01-09-2009, 03:33 AM
--- "lafaria28" wrote:> What's> the shelf life of the liquid hopped malt extract and is there a dry> version?As far as I know, the shelf life of a liquid malt extract isindefinite, because it's sterilized before it's sealed. There may be ayeast packet in the tin that has expired, so you'll need to pick up anew packet of that if the date is past.> What type of yeast have you had success with and is there a preference> between ale and lager yeast? What's the difference?The difference is mainly in that lager yeast is bottom-fermenting, andale yeast is top-fermenting. Lager yeast produces a clearer beer, butferments at much colder temperatures than ale yeast. Too warm, and thelager yeast will produce off-flavors that are unattractive. If youhave a garage and are in the northern climes, you might be able tostore your EZ-Capped bottles in the garage for the fermentation stage,but the temp range is narrower: ~45-60F for lager, versus 54-89F forale yeast.> Is the addition of sugar or corn syrup required for brewing a beer/ale> in this manner? If so, is there a preferred sweetener and how much> should I use?No, the addition of sugar or corn syrup will just increase the alcoholby volume, pushing you closer to a barleywine.> Finally, has anyone added fruit juices (apple or grape) to their> beer/ale with any success? What other flavors are commonly used and> are they added at the beginning or the end?Typically added at the end of the fermentation stage, before bottling,in order to keep the fresh flavor of the juice. Traditional flavorsinclude cranberry and raspberry. I've never heard of apple or grapebeing added to beer, since the flavors/aromas are not necessarilycomplimentary to hops, and they can produce quite a lovely beverage ontheir own (cider and wine).> Variations on the standard cider recipe would be very helpful as well.> On a side note, I generally prefer a drier, not overwhelmingly sweet> cider (aiming for around 6% alc) so I made my current batch with 1/2> cup of sugar instead of the full cup. I plan on brewing it for about a> week. Does this sound right or did my logic fail somewhere along theway?Sounds like what I do. I first produced a cider with 1 cup of sugarstirred into 2 liters of apple cider, and it was way too sweet (andtoo boozy, as well!). 1/2 cup of sugar in 2 liters of apple juice wasjust right, a bit dry, and quite delightful. So I think you're on theright track!ORGINAL POSTER: k_