Starting out

[bazooka]

Hi, I'm farily new to homebrewing, and have completed two batches using malt extact. One was OK, the other was awful. I'm looking for a basic recipe that will produce good results. I enjoy both lagers and ales, so whatever works well will do for me! Thanks for any tips or suggestions.....

[toneyc]

Well, there are a whole lot of variables to take into account, not the least of which is what you like. But here is a nice simple recipe for an Ordinary English Bitter, from "Home Beermaking" by William Moore:

6 lbs light English malt extract
1 oz Fuggle hops @60 min
1/2 oz Fuggle hops @15 min
1/2 oz Golding hops @5 min
1 tsp Irish Moss @15 min
1 tsp gypsum
White Labs English Ale, Wyeast London ESB 1968, or Muntons dry yeast

Edit: Makes 5 US gallons.

:)
Toney.

[bazooka]

One of the problems I have is that a lot of the specific ingredients in these recipes is hard for me to get, as brew shops in my area (Ontario) don't carry much selection when it comes to homebrewing. I've looked into ordering online from U.S. retailers, but the exchange rate and shipping costs make it too expensive. This is why I was hoping to find a simple recipe with ingredients I can easily obtain. Thanks for the post Toney C.

[evilredlight]

Hi bazooka

I am from halifax NS.
and I find that my LHBS prices and the price for on-line even with the exchange are pretty identical.
If my LHBS wasn't so well stocked I would order on-line.
What part of Ontario?

[bazooka]

What part of Ontario?

Whitby, just east of Toronto.

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by bazooka
One of the problems I have is that a lot of the specific ingredients in these recipes is hard for me to get, as brew shops in my area (Ontario) don't carry much selection when it comes to homebrewing. I've looked into ordering online from U.S. retailers, but the exchange rate and shipping costs make it too expensive. This is why I was hoping to find a simple recipe with ingredients I can easily obtain. Thanks for the post Toney C.

Here a different approach - tell us what you can get. We'll make recipes from your list.

[evilredlight]

toronto should have everything you need!!!!

[b3s]

the first chapter of palmer's online book, howtobrew.com, has a starter recipe...pretty much what toneyc put down...although the adjuncts aren't totally necessary and dry yeast can be used in lieu of liquid yeast.

[GunNut76]

Here is a quick one...and easy too:

Amber/Brown Ale
19L recipe

2.25 Kg Amber DME (Whatever you can get your hands on, Muntons or Laaglander, you'll get better results if you split these two 50/50)
1/2 Kg Crystal 40 or 60 (Steep for 30 min @ 68-71 deg C)

28 g bittering hop (add 14 g at 60 and 14 g at 30 min)
28 g flavor/aroma hop (add 14 g at 15 and 14 g at 5 min or FO)

1 11g packet of rehydrated Windsor Dry

Primary for 4-6 days at around 20 C, secondary for 4-7 days at the same temp and bottle. Prime with 2 g of sugar per bottle, I use Prime-Tabs (NAYY) Give it at least a week to carb up a bit. Try to keep the IBU level in the 20-30 range...I personally would go no higher than 40 with this one otherwise the hops just overpower the beer, I use Cascade and Willamette hops. OG should come out close to 1.040 if you want you can add a little corn sugar to get the OG up a little. For a 19L recipe I would use no more than 1/2 Kg of sugar otherwise you will thin the body. If you can do a full boil start with 23L of water.

Good Luck and welcome to the board!

[S.F.B.]

One of the first things I would suggest is read up on the process. My two faves are Pappazian's New Joy of Home Breing and Stephen Snyder's The Brew Master's Bible. Then I would say, keep it simple. This is a very fun hobby/obsession. This board is a really good place to be. I have eprsonally gleaned a wealth of info from the folks here.

[bigmf]

If you want to order online you should use a Canadian source, postage and duty from the U.S. is bad news.

Paddockwood (http://www.paddockwood.com) is a great source. They sell 3 types of kits; all-grain, extract and a fully boiled and cooled wort that you just dump into your fermenter and pitch yeast. They will also sell you any ingredients you want in the volumes you specify if you are making your own recipe.

Also they are Saskatoon, so you wouldn't have to wait very long for delivery. I would guess that it would be faster from them than it would from a store based in Detroit based solely on the wait at customs.

Welcome to the board and hobby.

M.

[YamahaXS]

Originally posted by bazooka
Hi, I'm farily new to homebrewing, and have completed two batches using malt extact. One was OK, the other was awful. I'm looking for a basic recipe that will produce good results. I enjoy both lagers and ales, so whatever works well will do for me! Thanks for any tips or suggestions.....

what kind of beer do you like?

[bazooka]

Here a different approach - tell us what you can get. We'll make recipes from your list.

the brew shop in my area carrys a large selection of malt extract kits from different companys, but they are all hopped malt extract (3.3 pounds with the packet of yeast included under the lid). There are no unhopped kits, or just plain malt extract. They carry 500g. (1.1pound) packs of DME just labeled "amber malt extract" (there is a dark one as well). They also have packets of hop pellets, about five or six types in total (cascade, saaz, goldings and a couple others). Other than that, not much else (I saw some "Irish moss" and packets of gypsum as well). The guy at the shop keeps telling me all I need is the 3.3 pound malt extract kit and 1kg. of corn sugar, but from what I've read on this board, that's not a very good choice to make if you want a quality brew. As for the beer I like, too many to mention but some faves are: Stella, Becks, Zywiec, EB, Moosehead, Gosser, Marstons, Grolsch, Faxe amber, Steinlager.....

