4 or 5 Gallons of Brew Demon NUT BROWN ALE

[i-ferment]

I've got the follow ingredients and would like to make 5 Gallons Nut Brown Ale in a 6.5 Gallon brew pale.

(3) 550g can of Ye Olde Devil Nut Brown Ale (HME)
(1) 320g can of Liquid Brewing Enhancer (LBS)
(3) 2g packet of Dry Brewing Yeast (under black lid)

1. Is the BD Nut Brown Ale any good for someone who likes German & Belgian wheat styles?
2. Can I add some DME and make a make a drinkable (not too sweet or dry) ale?
3. What type DME and #?

First post here. Thanks in advance.

[mashani]

Is the BD Nut Brown Ale any good for someone who likes German & Belgian wheat styles?

It is English style but if you like the above you will probably like it. It is one of the better HMEs.

2. Can I add some DME and make a make a drinkable (not too sweet or dry) ale?

Yes

3. What type DME and #?

1 or 2# of light or extra light DME would be fine, it depends on what ABV you want. 1# will bring it close to 5%. 2# closer to 6%. (that is not exact, it will be a bit less in both cases I think but close enough).

It would be better if you boil the DME for 10-15 minutes or so with 1/2oz to 1oz of East Kent Golding or Fuggles or Styrian Goldings or Willamette or similar hops, then add the Nut Brown extracts.

It would be even better if you got some Safeale S-04 yeast and pitched a whole pack of that instead of the included yeast.

[John Sand]

I-ferment, welcome to the friendliest forum on the web!
Mashani has given me extensive valuable advice over the years, I trust him.
My first few batches were disappointing, but with study and practice they improved considerably. Keep at it and you will achieve that sublime moment when your amazed friends say "You made this? It's great!"
A very helpful book is John Palmer's How to Brew. You can read the first edition free online. I did that, then bought a copy on ebay.
Please keep us posted on your progress.

[i-ferment]

Thanks John. I picked up "How To Brew" a couple months back when I first started brewing. The book overwhelmed me at first. Drinking beer is easy, making a good beer to drink takes effort. I'm absolutely exciting about this "Hobby" and can't wait to master the basics and go from there. I appreciate you sharing your experiences and encouragements.

I-ferment, welcome to the friendliest forum on the web!
Mashani has given me extensive valuable advice over the years, I trust him.
My first few batches were disappointing, but with study and practice they improved considerably. Keep at it and you will achieve that sublime moment when your amazed friends say "You made this? It's great!"
A very helpful book is John Palmer's How to Brew. You can read the first edition free online. I did that, then bought a copy on ebay.
Please keep us posted on your progress.

[i-ferment]

Thanks Mashani. I'll take your recommendations; I'd hate toss the BD cans without trying to make something.

I-F

Is the BD Nut Brown Ale any good for someone who likes German & Belgian wheat styles?

It is English style but if you like the above you will probably like it. It is one of the better HMEs.

2. Can I add some DME and make a make a drinkable (not too sweet or dry) ale?

Yes

3. What type DME and #?

1 or 2# of light or extra light DME would be fine, it depends on what ABV you want. 1# will bring it close to 5%. 2# closer to 6%. (that is not exact, it will be a bit less in both cases I think but close enough).

It would be better if you boil the DME for 10-15 minutes or so with 1/2oz to 1oz of East Kent Golding or Fuggles or Styrian Goldings or Willamette or similar hops, then add the Nut Brown extracts.

It would be even better if you got some Safeale S-04 yeast and pitched a whole pack of that instead of the included yeast.

[mashani]

I'll just add that based on what you said about your fridge temps - if using the S-04 yeast, do not heat up your fridge to 68-70... try to keep it more like 64-68 if possible. S-04 gets a bit weird to some peoples tastes if it gets much above 70 degrees or so, and as mentioned in that other thread it will raise temps on its own a bit.

What is your ambient temperature WITHOUT the space heater you are putting in your fridge? If you can't keep it more like 65-66 with the space heater, you might just want to go without it at all depending on that. IE if it is 62-64 degrees without, I'd probably say to just run with your ambient temps which will still be better in this case then letting it get too warm... and not bother with the space heater, until you get a better temperature control solution for a beer like this one. And use the space heater for styles that I want to ferment warmer IE some German wheat beers and Belgian styles or certain British liquid yeasts. But S-04, not so much...

If your ambient temps are 60 or below and you like lagers, then there are other options that would work for you without the heater.

Now if using the included yeast which is SafeAle S-33, it likes it better a bit warmer, so then you can ignore everything I said LOL.

[i-ferment]

So today was brew day and based on the recommendations my recipe is as follows:

Brought 2 gallons filtered water to boil
- Added 2# Plain Light DME
- Added .5oz Goldings hops

Boiled for 20 minutes

Removed wort from burner
- Added (3) 550g can of Ye Olde Devil Nut Brown Ale (HME)
- Added (1) 320g can of Liquid Brewing Enhancer (LBS)

Stirred thoroughly

Chilled wort in ice bath to 75°F

Poured wort through strainer into pail

Topped off about 5.25 Gallons with filtered water

OG: 1.046
** Tried to get an OG reading with my hydrometer. Made a mess. Grabbed my refractometer and a plastic coffee stirrer and got a read no hassle. I have yet to master the ways of the hydrometer

Pitched full pack of fresh Safale S-04 yeast and capped the pail



==============
Thoughts:
** I'm happy with the initial results when I tasted the wort pre-yeasting. I'm not one for forward hop tastes, so I chose going low on the Golding addition. In the initial taste was more hoppy than expected, I'll be interested in tasting the effects of the yeast after the primary ferment.

** 4 hours later the pail temp and ambient fridge temp is about 64°F . I won't use the space heater.

In another post it was suggested that my yeast may have been causing the off notes in every single brew batches so far. This one out the gate just seemed better.

Thank you for the assistance!
I-F

[mashani]

Golding hops are quite mellow, and 1/2oz once it's fermented out should not seem to be too hoppy even if you don't like hoppy beer. So I think you will be happy.

[RickBeer]

In another post it was suggested that my yeast may have been causing the off notes in every single brew batches so far. This one out the gate just seemed better.

Due to temps. Don't let it get above mid 60s during fermentation.

[mashani]

In another post it was suggested that my yeast may have been causing the off notes in every single brew batches so far. This one out the gate just seemed better.

Due to temps. Don't let it get above mid 60s during fermentation.

That and S-33. It has a flavor. Some people just don't like it. And just to make sure we are clear with new folks, for many yeasts, yes, don't let it get warm, but then depending on what you are brewing (some wheat beer with Banana, some kinds of Belgians or Saisons), you very much may want to let your temps get a lot warmer. You just have to know what you want and will get out of the yeast you are using and the style of beer you are brewing. You can actually get off flavors from fermenting some yeast too cool. IE WLP500 too cold gives you a *dirt bomb* if you ferment too cold. Which is yucky.