Noob Q. Can you boil Enhancer #2?

[ChairmanDrew]

I have some fresh (frozen) hops that I'd like to add to a can of brew extract. Previously I boiled them with 500gm of DME and topped it up with some sugar in the fermentor, but I don't have any left. The local shop only sells Beer Enhancer #2. Can I boil that as a base for adding the extra hops?

 

Cheers

[ozdevil]

29 minutes ago, ChairmanDrew said:

I have some fresh (frozen) hops that I'd like to add to a can of brew extract. Previously I boiled them with 500gm of DME and topped it up with some sugar in the fermentor, but I don't have any left. The local shop only sells Beer Enhancer #2. Can I boil that as a base for adding the extra hops?

 

Cheers

the extract in the can is the base   the enhancer is just an addition like dme

and yes you  can  boil it  with you enhancer     

are looking at bittering    or just  aroma and flavour to the brew?
 

[ChairmanDrew]

18 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

the extract in the can is the base   the enhancer is just an addition like dme

and yes you  can  boil it  with you enhancer     

are looking at bittering    or just  aroma and flavour to the brew?
 

Thanks, I'm not up with the vocab yet.

Yeah, I wasn't sure if the other ingredients in the enhancer would be OK to bring to the boil.

 

I don't have a lot of hops left, (I think about 250gm) so probably just steep them for aroma. Previously when I had more I did about 100-150gm in the boil for bittering and about 250gm steeped.

[ozdevil]

23 minutes ago, ChairmanDrew said:

Thanks, I'm not up with the vocab yet.

Yeah, I wasn't sure if the other ingredients in the enhancer would be OK to bring to the boil.

 

I don't have a lot of hops left, (I think about 250gm) so probably just steep them for aroma. Previously when I had more I did about 100-150gm in the boil for bittering and about 250gm steeped.

if  only for aroma  no point in doing the boil    just do the steep  as ya said  and add once ready 

 

[ChairmanDrew]

1 hour ago, ozdevil said:

if  only for aroma  no point in doing the boil    just do the steep  as ya said  and add once ready 

 

Wait. I'm a little confused. Do you mean no need to boil the enhancer? Can I just steep the hops in a few litres of plain water and then add that to the fermentor with the enhancer, liquid extract?

[Stickers]

I've done this recipe a few times from the cooper's recipe trove and the first 3 steps are

• Bring 2 litres of water to the boil, add 25g of East Kent Goldings Hops and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove pan from the heat, add another 25g of East Kent Goldings Hops, fit a lid and let steep for another 30 mins
• Strain the hop tea into a fermenting tub

so yeah you can experiment with your hops by just using water

[ChairmanDrew]

1 hour ago, Stickers said:

I've done this recipe a few times from the cooper's recipe trove and the first 3 steps are

• Bring 2 litres of water to the boil, add 25g of East Kent Goldings Hops and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove pan from the heat, add another 25g of East Kent Goldings Hops, fit a lid and let steep for another 30 mins
• Strain the hop tea into a fermenting tub

so yeah you can experiment with your hops by just using water

Thanks. Because the first time I added hops I was boiling it with the DME (like I saw on YouTube videos) I got hung up on the idea that they needed it as a base or something. But I guess people just do it by the by if they are already boiling something up anyway.

My hops are fresh off a mates vine (this last little batch of them I froze).  First brew I did with Coopers Real Ale, the next with the lager (I'm yet to taste either of them, still sitting in the bottles). We just get the basic Coopers range of liquid extract cans at my local supermarket. Can you recommend one to try? Don't ask what variety hops I have, no idea (cascade or similar?).

[ChairmanDrew]

Just an update (unrelated to my question): Just trying the real ale with fresh hop brew I mentioned previously. While a bit early (less than 2 weeks in the bottle) and a little undercarbed (probably not enough priming sugar), it's still far more interesting than anything else I've ever brewed out of a can. Big, bold hop flavour. While it's not the sort of thing I'd go out of my way to buy if it was for sale (I don't know how to explain it, but it has that kind of menthol like hop taste), I'm certainly happy to drink 19L of it (and not ashamed to share some around).

[Pints]

25 minutes ago, ChairmanDrew said:

Just an update (unrelated to my question): Just trying the real ale with fresh hop brew I mentioned previously. While a bit early (less than 2 weeks in the bottle) and a little undercarbed (probably not enough priming sugar), it's still far more interesting than anything else I've ever brewed out of a can. Big, bold hop flavour. While it's not the sort of thing I'd go out of my way to buy if it was for sale (I don't know how to explain it, but it has that kind of menthol like hop taste), I'm certainly happy to drink 19L of it (and not ashamed to share some around).

Post a pic brother

[ChairmanDrew]

2 minutes ago, Pints said:

Post a pic brother

Aha! It'll have to wait til next time. That bottle is well and truly downed.

But like I said, more time in the bottle and it will only improve. You can probably tell I'm already pretty chuffed with the result

 

I've always like single hop beers whenever I've had them. Although I know this technically isn't one, because I have NFI what goes into the Real Ale can, this is pretty close. I like the one dimensional approach, can really appreciate the hop character.

[Malter White]

3 hours ago, ChairmanDrew said:

Aha! It'll have to wait til next time. That bottle is well and truly downed.

But like I said, more time in the bottle and it will only improve. You can probably tell I'm already pretty chuffed with the result

 

I've always like single hop beers whenever I've had them. Although I know this technically isn't one, because I have NFI what goes into the Real Ale can, this is pretty close. I like the one dimensional approach, can really appreciate the hop character.

So far I've only used single hops additions in my brews and pleased with most results. I reckon I'd only confuse myself if I used combinations.

[Classic Brewing Co]

4 hours ago, Malter White said:

So far I've only used single hops additions in my brews and pleased with most results. I reckon I'd only confuse myself if I used combinations.

That's what I like about most AG recipes, they have paired the hops all for you, especially in kit form - all you have to do is open the box. Of course, it can be or varied or changed to suit your preferences & there are hop matching charts online.

[Aussiekraut]

14 hours ago, ChairmanDrew said:

I don't have a lot of hops left, (I think about 250gm) so probably just steep them for aroma. Previously when I had more I did about 100-150gm in the boil for bittering and about 250gm steeped.

100-150g for bittering and 250 for a steep? That's a helluva lot of hops.I rarely use more than 100g in my AG batches and that often includes about 50g for dry hopping. 

[Classic Brewing Co]

24 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

100-150g for bittering and 250 for a steep? That's a helluva lot of hops.I rarely use more than 100g in my AG batches and that often includes about 50g for dry hopping. 

Yeah, on average 100gms is about normal for most AG recipes in my experience. I use50-60gms in extract Pales/IPA's & that's enough.

[ChairmanDrew]

It's fresh hops, so you have to use a lot more than you would for dried. It's actually a lot less than was recommended to me to use (seems to be you use about 4-5x the weight you would for dry), but I wanted to be a bit more conservative. Seems about right for me, taste wise.

[ChairmanDrew]

On 4/8/2023 at 2:03 AM, Pints said:

Post a pic brother

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by ChairmanDrew