Recipes - Complete

[Helium]

I've seen loads of recipes online, but all they really are is a list of ingredients.
I'd like a list of how to actually combine those ingredients into a food product. You know, a RECIPE.
Eventually I hope to be able to make one from scractch, but for now I'd like to try some out that are not the ready-made recipes from my shop, though they do have about 100, and they seem pretty goof-proof and everything is pre-measured.

[HogieWan]

Beer recipes are usually and ingredient list. Everyone's equipment is SO different, that including other information is a waste.

[Helium]

Really, like boil times, etc.?
There's a million ways to make most foods, but every recipe has times on it.
Unless I already know what to do, then how can I start anywhere with my ingrediants?

[corkybstewart]

Beer is a little more complicated than "mix ingredients in bowl, bake until done". Any body can pick up a food recipe and follow its instructions, and end up with food.

Beer is different in that everybody has their own unique set of equipment and personalized ways of doing things. Read any of the homebrewing posts and you'll see 10 people do the same thing 10 different ways. To be able to use a beer recipe you first have to understand the brewing process, see how to adapt it to the equipment you have, and figure the best way for you to turn that list of ingredients into beer. I could give you my recipes written out step by step and it wouldn't do you any good unless you have the same set up as I do. But if you give me any list of ingredients I'll know how to interpret it and turn it into beer.

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by Helium
Unless I already know what to do . . .

That's just it - boil times are assumed at 60 mins unless noted. Some people put flavor hops in at different times, but 15-20 mins is the most common and aroma hops are 7 mins or less.

Homebrew is all about making beer for YOUR tastes. You will have to experiment, but I promise, you will be able to drink everything you make.

[HogieWan]

Corky said it well also.

[corkybstewart]

I was typing while y'all were posting.
I can give you boiling time,etc for my set up, but you're at sea level & I'm at 3100' where water boils at 203F. Also there are no hard and set rules. If I boil my wort 90 minutes it will be different than boiling 60 minutes, but unlike a cake I bake 30 minutes extra my beer is still in great shape. Also since everybody's tastes are different, its hard to post a recipe that's perfect for everybody.
The true wonder and beauty of homebrewing is that 10 people can brew the same recipe, down to boiling times etc and come up with 10 different beers. So don't complain about it, embrace it.

[Helium]

OK.
So I bought a kit from a shop.
With that kit came my first recipe, which is understandable, since they sold me the kit and know exactly what was in it.
But they also sell loads of other recipes, and anyone can buy them, and the shop has no idea of their setups.
So what I'm asking is this:

If one shop can somehow develop recipes, complete with times (at least the times that worked for them), then why can't anyone else do it?
Surely we can't be expected to just figure out what to do with the ingredients, or read a million different opinions on the subject before we can brew our first batch.

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by Helium

Surely we can't be expected to just figure out what to do with the ingredients, or read a million different opinions on the subject before we can brew our first batch.

No - you are expected to RDWAHAHB [Relax, Don't Worry and Have a Homebrew - craft beer can be substituted if this is your first brew.].

A recipe for a cake doens't include instructions on how to operate your mixer, oven, hands, etc. A beer recipe assumes you know how to operate your equiptment.

PLEASE post the recipe you are having so much trouble with so that we can help. I've never had any trouble reading a recipe, so maybe your shop has made it extra hard for you, but we can't help you with that if we are on a different page.

[corkybstewart]

Those kits are developed for newer brewers, not that an experienced brewer couldn' use them. New brewers who use kits have a pretty standard setup-boiling kettle and maybe a wort chiller. And you're right that anybody can develop their own recipes complete with times and everything but as you gain experience you'll deviate from the recommended times and methods until you get to the point where you don't even look at the recipe. And at that point you'll be indeed brewing your own special beer, unlike any other beer on the planet.
If you need the comfort of a detailed recipe that's fine, you can find them anywhere. But if you want to leave the nest you'll have to start experimenting.

[Helium]

Sorry to seem a bit heavy-handed here, it's unintentional.

