Use 2-3 pounds of the fresh malted wheat. Remember that after it is malted and roasted, it will still have to be milled or crushed. Once it has steeped, bring it all back to a boil before adding anyyhing else. I suggest the crystal malt because it is light and will allow the crispness of the fresh wheat to come thru. You will also want to add the honey very near the end of the process. The combined amounts of wheat, malt extract, and the honey will determine the alcohol content. I estimate this at about 5-6% depending on how much honey you use.
I hope this helps.
I am currently in the process of making a scottish ale that is amber-brown in color and should have an alcohol content of 8-1/2%. I’ve made it before but I am tweaking the hops a bit for more flavor.
As for your water to grain ratio, the malt extract is somewhat concentrated. So, combined with your 3 pounds of wheat, the 3 pounds of extract (the dry kind) should be plenty for 5 gallons. One other small bit of info, use about 1-1/2 to 2 ounces of hops for the batch. Divide them into 3 parts and add them at 30 minute intervals saving the last bit for the end while the liquid is cooling.
[quote]tveddy wrote:
how was it? The mead, not the fat chick.
[/quote]
It was pretty bad. We didn’t really know what we were doing, and it tasted like sour piss. It was pretty strong though. Being 17 and having actually created my own alcohol was pretty cool though.
I make the best homebrew in the world, although I have never gone about it in the fashion you are. Using wholegrains - that is old school, dude. Respect!
I usually cheat and just buy the wort, dextrose and yeast. The beer I make is usually about 5-6%, and I can make about 30 x 40 ounce bottles for about $12. In Oz, 12 x 40 ounce bottles will cost you about $35.
To make a batch that size and strength, I use about 1.1 - 1.2 kilos of sugar (around 2.5 pounds). I prime the bottles with a teaspoon of sugar per 40 ounce. It works nicely. Just keep your shit clean, and follow the instructions.
Suprised no-ones mentioed these sites - a wealth of info for all things homebrew.
Just a tip, if you ever make a stout - go for an Oatmeal stout, and only add half sugar, top up with a strong honey, and add some cinnamon and blackstrap molasses.
I have 3 longnecks left of a ‘golden stout’ made with the above additions - it is now about 4yrs in the bottle and is orgasmic. Be damned if i can remember the receipe accurately!
an edit of my previous post -
links didn’t work
try this http://www.hbd.org/brewery/index.html
Cats Meow and Gambrinus mug are 2 large receipe indexes - for all sorts of homebrew.
Beers, lagers, porters, wine, mead, methglen, ciders and perrys,etc
IF you will be homebrewing, “The Joy of Homebrewing” by Charlie Papazian is a must. It’s a little old and the pics are outdated, but you should start there. He gives all kinds of tips about the minimum equipment you need, different techniques (including hot and cold-sparging, fermentation, etc) and some basic recipes.
is also a great site for equipment, tips, recipes and ingredients.
You can use Grolsch bottles, just make sure you get the caps clean. Brown bottles are always better (they allow less light-light is bad for beer), especially if you will be storing them for any period. You can buy a capper for not too much money and caps are very cheap. You should leave at least one inch of empty bottle at the top. I usually go just a little into the neck.
As for pressure release, it’s a relatively simple procedure. It’s best to use an airlock (see morebeer.com) as it will allow blow-off to escape but won’t let any toxins in. You could get away with just a stopper and some tubing though, but you need to be more vigilant about the cleanliness of the storage area where you are fermenting.
Just remember that you can never be too clean when it comes to your equipment, but a little bacteria can ruin gallons of otherwise good beer. Homebrewing is fun, so don’t sweat it too much.
After the mead “mishap”, in our freshman dorm room we added some yeast, sugar and cinnamon to some store-bought apple cider. We popped on the airlocks we had gotten for the mead, and let 'em sit. Those actually turned out pretty good and tasty.
[quote]Massif wrote:
I make the best homebrew in the world, although I have never gone about it in the fashion you are. Using wholegrains - that is old school, dude. Respect!
