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| 15 Great Extract Recipes |
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| Top homebrew writers share their favorite brews to celebrate BYO's first birthday. |
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Byron Burch:
Light in the East Pale Ale
(5 gallons)
Ingredients:
3 lbs. light dry pale extract
3 lbs. amber dry malt extract
1 oz. 100% dextrin powder
1 tsp. gypsum
1/8 tsp. salt
0.5 oz. Columbus hop pellets
1 oz. Willamette hop pellets
3/4 cup corn sugar
Wyeast 1968 liquid ale yeast
Step by Step:
Combine malt extracts, dextrin powder, gypsum, and salt with enough warm water to give
you about 6.5 gallons total volume. Heat to boiling, stir in Columbus pellets, and boil one
hour. Cool with an immersion wort chiller, transfer to a sanitized fermenter, and ferment
between 60° and 70° F.
When the head drops to the surface, place the Willamette pellets in a sanitized five-gallon
carboy and siphon in the beer. Top off as needed, and allow to settle for about a week. Siphon
the beer off the settlings, prime, bottle, and let stand at cellar temperature for one to two
weeks.
David Weisberg:
Back to Basics Bitter
(5 gallons)
"Use this recipe to brew yourself a great traditional British Bitter ale."
Ingredients:
3.3 lbs. light unhopped malt extract syrup
3.3 lbs extra-light unhopped malt extract syrup
1 cup caramel (crystal) grains, 60° Lovibond
1 teaspoon Irish moss
1.5 oz. Kent Goldings hops
1 oz. Fuggles hops
1 oz. Cascade hops
2 packages of ale yeast (10 to 14 g. total)
2/3 cup corn sugar (for priming)
Step by Step:
Crack the grains and steep for 30 minutes in 2 quarts of water at 160° F. Strain grains
before adding to brewpot for boil. Add 1 oz. Kent Goldings and 0.5 oz. Fuggles and boil for 30
minutes. Add 0.5 oz. Kent Goldings, 0.5 oz. Cascade, and 0.5 oz. Fuggles and boil 10 minutes
more. Add Irish moss and boil 10 minutes, then add 0.5 oz. Cascade for final 5 minutes. Use
0.5 oz. Cascade to dryhop in the secondary. Enjoy soon after bottling and aging.
OG = 1.044 to 1.048
FG = 1.008 to 1.012
Nico Freccia:
Gold Medal Maibock
(5 gallons)
"This is a beer that I've brewed every year for the past three years in late February or early
March to celebrate the coming of spring. It's my all-around favorite brew. It will be medium
amber in color, should have a slight alcohol nose, and a big, sweet, malty palate with very
subtle German hop flavor. To be a true German bock, a beer should have an original gravity of
at least 1.064, and this one does."
Ingredients:
9 lbs. pale malt extract syrup (or about 8.5 lbs. if you1re using dry extract)
1 lb. pale Munich malt
8 oz. dextrin or cara-pils malt
0.75 oz. Northern Brewer or Perle hops (6.8% alpha)
2 oz. German Hallertauer hops (2.6% alpha)
Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager (or any good lager yeast)
Step by Step:
Steep the grains in a grain bag for 30 minutes at 150° F. Remove bag and rinse into brewpot,
then discard grains. Bring water to a boil. Add extract. When it returns to a boil, add the
Northern Brewer hops and boil for 30 minutes. Add 1 oz. Hallertauer hops and boil another 20
minutes. You may need to adjust your amounts for differences in alpha acid. Add 1 oz.
Hallertauer hops and boil 10 more minutes.
I used a Wyeast liquid smack pack that was stepped up into a 0.5-pint starter and then again
into another pint. I recommend culturing up a strong lager yeast for this beer because of the
wort's high gravity and high alcohol content as the beer ferments. Ferment at 50° F for two
weeks, transfer to secondary, and finish for another two weeks. Bottle as usual. Condition at
50° F for a few weeks to develop carbonation. Lager at 32° F for at least three more weeks.
The beer will be crystal clear after a few weeks. You should be able to store it until another
batch is ready next spring.
OG = 1.065 to 1.070
FG = 1.017 to 1.020
Dennis Diny:
Wisconsin Spring Porter
(5 gallons)
"This one is my all-time favorite, and it took a bronze award in the 1994 AHA National
Homebrew Competition. It should be brewed in the spring when the maple sap starts to run."
Ingredients:
3.3 lbs. plain dark malt extract (Northwestern)
1.5 lbs light dry malt extract (Laaglander)
1 lb. crystal malt
0.25 lb. black patent
0.25 lb. roasted barley
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 lb. clover honey
3.5 to 5 gal. maple sap (used as brewing water)
2 oz. Goldings hops
2 tsp. spruce essence (or half of amount recommended on bottle)
0.25 oz. fresh wintergreen leaves (roll in hands to crush)
Yeast Labs English liquid ale yeast in a 1-pint starter
Step by Step:
Steep the grains and remove just prior to the boil. Add malt and boil. At start of boil add 1.5
oz. hops, spruce, and wintergreen. Boil 45 minutes. Add the remaining hops, boil two more
minutes, and cool. Pitch yeast at 70°F.