I'm not having trouble with any recipe. In fact I think I did pretty well on the newest batch, and the third I bought, an ESB, will go to brew on Sunday morning.
These were both from my shop though, and came with pre-measured packets of whatever, cans of malt extract, etc. and then I just followed their times. The shop has been aroud for 20 years, and the owner formulated these recipes, and sells them for newbies, and for people who just want a good beer that's not from a multi-national corporation.
They also sell raw ingredients.

Once I'm more confident, I'd like to try to find a recipe, much like someone would do for food, and add my own flair to it.
However, when I do a search for recipes, I find loads of lager, ale, bitter, etc. but no times for anything, so basically I wouldn't know what to do with the raw ingredients.

[corkybstewart]

Get hold of some brewing books like Palmer's How to Brew, Papazian's Joy of Homebrewing or even Homebrewing for Dummies. These books and others will explain not only the "how to" aspects of brewing but also the reasoning behind doing something a particular way. Once you understand the "why's" of brewing, the rest is easy. But for now just relax and don't sweat the small stuff.
Here are some basics for extract brewing:
Unless you're using hopped extracts, boil at least one hour.
Boil bittering hops at least one hour.
Boil flaor hops 2o minutes.
Boil aroma hops 0-5 minutes. I add mine when I turn the flame off.
If you want 5 gallons of beer boil 6.5 gallons of wort. It should evaporate to about 5.5 gallons. After racking and bottling that should come to about 5 gallons of finished beer.

[Helium]

Thanks, Corky.
The kits I've got basically start with 1.5-2 gallons of water, the 2 3.3lbs of malt extract, a package of grains, to be placed in a muslin bag - although the lawnmower ale had a thing of rice powder stuff - a packet of hops pellets, and maybe some irish moss or something.
When it's all boiled, you then add it to 3.5 gallons of water in the primary.
Now if I did one from scratch, how could I boil 6.5 gallons of stuff in a 6qt pot?
It's stuff like that that's good to know.

[corkybstewart]

Bear in mind I haven't brewed this way in 10 years so I may be off a little. Steep the grains at 150F for 20 minutes, in enough at least a gallon of water(for your 1.5 gallon pot), drain the liquid from the bag but don't squeeze it. Bring this too a boil, add malt and follow the hops schedule that comes with the kit or as I posted earlier. Get a big pot, the more wort you can boil the better. If you're doing a very pale beer, save half the extract and add it at the end of the boil. Keep in mind that if you boil 1.25 gallons of wort in a 1.5 gallon pot you'll spend half the day cleaning the boilover mess. Get a bigger pot. Go to garage sales or thrift stores and find a bigger pot.

But above all get some books and do some reading, Palmer's book is online so you have no excuse.

[Helium]

Just checked out Amazon on the Beer For Dummies book.
This reviewer seems to be a bit off. Not boiling the wort? Which brewery would do a non-boil method?

"I have however noticed on the beer manufacturers' web sites that they say not to boil the wort because it removes volatiles that give beer flavour and that the technology uses means that boiling is no longer required. Anyone silly enough to follow the authors instructions will have to fork out another $30 to buy a pot so they can boil the wort and spend an additional $10 buying 2 beers kits instead of one.
Far from encouraging beginners, it confuses and makes it more expensive."

[corkybstewart]

I don't know anything about "Beer for Dummies", but "Homebrewing for Dummies" is pretty reliable for a beginner-intermediate brewer, and has some advanced stuff also.

[HogieWan]

There are "no-boil" kits. If you aren't using those - boil for an hour unless otherwise noted (some say 20 or 30 min)


Corky - just an FYI - I moved from flameout aroma additions to 5-7 min aroma additions and have been VERY PLEASANTLY pleased.

[Mill Rat]

Not boil? How about not sanitizing while you're at it? Blow the dust out and try not to spray too much. Let the dog lick your stirring spoon, too! Fart in its general direction!

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by Mill Rat
Not boil? How about not sanitizing while you're at it? Blow the dust out and try not to spray too much. Let the dog lick your stirring spoon, too! Fart in its general direction!

Maybe "no-boil" is a good idea (http://byo.com/feature/634.html) if the kit is designed that way.

[corkybstewart]

I think my very first kit was a no boil kit. The extract was pre-hopped and the instructions said to bring water to a boil, turn off and add extract. Otherwise the hops would be boiled off.