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General noob starter questions

midka

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Apr 26, 2015
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Hello guys! First post.

I'm sorry for all the questions you are about to read.  I'm terrible at navigating forums and I either find no topics I need in the search or too many to read thru.

I purchased the beersmith2 program to take the next step.

I'm a novice brewer that has only done brews from extract and I'm ready to move up to partials.  I enjoy watching YouTube videos and tutorials on the topic but it may have caused some over thinking on my part.

(If the questions below have been answered on another thread please feel free to post just the link. I wont be offended)

BOIL:

1. I noticed that a lot of brewers in the videos have different times they would add liquid/dry extract to the boil.  Some do all at the beginning, some add a little at the beginning and the rest at the end and some still do it all at the end! Which is best??

2. Some of the recipes require adding some of the hops at the 0.0 min mark of the boil.  Some video brewers do this differently by adding it at a 15 min flame out. Others did it at the 0.0 min mark and moved it right to the ice bath.  What is the proper way to add these to the wart at the 0.0 mark?

Bottling:

1. The kits I had been using came with the coopers tablets that go directly into the bottle.  I'd like to use corn sugar from now on.  I have noticed that some of the videos have people adding the proper amounts via funnel to each bottle and some putting all of the sugar into a little bit of water, dissolving it, and then adding it all to the bottler bucket before bottling. Which is preferred?

Thanks again for the help.  I'm sure it's not that big of a deal, I just want to do it the best way possible.

-Midka
 
midka said:
BOIL:

1. I noticed that a lot of brewers in the videos have different times they would add liquid/dry extract to the boil.  Some do all at the beginning, some add a little at the beginning and the rest at the end and some still do it all at the end! Which is best??

There really is no 'best' practice.  Much of the process people use is dependent upon what they want for an end product.  If you want really malty flavors with a lot of melandoin flavor development you can add much or all of the extract at the beginning of the boil and even boil for a longer time.  Some people doing very light colored styles will reserve much of the extract for near the end of the boil addition.



2. Some of the recipes require adding some of the hops at the 0.0 min mark of the boil.  Some video brewers do this differently by adding it at a 15 min flame out. Others did it at the 0.0 min mark and moved it right to the ice bath.  What is the proper way to add these to the wart at the 0.0 mark?

The purpose of the 0 minute hop add is to help retain some of the more volatile hop oils for aroma and flavor.  You basically add the hops at flame-out and proceed to chill quickly.  Hops added during the boil (anything over 0 minute/flame out adds) have various purposes: the longer the hops are boiled the more utilization of the hop oils and the greater the perceived bitterness will be.  Hops added towards the end of the boil will contribute to a different hop flavor and some aroma.

Bottling:

1. The kits I had been using came with the coopers tablets that go directly into the bottle.  I'd like to use corn sugar from now on.  I have noticed that some of the videos have people adding the proper amounts via funnel to each bottle and some putting all of the sugar into a little bit of water, dissolving it, and then adding it all to the bottler bucket before bottling. Which is preferred?

You can do either, but for the most consistent carbonation of your brew it is best to add it to your bottling bucket and stir gently to mix it in.  I will dissolve the sugar in a bit of water and bring it to a boil then chill before adding it to the bottling bucket to help with the mixing.  I then transfer the beer from the carboy onto the sugar solution and the action of the beer filling the bottling bucket will help with the mixing of the two solutions together.

 
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