Split Wort brewing

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Aphid

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The other day I watched an interesting YouTube video about split wort brewing. Although the video is based on wort generated in a Grainfather brewing system, I had never contemplated that such a thing was possible. The learning never ceases!

As a relative newbie, a Grainfather is not yet on the radar. But...I just wondered if anyone has tried splitting the wort in a similar way with a conventional can-based brewing kit? Two possibly very different beer types from one kit. Seems like a great experiment that I have to have a go at.

If so, what kit? Sugar types? Hop addition(s)? This hobby is soooo addictive!:cheers:
 
Go for it..

as for how and what.. deciding what to try is half the fun..

best way to start is look at beers you know you like and try and identify what you like, ie you like a particular beers hoppy aroma and find its dry hopped with Challenger or Amarillo or another hop.. well thats a good embellishment to start with..

Another fun and enlightening experiment would be to brew 2 batches side by side identical in every way but fermented with different yeast strains.

when embellishing kits remember they already have bittering hop additions so dont add to much bittering (long boiled hops) hop additions stick to late/flame out and dry additions.

then google partial mash brews where you do a short steep of specialty grains and adjuncts to suppliment an extract or kit brew, this adds more body/flavour and colour than fermentable sugars to the brew.

most importantly have fun and keep good notes as if you hit a goldmine of a recipe you will want to repeat and share..
 
I often split batches and use different yeast and hops it's a good way to learn what different ingredients bring to a brew.
 
I often split batches and use different yeast and hops it's a good way to learn what different ingredients bring to a brew.
I am clearly looking for a kit which needs sugar to be added, rather than one that has sugar already incorporated into the malt. I have little idea about what sugar variations there are, to be honest, but I would like to end up with a dark beer from one variation. Little knowledge of yeast or Hop varieties, either. Any suggestions would be appreciated, please. Always good to start with something that has been tried and tested...and enjoyed on consumption.
 
If you had a simple one can kit like a pale ale you could steep a small amount of crushed roasted barley (200g should be ample) in a saucepan for about an hour at around 64-69c, sieve the resulting wort out from the grain into a second saucepan and then boil it up gently for 30-60 mins, add this to one half of your premixed one can kit and it should give you a reasonable stout.

Google extract brewing for more ideas and in's and out's of it. Other things that can be added instead of generic sugars' is treacle, syrup's and honey with each adding there own taste profile.
 
I tried it with my Stout, did 15l with WLP004 and 5l with Belgium Abbey yeast and coriander and orange. The WLP004 is so much better.
Ok. Thanks. Had to do a bit of research to find out more about those, but with you so far. Dumb question perhaps, but do you use all the yeast in the packet or a proportion according the the wort you are adding it to?
 
If you had a simple one can kit like a pale ale you could steep a small amount of crushed roasted barley (200g should be ample) in a saucepan for about an hour at around 64-69c, sieve the resulting wort out from the grain into a second saucepan and then boil it up gently for 30-60 mins, add this to one half of your premixed one can kit and it should give you a reasonable stout.

Google extract brewing for more ideas and in's and out's of it. Other things that can be added instead of generic sugars' is treacle, syrup's and honey with each adding there own taste profile.
Thanks for your comments. I am trying to keep from getting into grain use just yet, although it is very much on my horizon for the near future.
Interested in your comments about sugar alternatives. Is there a way of calculating volume to use against the weight of sugar it is replacing? What difference would they make to the flavour?
I also see that there are quite a few different types of sugars in my local supermarket that might be worth a try although I am not sure what impact they might have. Is there a principle to understand? For example, the darker the sugar used (like Demerara sugar) the more of a certain flavour/colour that results?
 
I am clearly looking for a kit which needs sugar to be added, rather than one that has sugar already incorporated into the malt. I have little idea about what sugar variations there are, to be honest, but I would like to end up with a dark beer from one variation. Little knowledge of yeast or Hop varieties, either. Any suggestions would be appreciated, please.

It's much easier to split a 2-can kit and do each can separately as 10L brews rather than a 1-can kit which needs added sugar. TBH most people move away from using sugars to using dried malt extract (DME) as you get a better quality beer - I've read on here of people using all types of different sugars with 1-can kits but always found DME to be far superior.

I often split 2-can kits like Wherry or St Peters and try them with different hops. You can make up a hop tea with 25g steeped in a few litres of hot water around 80C and/or dry hop it by chucking them into the FV for the final 5 days of the ferment. Try two popular but different hops like Goldings (British) and Cascade (USA) and you'll see the difference and build up your hop knowledge.
 
Thanks for your comments. I am trying to keep from getting into grain use just yet, although it is very much on my horizon for the near future.
Interested in your comments about sugar alternatives. Is there a way of calculating volume to use against the weight of sugar it is replacing? What difference would they make to the flavour?
I also see that there are quite a few different types of sugars in my local supermarket that might be worth a try although I am not sure what impact they might have. Is there a principle to understand? For example, the darker the sugar used (like Demerara sugar) the more of a certain flavour/colour that results?

It's all one big experiment, what you like will not appeal to someone else, start with baby steps, record what you like and don't like and next time you try it switch it out/increase/decrease amounts etc, at least with smallish batches you aren't out a fortune and you will always at some point hit something that you really like. A small amount of grain to experiment with will cost very little if you are lucky enough to have a homebrew shop near you that sells grain, no more than 250g should be enough for example for a stout in half a 23l batch.
 
It's much easier to split a 2-can kit and do each can separately as 10L brews rather than a 1-can kit which needs added sugar. TBH most people move away from using sugars to using dried malt extract (DME) as you get a better quality beer - I've read on here of people using all types of different sugars with 1-can kits but always found DME to be far superior.

I often split 2-can kits like Wherry or St Peters and try them with different hops. You can make up a hop tea with 25g steeped in a few litres of hot water around 80C and/or dry hop it by chucking them into the FV for the final 5 days of the ferment. Try two popular but different hops like Goldings (British) and Cascade (USA) and you'll see the difference and build up your hop knowledge.
Sounds good to me and going for a 2-can kit makes sense.

When is the Hop tea added? At the start as part of the initial top up water? Are these hops the same as the ones thrown in if dry hopping?

I haven't tried a St Peters kit, yet, so that is promising. After all, the brewery isn't a million miles from where I live. However, I see that the Ruby Red already uses Cascade hops. What St Peters kit did you use?
 
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