Easy / Awesome dark beer!

[ezcaps_phpbb3_import2]

I just made this awesome dark beer. To me, it tastes a lot like Guiness. And, it's really easy! This recipe is for 2 liters (half gallon) and is easily scaleable to any size.

Ingredients:

2 cups Muntons dried malt extract (dark)
1 ounce Hallertau hop pellets
Ale yeast*

Put 1.8 liters of water into a pot, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and then add 2 cups of dark DME (stir well) and the hop pellets (I put the hop pellets into a large tea ball). Return to heat, bring to a gentle boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Remove tea ball and add yeast. Stir vigorously, and then put into 2 liter bottle. Screw on EZ Cap and ferment 2 weeks. Place in refrigerator for 2 days, and then try not to drink it all at once.

* The yeast originated from an IPA recipe almost a year ago, I've been reusing the yeast from the sediment left over from subsequent batches. You should have similar results from any yeast that makes a good IPA.

[JDRyderman]

Great information! Thanks for the recipe.

What type of Munton's DME do you use? I'm assuming dark?

[ezcaps_phpbb3_import2]

Great information! Thanks for the recipe.

What type of Munton's DME do you use? I'm assuming dark?

Yes. Thanks for pointing out that I didn't specify that, I had to edit the post to make that clear. I guess that's what happens when you post recipes while consuming one.

When I made this recipe before, since it was a test recipe I only made 2 liters. I just made it again, a full gallon. This time I'm going to try to inject nitrogen into the beer for a "true" Guiness style complete with creamy head using a seltzer bottle with a nitrogen charger in place of the co2. I'll let you know how that turns out in just over a week when the nano brew is ready. I'm really excited to find out.

I just found a good supplier of Muntons light hopped DME. For some reason hopped DME is nearly impossible to find. I'm going to be trying a whole bunch of new recipes.

[JDRyderman]

WOW!

I'd be way interested in that. I've never seen hopped DME.

I'm doing two nano-batches in the next two days:

One is an American Pale Ale and the other is a PBR clone (to toast the beer that sponsored many of my rock shows) with a little more body and ABV.

I'll post recipes and results.

[louie09]

Hi There...

I'm new to homebrewing but I was wondering if there is any sugar in this recipe??? A lot of beer recipes I've seen have sugar thats why I'm asking. Thanks

[ezcaps_phpbb3_import2]

Hi There...

I'm new to homebrewing but I was wondering if there is any sugar in this recipe??? A lot of beer recipes I've seen have sugar thats why I'm asking. Thanks

I would never add table sugar to a beer recipe. Sugar is great for wine but it gives beer a cidery taste IMO. In place of sugar, add dried malt extract (DME) or liquid malt extract (LME). Think of it as grain sugar. In addition to boosting the sugars that the yeast dine on, it increases alcohol, flavor, and volume.

When I use LME I usually ignore the instructions on the can and add half the water it calls for instead of adding sugar. I've never been unhappy with the results but I guess someday I'll find a flavor that will backfire on me but it hasn't happened yet.

Many DMEs now print on the label something like "75% fermentable" so you can better guess how much to add in place of sugar.

[highestbid]

A full 45 miniute boil will do a much bettter job of extracting the 'bitters' from your hops. Magnum Hops makes a nice type for the long boil as it has a lot of bitterness for the buck. Frequently I will put just 1/2 oz for an entire 5 gallon batch of light beer clone. Pre-hopped DME is fairly hard to come by, I guess it is a matter of demand. The beauty of it is that the hops have already undergone the long boil to pull out the really complex bittering agents so you can just heat it enough to sanitize it and disolve all the sugars -- GO IPA.

[ezcaps_phpbb3_import2]

A full 45 miniute boil will do a much bettter job of extracting the 'bitters' from your hops. Magnum Hops makes a nice type for the long boil as it has a lot of bitterness for the buck. Frequently I will put just 1/2 oz for an entire 5 gallon batch of light beer clone. Pre-hopped DME is fairly hard to come by, I guess it is a matter of demand. The beauty of it is that the hops have already undergone the long boil to pull out the really complex bittering agents so you can just heat it enough to sanitize it and disolve all the sugars -- GO IPA.

I used an ounce of hop pellets for a 2 gallon batch (AND using hopped DME) and it still wasn't bitter enough for me!

[highestbid]

My point was Magnum is strong enough that even a small amt will equal the bitterness in a stadard american 'premium' lager. Would take a good deal more than 1/2 for a barleywine or an IPA but only a fraction of what it would take with other hops as it is nearly 14%. Great for the long boil however it does not have a strong flavor or aroma profile so you would not likely want to use it for the 30, 15 or 5 min points. In short decent hops, great bang for the buck. On small scale like this I think the idea of a pre-hopped malt is really the way to go, cuts down on the ingrediant count, cuts labor to build the kits makes the boil less complex and in short speeds up the whole process.

[leilui0419]

When I made this recipe before, since it was a test recipe I only made 2 liters. I just made it again, a full gallon. This time I'm going to try to inject nitrogen into the beer for a "true" Guiness style complete with creamy head using a seltzer bottle with a nitrogen charger in place of the co2. I'll let you know how that turns out in just over a week when the nano brew is ready. I'm really excited to find out.

Hi, I just made this recipe and thought it turned out pretty tasty. How did it go injecting nitrogen into the beer? I'd like to make it again, but prefer it to have some fizz. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!