Raider Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Hi Guys, I am going to attempt to steep some crystal malt for the first time using the highly reccommended Dr Smurto's Golden Ale recipe and just looking for a bit of guidance. This is my plan of attack: Ingredients \u2022 1.7kg can Coopers Sparkling Ale \u2022 1.5kg Thomas Coopers Wheat Malt \u2022 250g Caramalt (or other light crystal) \u2022 15g Amarillo pellets @ 15mins \u2022 15g Amarillo pellets @ 5mins \u2022 15g Amarillo pellets dry hop (around day 7) \u2022 US-05 yeast Method \u25a1Steep the crystal malt in 1 litre of 65-70 degree water for up to one hour. \u25a1Strain this through a colander and add another litre of 65-70 degree water, stir and then strain immediately. \u25a1Add the 2 litres of liquor from the steeped grain to an additional 6 litres of boiling water in a pot. \u25a1Add the can of wheat malt and bring to the boil. \u25a1Add 15g of Amarillo hops and boil for 10 mins. Add another 15g of Amarillo and boil for a further 5 mins. \u25a1Remove from the heat and let it cool. \u25a1Strain into the fermenter and dissolve the Sparkling Ale tin. \u25a1Fill to 20 litres and sprinkle on the yeast. \u25a1Dry hop an additional 15g of Amarillo hops on day 7. Does this sound about right? When doing the hop boil I thought you were meant to use about 100 grams of LDM per litre of water but this method seems to use the whole tin of wheat malt in only 8 litres of water. Also does the crystal malt increase the sugars in the boil as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 No need to steep the crystal for an hour.... 30 minutes will do the trick. Although it doesn't hurt it just saves trying to keep the same temperature for the extra 30 minutes. When straining it, I personally don't stir it and just sparge with another liter 65C-70C water. Bring the 2 liters up to 6 liters (add 4 liters water) and add about 1/3 of the can and bring to a boil for the hop additions. During the last few minutes of boil add the rest of the ingredients (tins) Chill in a water bath to a bit above pitching temps and throw everything in the fermenter and top up to 20L with water. Pitch yeast and Robert's your mother's brother. Yes Crystal Malt will add sugars to your boil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raider Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Awesome, thanks for that Bill. Looking forward to giving it a go this weekend. With the crystal would that already be cracked/crushed when I buy it? Do you just put it loose into the water or would it be better to use some kind of bag? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 For good hop utilisation, you need a boil of around 1.040... So, taking into account the fermentables extracted from the crystal, in a 6 litre boil, 633 grams of the Liquid Extract will need to be added. Try this spreadsheet, it actually has the Dr Smurto's GA included Here - post 391 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Depending upon where you purchase the crystal, you should be able to request the grain cracked - though some shops have a minimum weight. I personally buy my specialty grain uncracked as the shelf life is a lot longer and it is cheaper to buy in bulk. A grain bag or hop bag does make life easier, but is not necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 For good hop utilisation, you need a boil of around 1.040... So, taking into account the fermentables extracted from the crystal, in a 6 litre boil, 633 grams of the Liquid Extract will need to be added. Try this spreadsheet, it actually has the Dr Smurto's GA included Here - post 391 Yeah like I said - "about 1/3 of the can + the 2L Crystal + 4L water" [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Awesome, thanks for that Bill. Looking forward to giving it a go this weekend. With the crystal would that already be cracked/crushed when I buy it? Do you just put it loose into the water or would it be better to use some kind of bag? Like NC said above. However, there is no need to crush/mill specialty malts, they only need to be cracked. The first time I needed it I just used a mortar & pestel even though it did take A little while I got it done. Can also use a rolling pin but is easier if your LHBS does it for you if you are only going to purchase the amount you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Yeah like I said - "about 1/3 of the can + the 2L Crystal + 4L water" My mistake, I thought the cans of malt were 1.5kg not 1.899 Kg[ninja] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raider Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Just downloaded the spreadsheet, looks like I won't be getting much work done today [biggrin] My LHBS sells them by the kg so I guess I will just crack them myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Yeah like I said - "about 1/3 of the can + the 2L Crystal + 4L water" My mistake, I thought the cans of malt were 1.5kg not 1.899 Kg[ninja] No mistake mate, they are 1.5kg as you know [innocent] However, about 1/3 does not mean exactly 1/3 and I only explained how I do it of which I don't measure the can. I just dump about 1/3 of the can in which is usually checking by eye, just over by the time the can stops dripping etc. (a few points -/+ doesn't make a lot of difference to me and the addition of the sugars from the Crystal would make it pretty close to 1040) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveL Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 My LHBS sells them by the kg so I guess I will just crack them myself. I crack mine (grains that is!) in between non-stick/non-greasy baking paper with a rolling pin...easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiro Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I've got this recipe in the FV now. Just dry hopped last night. Smells good. Looking forward to tasting it as it seems to get a lot of wraps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.