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by bazooka
the brew shop in my area carrys a large selection of malt extract kits from different companys, but they are all hopped malt extract (3.3 pounds with the packet of yeast included under the lid). There are no unhopped kits, or just plain malt extract. They carry 500g. (1.1pound) packs of DME just labeled "amber malt extract" (there is a dark one as well). They also have packets of hop pellets, about five or six types in total (cascade, saaz, goldings and a couple others). Other than that, not much else (I saw some "Irish moss" and packets of gypsum as well). The guy at the shop keeps telling me all I need is the 3.3 pound malt extract kit and 1kg. of corn sugar, but from what I've read on this board, that's not a very good choice to make if you want a quality brew. As for the beer I like, too many to mention but some faves are: Stella, Becks, Zywiec, EB, Moosehead, Gosser, Marstons, Grolsch, Faxe amber, Steinlager.....

Any grains at all?

[bazooka]

Any grains at all?

No....

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by bazooka
No....

How about yeast selection? Is there any?

This "brew shop" must be pretty small.

[bazooka]

How about yeast selection? Is there any? This "brew shop" must be pretty small.

no selection, just the same packets that come with the extract kits. The shops in my area are all Wine Shops that stock beer supplies, but none are dedicated just for beer.

[Jughead]

I found this link a long time ago when I was looking for Canadian suppliers. Still a bit of a Drive for you though, and I think paddockwood has a better selection of stuff.

http://wineandbeerfactory.com/

[YamahaXS]

Brewers or Zymurgists Only Society (BOZOS)
79 Grath Crescent
Whitby, Ontario
Contact: Mike Aylward, 905-433-1784

Canadian Amateur Brewers Association (CABA)
2255B Queen St. E. Suite 749
Toronto, Ontario
Contact: 416-812-6732, fax: 416-690-2055
National homebrewing club, hosting the Great Canadian Homebrewing Competition in May, amongst others.

Canadian Association for Better Ale and Lager (CABAL)
PO Box 631
Toronto, Ontario
Contact: Gary Doherty, 416-461-0742

The Chartwell Brewers Union
12 Chartwell Crescent
Keswick, Ontario
Contact: Glenn Anderson, 905-476-9658

Cochrane Homebrewers Club
PO Box 1185
Cochrane, Ontario
Contact: Adrian J. Cantin, 705-272-5335

Collingwood Brewing Club
Box 3068, RR3
Collingwood, Ontario
Contact: Joanne Anderson, 705-445-1087

East Enders
67 Brockman Crescent
Ajax, Ontario
Contact: Erich Mann, 416-427-9324

Golden Horseshoe Amateur Brewer's Association (GHABA)
25 Melbourne St.
Hamilton, Ontario
Contact: Craig Pinhey, 905-529-4388

Thunder Bay Home Brewers Association
160 Iris Crescent
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Contact: Bruce Holm, 807-767-5077

Toronto Regional Association of Specialty Homebrewers (TRASH)
1720 Queen St. W. #2
Toronto, Ontario
Contact: Dave Kimber, 416-251-2220

Ontario Small Brewers Association
Ontario

Timmins and Sudbury Homebrewers Association
PO Box 2241
South Porcupine, Ontario
Contact: Susan Lomas, 705-235-2382

Ottawa Hombrew Committee
Ottawa, Ontario
The Ottawa Hombrew Committee organizes homebrew competitions in the Ottawa, Ontario, Canada area. The committee was originally formed at a meeting of the Campaign for Real Ale Canada in the early 1980's. We are now associated with CAMRA Ottawa.

Quinte Brew Masters
222 Down Rd. RR#3
Trenton, Ontario
Contact: Bob West, 613-394-1080
A bunch of guys who love to make and drink beer.

Club de Homebrewers d'Ottawa-Hull (C2H5OH)
Ottawa, Ontario
Contact: Alan McKay
a mailing list for keeping each other informed.




You might look to other homebrewers for information on getting access to better selection/prices. The above list is from oddly enough, the realbeer site.

the link (http://www.realbeer.com/canada/brewtour/ON-clubs.html)

I googled "ontario homebrew clubs" and that was the first hit.

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by YamahaXS
You might look to other homebrewers for information on getting access to better selection/prices. The above list is from oddly enough, the realbeer site.

the link (http://www.realbeer.com/canada/brewtour/ON-clubs.html)

I googled "ontario homebrew clubs" and that was the first hit.

I agree with the idea that you should consider other sources first - it's not impossible to make good beer with what you've presented but your style selection will be severely limited.

Considering the ingredients from earlier in the thread you might be better off trying a lager - you just don't have the ingredients to make a complex beer. Something simple and clean might be best.

Something like this six gallons recipe:
----------------------
Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 6.00 Wort Size (Gal): 6.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 7.00
Anticipated OG: 1.054 Plato: 13.25
Anticipated SRM: 6.9
Anticipated IBU: 36.1
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Formulas Used
-------------

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Garetz

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
100.0 7.00 lbs. Briess DME- Gold America 1.046 8

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.00 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 3.50 28.3 60 min.
1.50 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 3.50 7.8 30 min.
0.50 oz. Czech Saaz Whole 3.50 0.0 0 min.


Yeast
-----
----------------------

You'll have to find a good lager/pils yeast. Ferment at 50F for two weeks or so - raise to 60F for 2 or 3 days - rack to secondary hold at 50F for another week - rack again if you like - slowly lower temp to 35F and hold for 2-3 weeks.

[bazooka]

Thanks all for the great info. I found a guy that lives in Toronto that sells a large assortment of beer supplies right out of his house (used to own a shop). Anyway, I e mailed him, and he told me to get an exact list of ingredients and I could pick it up right at his house. Kind of a pain, but hopefully it will be worth all the hastle in the long run. Now I just need to pick a recipe for a begginer, and I can get the wheels in motion....thanks again guys!