Hello all! Once I'm set up in my new place in a few weeks I'll want to get cracking at some homebrew again but I'm going to do extract brewing for a while (probably 2.5 gallon batches). What's your favorite extract recipe? I tend to prefer IPAs/pales and had great luck with a Sierra Nevada-alike extract pale a few months ago. I don't love light lagers, belgians, or hazy/NE IPAs, and I will drink dark beers on occasion, but it's not a style I would drink all the time. I'll probably be using Voss kveik yeast until October to save myself the hassle of temperature control during the east coast summer. I'm not looking to partial/mini mash just yet, just some easy going steeping grains type recipes thanks y'all!
Your disdain for Belgian beers is disturbing. Given that, you might try an American pale ale. Here’s a good basic recipe. 4.25 lbs amber extract 0.5 oz Centennial @60 minutes 0.5 oz Centennial @5 minutes 0.5 oz Citra dry hop 0.5 oz Cascade or Centennial dry hop This is for a 2.5 gallon batch. This will not be as bitter as a an IPA, but will have lots of hop aroma.
Thanks Bubba! I know you're a big fan of Belgians so I feel a little guilty... maybe I've never had the right Belgian ale. Something about the esters from the yeast doesn't hit my palate quite right. I've heard Belgian pales are more approachable? I haven't had good luck with wits, dubbels, or tripels that I've tried. Deschutes did a white/belgian IPA called Chainbreaker that I remember disliking as well. Everyone seems to enjoy the Leffe blonde, but I don't want to commit to a whole 6 pack
A good Belgian Pale Ale is hard to beat. And a bit hard to find. But the good ones have a rich flavor and a slight tanginess from the yeast.
Here's the extract recipe I've been fiddling with, a light colored IPA with Citra hops. I'll probably use the Randy Mosher method of adding the malt extract to warm water, then steeping for 30ish mins, and then bring up to a boil for the 60 minute hop addition and so on https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1162712/light-hoppy-citra
Wheat beer 2.5 lbs wheat dme .25 oz mittlefruh K-97 Heat .5 gallon of water to near boiling, mix in .5 lb extract, add the hops and steep for 20 minutes. Thoroughly mix in the remaining extract add 2 gallons of ice cold water and pitch the yeast. Good as is, but can be used as the base for a fruit or spice beer. I added blackberries the last time I brewed it. Bitter 2 lbs pale ale dme 4 ozs briess caramel 60 malt 2 ozs victory malt .2 oz palisades hops .75 oz EKGs .25 oz EKGs (optional) Muntons yeast Heat .5 gallon water to 160f, add the grains and the palisades hops and steep for 30 minutes. Remove the pslisades hops, mix in the extract, add the first EKGs and heat to 200 f. After 30 minutes, remove the hops, add 2 gallons of ice cold water and pitch the yeast. The second EKGs are an optional dry hop.
That looks VERY simple. Nothing but extract and hops. Is that raw hops or pellets? What's the IBU on that? I'm not real keen on ear wax tasting beers. I lean toward the maltier stuff (like belgians/wheats). My easiest recipe is Rapier Wit, a Blue Moon knock-off. The only additions are orange peel and coriander to DME, and only one hops stage. 4 hours from start to finish, including set up and cleaning, for a 5 gallon batch.
Bubba, I posted a recipe for a Leffe Abbey Blonde Ale. If you like more bitters, you can tweak the hops around a little. The missus buys me imports for samples, and I then go try to find a knock off if I like the import. She says the Leffe is too bitter for her, but to me, it's just very citrusy because of the yeast that I used. I simply cannot taste the bitters if it's chilled. If I drink it at room temp, though, I get that little twinge at the back of the tongue. The last batch I did turned out very nice. Just had the last bottle last night. Might do another as soon as the currently fermenting batch of Rapier is done. Should probably bottle that this weekend. Need some more recipes. Point me at your favorite Belgian. I'm open to trying something that has hops flavor, but not so much the strong bittering. Once the IBU breaks about 30, the beer better have a lot of other redeeming qualities to get me past the bitterness. Was kinda thinking about trying to achieve a good hoppy aroma in an ale. Will dry hopping give more aroma/flavor and less bittering?
Another bitter 2 lbs wheat dme 6 ozs maris otter pale ale malt 4 ozs carastan malt .25 oz progress hops .5 oz first gold hops Nottingham yeast Bring .5 gallon of water to 155f, steep the grains and the progress hops for 30 minutes. Remove the progress hops, mix in the extract, heat to 200f, add the first gold hops and steep for 20 minutes. Add 2 gallons of ice cold water and pitch the yeast. Short boil pale ale. 2.5 lbs pale ale dme 8 ozs caramel 60 malt 1 oz midnight wheat 4 ozs honey .25 oz simcoe hops .75 oz amarillo hops .25 oz amarillo hops BRY-97 yeast Heat .5 gallon water to 155f, add the grains, honey, and simcoe hops, steep for 30 minutes. Remove the grains, mix in .5 lb of extract, add the first amarillo hops and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, remove the hops, add 2 gallons of ice cold water, and pitch the yeast. Dry hop with the last amarillo hops three days before bottling.
That's how I did extract when I kicked off in brewing. No boil. Sorry can't help you recipie wise Sunfire but the bubba's and Steve's brews look like goers.
Here’s one of my favorites. No dry hopping on this Belgian Pale Ale. Not an extract recipe, but could be converted. https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1028825/b-ale-2
Liquid, but you can use dry. If using dry, use about 3.5 lbs. Note that the biggest difference I’ve found between this and the all-grain recipe is head retention. You can improve the all extract recipe by substituting around 1/4 lb of wheat extract.
