Hi all.
I've been brewing for a while now using kits (with varying success) and I'd like to go for something a little more challenging.
I've got a book that describes a slightly more involved process (what it calls Intermediate Brewing) that uses unhopped malt extract and starts from there. I would love to go all grain, but I don't have the time or equipment to do so, so this seems like a great compromise.
I've got a couple of questions, though, and I wonder if someone could clear them up...
Firstly, at the end of the boiling process where hops have been added to the (what I assume is technically) wort, it says you need to cool the wort using an ice bath or something similar. What I want to know, is why can't I just put the near-boiling wort straight into the FV (just as you would do with a kit) and add the requisite amount of cold water to bring it up to the required volume? What's the need for the extra cooling? Isn't it just a matter of getting it cool enough to pitch the yeast?
Secondly, is it possible to scale down the recipes in the book by just reducing everything proportionally? I think I'd like to start with smaller batches (I don't have a big enough brew pot plus my FVs are full) such as a gallon a time to fit in demijohns. The recipe calls for 2.5kg of dry malt extract and 25g of various hops to make a 5 gallon batch (amongst other things) . If I just used .5kg and 5g respectively, would it still work out?
Thanks in advance. :thumb:
I've been brewing for a while now using kits (with varying success) and I'd like to go for something a little more challenging.
I've got a book that describes a slightly more involved process (what it calls Intermediate Brewing) that uses unhopped malt extract and starts from there. I would love to go all grain, but I don't have the time or equipment to do so, so this seems like a great compromise.
I've got a couple of questions, though, and I wonder if someone could clear them up...
Firstly, at the end of the boiling process where hops have been added to the (what I assume is technically) wort, it says you need to cool the wort using an ice bath or something similar. What I want to know, is why can't I just put the near-boiling wort straight into the FV (just as you would do with a kit) and add the requisite amount of cold water to bring it up to the required volume? What's the need for the extra cooling? Isn't it just a matter of getting it cool enough to pitch the yeast?
Secondly, is it possible to scale down the recipes in the book by just reducing everything proportionally? I think I'd like to start with smaller batches (I don't have a big enough brew pot plus my FVs are full) such as a gallon a time to fit in demijohns. The recipe calls for 2.5kg of dry malt extract and 25g of various hops to make a 5 gallon batch (amongst other things) . If I just used .5kg and 5g respectively, would it still work out?
Thanks in advance. :thumb: