was from a Brewers Best kit and the second was a Hefe that my LHBS helped me put togeather.  Both used Thomas Coopers Malt Extract which isn't an ingredient that is standard to Beersmith.  Can someone please help with some of the information needed.  The first recipie used the Coopers Plain Light Malt Extract and the second used the Coopers Wheat Malt Extract.  How do I determine the following numbers for each of these extracts:

1.  Potential SG - The program shows 1.035 but I am assuming this is the default

2.  Hop Alpha - The program shows 5% but again I am assuming this is the default as I don't believe either are hopped.

3.  Color - The program shows SRM as the unit of measure.  The cans both show EBC as the unit of measure.  The Plain was 3.0 and the Wheat was 6.5.

Thanks,

Mike

[BeerSmith]

Mike,
  As long as the extracts are unhopped, they should be approximately the same as the pale and liquid extracts listed in the BeerSmith database.  An entry of 1.036 is correct for most extracts, you don't need a hop alpha (0%) for unhopped extracts, and you can actually enter the color in EBC by entering "3.0 ebc" into the color entry - BeerSmith will convert it in place for you!

Brad

[blackcows]

Thanks Brad.  I figured the hops alpha should be 0 because they are unhopped but when I looked at the stock enteries in the program the extracts that were unhopped, according to the comments, showed a alpha of 5%.

I folowed you instructions for converting the colors and mine came out much differnent thant the stock numbers.  I put the 6.5 in for the wheat and came out with 3.3 for color and the stock wheat shows 8.0.

Mike