Modern Homebrew Recipes (57 page)

CONVERTING EXTRACT RECIPES TO ALL-GRAIN

To convert an extract recipe to all-grain, perform the extract conversion procedure in reverse. Keep specialty or steeping malts the same, but replace malt extract with grain. You will still need to know your mash efficiency to perform the calculation.

Determine how many gravity points are contributed by extract (multiply the weight of liquid extract by 36, and the weight of dry extract by 45). Sum those calculations to determine the total gravity points from extract. Divide that number by 37 to determine how many gravity points from base malts are needed. Finally, divide that number by your mash efficiency to determine the total weight of base malt needed.

Your next task is to choose
which
base malts to use. If there is a specialty type of extract used (such as Munich), then use Munich malt for that fraction of the grist. The remainder of the grist can consist of two-row, Pilsner, or pale ale malt if the beer was using pale malt extract. Look to the style of the beer to give you clues as to the proper type of malt rather than relying on a certain brand.

Start with a mash temperature of 150°F (66°C). You can adjust that if you know the style requires it, such as increasing the mash temperature if your beer needs a more dextrinous body. If you are brewing a style that traditionally uses another type of mash technique, you can obviously use that instead.

Converting extract recipes to all-grain is generally easier than going the other way since you have more control in your ingredient choices. Primarily you are seeking to hit the same gravity numbers first, then adjusting the bitterness to get the same balance, then finally selecting the ingredients that give you the desired flavor profile while hitting the color target. If you get the style parameters right, any mistakes made on the flavor profile can be adjusted in subsequent batches through malt substitutions. But if you selected your ingredients with knowledge of the style, you have a very good chance of being close on your first try.

INDEX

Entries in
boldface
refer to photos and illustrations.

AA.
See
Alpha acid

AAUs.
See
Alpha acid units

ABV.
See
Alcohol by volume

ABW.
See
Alcohol by weight

Acid,
42
; adding,
11
,
12

Additives, described,
55-56

Alcohol,
10
; level,
42

Alcohol by volume (ABV), calculating,
293

Alcohol by weight (ABW), calculating,
293

Ales,
xxii
; Belgian Christmas,
238
; strong,
53
,
145

Alison: described,
211
; recipe for,
233-235

Alpha acid (AA),
19
,
34
,
293
,
297
; iso-,
291
,
292
; percentages/missing,
35

Alpha acid units (AAUs), recipe in,
34-35

Am I Blue?: described,
210-211
; recipe for,
217-219

American Amber Ale: described,
87
; recipe for,
113-115

American Brown Ale: described,
146
; recipe for,
164-165

American
Dubbel
Brown: described,
259
; recipe for,
262-263

American Porter: described,
146
; recipe for,
162-164

American Wheat Beer: described,
86
; recipe for,
108-109

Anchor Brewing Company, sign at,
121

Aroma,
21
,
35
,
49
,
59
; additions,
36
; developing,
41
; hop,
28
; weights,
36

Astringency,
19
,
145

Atypical
Altbier
: described,
87
; recipe for,
115-116

Australian Pale Ale, described,
260

Australian Sparkling Ale, recipe for,
278-279

Balance, contributors to,
41-42

Barley,
xvi
,
307
,
308

Batch size,
32
,
39
,
43
,
44
,
46
,
289
; described,
55

Beer Alchemy,
40
,
54
,
298
,
299

Beer Camp,
27

Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style,
xxi
,
xxii
,
53
,
55

Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines,
xvii
,
xxii
,
36
,
50
,
55
,
60
,
259
,
297

Beers: aggressive,
85
; Belgian,
209-210
; big/vintage dating,
122
; clone,
xx
; commercial,
xx
,
54
; dark,
xxii
,
53
,
238
; easy drinking,
85
; everyday,
xxii
,
53
,
85
,
145
; extract,
301
,
308
; German
weisse
,
308
; green,
179
; keeping,
122
; seasonal,
238
; session,
85
; single hop,
21
,
41
; single malt,
41
; spiced,
54
; strong,
121
,
122
,
210
,
238

BeerSmith,
299

BeerSmith 2:
299

Belgian Barleywine: described,
122
; recipe for,
125-127

Belgian Candi syrups,
287

Belgian Christmas Beer: described,
239
; recipe for,
251-252

Belgian Dark Strong: described,
210
; recipe for,
216-217

Belgian favorites,
xxii
,
53

Belgian IPA: described,
61
; recipe for,
73-75

Bière de Garde
: described,
211
; recipe for,
223-224

Big O, The: described,
210
; recipe for,
213-215

Bittering additions,
35
,
36
,
39

Bitterness,
19
,
20
,
34-35
,
43
,
46
,
122
,
238
,
296
; adjusting,
312
; determining,
306
; diluting,
306
; extracting,
306
; hop,
306
; perception,
42
; predicting,
35
; quality of,
28
; ration of,
41

Blonde
Doppelbock
: described,
183
; recipe for,
206-208

Boil rate,
32
,
34
,
44

Boiling,
xv
,
9
,
11
,
19
,
20-21
,
25
; concentrated,
306-307
; duration of,
18
,
34
,
44
,
57
; information/ missing,
34
; loss rate and,
284-285
; partial,
18
; rolling,
18