No Boil Extract

[IntergalacticHussy]

Hi there! I'm new to this whole thing, so I'll be asking some really basic questions. Hope you guys don't mind!
So, I got my first extract kit in the mail today.

It's this one: http://www.bulldogbrews.co.uk/produ...l/beer-kits-evil-dog-american-double-ipa.html

I love double IPA's so naturally I had to get this.

Basically, this is a hopped liquid malt extract with two packets of simcoe and summit pellet hops and some dried yeast.

As I said I'm new, so first thing I did was read the tiny instruction leaflet. Which kind of puzzled me. It tells me to pour the extract straight into my FV, mixing it with water. The part which puzzled me; no boiling!

My knowledge is very limited (I'm at page 60 of John Palmer's How to Brew), but up until now I thought boiling was essential. I'm not sure why, but it just doesn't seem right I guess.

Can somebody clear this up for me? What are the pro's and cons? Should I throw out the instructions and boil anyway?

Hope you guys can help. Thanks.

 

[Eagle_One]

My guess is that they already did that (in a way). They probably gave you what you basically what you end with after boiling water, extract malt, and hops and then they bottle it and ship to you (this is probably more concentrated than wort from an extract boil). The is most likey pre-hopped LME. Not sure the exact process they use to make it but since it already has the hops in it I don't see a point to boil it.

 

[chessking]

While you can make beer without boiling, I believe that in doing so,the quality would suffer. Depending on the bittering already in the extract, no boil with hops added to the fermenter ( hopefully after primary fermentation is complete), would not add any bittering, only aroma and some flavor. You will get beer in the end, and as it is your first effort you will probably drink and enjoy it more than if it was your 50th brew. So don't worry too much, but keep in mind that the world of brewing only gets better from here. The Brew Mentor could probably expound more on the kit variance, but if you like DIPA, there are better ways to brew one without complicating the process much more, at least not until you are ready.
That being said, and without reading the instructions given, I would probably boil for at least 10 min for no other reason than to keep it clean. Contamination is a waste of time and beer.
Another thought would be to brew exactly to the instructions, the re-brew the same kit with some changes (60 min boil with bittering hops added) and compare the beers.
Or you could just move on to a more traditional kit with steeping grains and un-hopped extract, a simple partial mash, or even BIAB. Again The Mentor could give you better advice for transitioning up.
I'm sure that others here at BF (Nosy) will give you a simple recipe you can plug into the recipe builder and then you can play with it some.
The good news is that you are entering a world that only gets better IMHO.

 

[Nosybear]

Not to disappoint my good friend Chess:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/r ... k-pale-ale

Brew that until every batch tastes the same. Cheers and happy brewing!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

this beer kit is sold all over the net as a no boil kit as I understand it, just ferment then dry hop, for a beginning beer maker don't change anything it will only complicate things, keep in mind you still need to have everything sterile especially with no boil

look on you tube for no boil beer kit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt3IGCxu ... uhMdCeuYtG

 

[IntergalacticHussy]

Thanks guys! I think for now I'll just follow the instructions. Next time I'll look into unhopped extracts.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

IntergalacticHussy,

First of all welcome.
You've just crossed over to our side of the world and there's no turning back! HaHa.

What you have is what we used to call a Toucan Kit. 2 cans of pre-hopped extract and a pack of yeast.
It'll make a beer like substance with alcohol, but you'll quickly learn that you can do better.

The cans of extract are already bittered at the maltster, concentrated in a vacuum to remove 80% of the water, and then canned. They are sterilized during the canning process so they can just be reconstituted with the proper amount of water.
If that is the process you'll be following, make sure you use good, de-chlorinated water. Sanitation is also key to all brewing, so make sure that everything that will touch your product gets sanitized. Star San is a great choice.

Next, toss the yeast that was included in the trash! Find a local Home Brew Shop and go there and introduce yourself as a new brewer. You should get some nice attention from the staff and hopefully get a couple packs of some fresh yeast. It nothing is close to you, I could mail you some.

You'll find some excellent calculators on this site (under Tools) that will help guide you. The pitching rate calculator will show you that you need more than 1 packet of yeast.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at the store during our normal business hours.

Have a ball and keep coming back for more!
Good Luck
Brian