I usually cheat and just buy the wort, dextrose and yeast. The beer I make is usually about 5-6%, and I can make about 30 x 40 ounce bottles for about $12. In Oz, 12 x 40 ounce bottles will cost you about $35.
To make a batch that size and strength, I use about 1.1 - 1.2 kilos of sugar (around 2.5 pounds). I prime the bottles with a teaspoon of sugar per 40 ounce. It works nicely. Just keep your shit clean, and follow the instructions.
Good luck. [/quote]
Is wort a Brand ? I have a micro brew by my house and would love to come even close to making beer that good.
[quote]pittbulll wrote:
Is wort a Brand ? I have a micro brew by my house and would love to come even close to making beer that good.
[/quote]
I think wort is a thick, treacle looking mess that you buy in a tin. It contains malt, hops and barley, and is the base of a good beer. All you do is add about 25 litres of water, get it to a good temperature, add the yeast, and 5 days later, you’re bottling yourself beer.
It could be called something else. I have always just called it “Brew”.
Far enough, post your recipe and have at it!
From the sound of things, it’s an extract plus grains recipe, which is perfectly acceptable for a starter depending upon the recipe.
John Palmer’s site, howtobrew.com, and book, is the one to see, well beyond Charlie P trust me.
As suggested< an apa is a great starter but unnecessary too>
I just sampled a gallon of apple cider that me and my brother made, so forgive me of any typos please. However this was the first cider that we made, and it turned out pretty decent. We took a gallon jug of apple juice and added some suger untl there was 1050 g of sugar in the gal jug. then we added the yeast and then put one of the big one dollar punch ball balloons over the top of the jug. then we let it sit until it stopped fermenting and we capped it, put it on ice and drank it.
We have another that we are “planning” on aging a while after we rack it, but plannin is the key word being that its very easy to tap into now that we know it tastes good. But me and my brother got pretty smashed off of this cider and neighter of us are lightweights, so it seems to be pretty good. Now i’m gonna stop rambling and go to bed. Gotta lift at 5 in the am.
[quote]tveddy wrote:
…then we added the yeast and then put one of the big one dollar punch ball balloons over the top of the jug. then we let it sit until it stopped fermenting and we capped it, put it on ice and drank it.
[/quote]
Why do you favor a ballon over a fermentation lock? If CO2 does not escape the yeast dies before the majority of sugars can be fermented. Just curious.
Because I’m in kansas and there aren’t any homebrewing shops. I could order one off the internet, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Plus a balloon costs 50 cents, and we haven’t had any problems with the yeast dieing. We just let the pressure off every once in a while. So its not that I favor it, its just what i have available. After harvest when I get the wheat I’ll use a fermentation lock.
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
tveddy wrote:
…then we added the yeast and then put one of the big one dollar punch ball balloons over the top of the jug. then we let it sit until it stopped fermenting and we capped it, put it on ice and drank it.
Why do you favor a ballon over a fermentation lock? If CO2 does not escape the yeast dies before the majority of sugars can be fermented. Just curious.
[quote]Massif wrote:
pittbulll wrote:
Is wort a Brand ? I have a micro brew by my house and would love to come even close to making beer that good.
I think wort is a thick, treacle looking mess that you buy in a tin. It contains malt, hops and barley, and is the base of a good beer. All you do is add about 25 litres of water, get it to a good temperature, add the yeast, and 5 days later, you’re bottling yourself beer.
It could be called something else. I have always just called it “Brew”.[/quote]
[quote]Massif wrote:
pittbulll wrote:
Is wort a Brand ? I have a micro brew by my house and would love to come even close to making beer that good.
I think wort is a thick, treacle looking mess that you buy in a tin. It contains malt, hops and barley, and is the base of a good beer. All you do is add about 25 litres of water, get it to a good temperature, add the yeast, and 5 days later, you’re bottling yourself beer.
It could be called something else. I have always just called it “Brew”.[/quote]
Wort is the sweet brew (after the boil), prior to fermentation. It should not be thick or messy, rather it should look and smell much like beer.
