Last month's Technical Column provided some concise information about the amazing array of grains that are now available to the homebrewer. The choices for the all-grain brewer have greatly expanded in the last few years, but what about the extract brewer. Well luckily, the quality and variety of malt extracts have also improved dramatically. Gone are the days of the corn sugar laden Blue Ribbon extract. Almost all the quality extracts available today are made from 100% barley malt and are of a much higher quality than just 5 years ago.
One of the greatest advances, in my opinion, is that many producers are starting to provide more detailed information about their malt extract products. While not all or even a majority of producers are providing this information, hopefully increasing consumer pressure will soon rectify the situation.
I've been compiling this type of information for a couple of months now and it is available on the club's website (http://triton.cms.udel.edu/~oliver/firststate/tips/maltextract.html). For example, Alexander's Pale malt extract is made from 100% 2-row Klages malt with an approximate color rating of 10 Deg Lovibond. This is a good base malt for a beer like an American Pale Ale because it is low in dextrins and therefor should ferment fairly dry. Most Amber extracts are a combination of some base malt (2-row or 6-row Pale or Lager malt) and crystal malt. The crystal malt will increase the dextrins in the wort and sweeten the finished beer while also adding color. Your probably better just steeping crystal malts yourself and using the pale extract.
There are some newer malt extracts out there that are providing the extract brewer with access to previously unavailable grains. Marie's Munich malt is an unhopped extract made from 50% Munich malt and 50% Lager malt. This would be a good choice for most German styles such as an Octoberfest, Bock or Doppelbock. Morgan's Brewing has a Dark Barley extract made from Munich and light Crystal malts as well as other specialty blends like their Caramalt (60% Caramalt and 40% Pale malt). How about Irek's Weizenbier extract, the only 100% wheat extract available. With these types of choices and information, I believe much better recipe formulations are now possible with extract beer than ever before.
Recently I was browsing through Gambrinus Mug, an online recipe database located at the Brewery website (http://realbeer.com/brewery/). There I found the following recipe from Darin Smith which I think is a good example of the type of care that, if taken with recipe formulation in mind, can result in some excellent homebrew. Here's Darin's entry:
Quick & Easy Authentic German Bock
From Gambrinus Mug
Source: Darin Smith
Recipe added: 05/21/97
Email: NYDarinJay @AOL.COM
Morgans Master Blend Dark Crystal Malt makes this recipe both possible and extremely easy. It's actually a blend of 60% dark crystal malt and 40% Vienna malt. When combined with the double sized can of Ireks Munich Light Malt Extract (light Munich malt is essentially Vienna malt) it makes the perfect ingredients for a German style Bock Beer. Throw in the German Hallertau hops and Bavarian lager yeast from Wyeast and this recipe is very authentic. Hop plugs make the 30 minute boiling time possible [ I am uncertain as to why the author makes this comment or to the desire for the shorter boiling time - Oliver]. This is probably best for an extract brew anyway. Hop pellets also lend themselves to short boiling times but they are impossible to remove with a strainer. Whole leaf hops could be used but the boiling time would have to be increased. The original gravity is a little short of the 1.066 required by German law to call a beer "bock". If this is important to you, a 1.4 lb. "kicker" of Alexander's pale malt extract added to the boil will bring the gravity into the legal limit but it will also decrease the hop utilization.
Specifics:
Recipe type: Extract
Batch Size: 5 gallons
Starting Gravity: 1.060
Finishing Gravity: 1.010
Time in Boil: 30 minutes
Primary Fermentation: about 10 days
Secondary Fermentation: none
Additional Fermentation: bottle age for 4 weeks
Ingredients:
6.6 lb. can Ireks Munich Light Malt Extract
2.2 lb. can Morgan's Dark Crystal Malt Extract
9 HBU German Hallertau hop plugs [Added at start of boil]
1 sachet Wyeast Bavarian Lager yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar (priming)
Now I haven't made this beer or tried any of Darin's. My point is to show how care and knowledge applied to the selection of ingredients are important to recipe formulation whether it be for all-grain or extract brewing.
That's really all I wanted to say about this topic (as well as plug the Malt Extract Database at the website). I would climb down off my soapbox now but then again, what piece on extract brewing is complete without a list of the standard hints and tips.
Malt Extract Storage:
Dry malt extract can quickly pick up moisture and begin to harden. However, if it is stored in a dry location and is packed well it can be kept safely for about a year. Try a double layer of airtight plastic and/or mason jars. The liberal use of desiccants like those little silica gel packets will also help. You can get buckets of desiccants that are intended to be used in basements and freezers at most hardware stores or supermarkets. These are great to have in your brewing room, closet, or cabinet.
Liquid Malt Extract (LME) starts deteriorating from day one. As it gets older it will darken and the flavor will change. Beer made from old LME can often taste of molasses or have other off- flavors. The best you can do is to try and keep it sealed well and at moderate temperatures (60-80 Deg F). It's best if used within 6 months. For those who buy in bulk buckets, it is often recommended to use a little vodka or grain alcohol on the LME to inhibit wild yeast and infections. Just toss a capful in the bucket, swirl it around, and quickly pour of the excess. I am uncertain of the need of such precautions, however, because I believe that LME, like honey, is too sugar rich and water poor to allow bacterial growth. It also is of a fairly low pH. I have seen some comments suggesting that storing LME under CO2 will prevent oxidation and darkening but cannot say for sure.
Unlike hops, cold storage of malt extract (or grains for that matter) really doesn't do much to help extend shelf life.