The maple sap is very important. Get as much as you can. I had to add water to get five
gallons. The taste is very unique and refreshing, with a subtle aftertaste that makes you
want more.
OG = 1.062
FG = 1.020
Jeff Frane:
Short Order Bitter
(5 gallons)
"I like this particular recipe because it is very simple, yet it produces a fine bitter in short
order. Extract beers always seem to come out a lot darker than I hope - in this one, even the
very light extract couldn't keep the color down."
Ingredients:
4 lbs. Alexander1s extra light malt extract syrup
3 lbs. Laaglander dry malt extract
0.5 lbs. Belgian cara-pils
0.5 lbs. Belgian biscuit malt
2 oz. flaked barley
2 oz. Centennial hops (10% alpha)
1 oz. aromatic British hop (e.g. East Kent Golding, Progress, Bramling Cross)
Edme ale yeast
Step by Step:
Crush malts and soak with flaked barley in 1 gallon water at 150° F for about one hour. Rinse
grains with hot water, collecting a total of about 2.5 to 3 gallons for boil. Boil for 15
minutes, then add Centennial hops. Boil 45 minutes more, adding remaining hops for last five
to 10 minutes.
Strain wort into 2.5 gallons pre-boiled, chilled water (to make 5 gallons). Aerate thoroughly,
and pitch a healthy yeast starter. I prefer an open fermenter for primary fermentation. When
kraeusen falls, rack to carboy for secondary fermentation, then bottle or keg by normal
procedures.
OG = 1.048
FG = 1.008
Jim Dorsch:
LFD's Light Honey Ale
(5 gallons) "This light-flavored ale is adapted from a Charlie Papazian recipe. It has a
pleasant honey flavor that satisfies a homebrewer but isn't too challenging to the
non-enthusiast. It's a bit high in alcohol - about 7 percent by volume - so treat it with
respect. LFD are my wife's initials. She likes this recipe!"
Ingredients:
2 tsp. gypsum
4 lbs. light dry malt extract
3 lbs. orange blossom honey
4 oz. Cascade hops (5.8% alpha)
Liquid ale yeast
3/4 cup dextrose
Step by Step:
Boil extract, honey, water crystals and 2 oz. Cascade hops in 1 gallon of water for 50
minutes. Add 1 oz. Cascade and boil 10 minutes more. Add 1 oz. Cascade hops after heat is
cut off. Cool wort, bring to 5 gallons, and pitch yeast. Follow your typical fermentation
procedure, priming with dextrose before bottling.
Variations:
Use dark extract for a light-bodied dark beer. Try a different type of honey. Substitute hop
varieties - perhaps Fuggles for first two additions and Goldings for dry hop.
John Huegel
Maple Brown Ale
(5 gallons)
"This is one of the first recipes I made up, and it is a favorite. The secret is the maple syrup.
I made it with syrup from my dad's trees that was reduced over a wood fire. This gave it a
slightly smoky flavor. The maple and the Cascade hops go well together. Be warned: This is a
strong one."
Ingredients:
3 lbs. hopped amber malt extract
3 lbs. hopped dark malt extract
1 lb. crystal malt, 40° Lovibond
1 quart (3 lbs.) maple syrup
2 oz. Cascade hops
Doric dry ale yeast
3/4 cup sugar
Step by Step:
Rehydrate dry yeast in 1 1/2 cups sterilized water at 80° to 100° F up to an hour before
pitching.
Add grains (in bag) to 1 gallon cold water. Steep until 160° F, hold 15 minutes, remove
grains. Add extract and maple syrup. Boil 55 minutes. Add Cascades and boil for five minutes.
Add 3.5 gallons cold water in carboy. Pitch rehydrated yeast into 7-gallon carboy. Bottle
with sugar dissolved in 2 cups of water.
OG = 1.075
FG = 1.018
John Naleszkiewicz
Indigo Pale Ale
(5 gallons)
"I tend to like the hoppier pale ales (like the IPAs). Here is a nice pale ale that always brings
a smile to my face."
Ingredients:
7 lbs. light malt extract
1 lb. honey
1 oz. Cascade hops
0.25 oz. Hallertauer hops
1 tsp. gypsum
1 tsp. Irish moss
American ale yeast (Wyeast 1056)
3/4 cup light dry malt extract
Step by Step:
Bring extract, honey, and gypsum to a boil. Add 0.5 oz. Cascade hops and boil 45 minutes. Add
Irish moss and another 0.5 oz. Cascade hops and boil 10 minutes. Add 0.25 oz. Hallertauer
hops and boil for five minutes. Cool and adjust volume to 5 gallons. Pitch yeast. Ferment and
bottle with dry malt extract.
OG = 1.054
FG = 1.014
Michael Sabo:
Dry Wheat
(5 gallons)
"If you are into wheat beers you will love this one, but this is not a traditional weizenbier.
My goal was to design a wheat beer that finished very dry without using barley malt. I also
wanted to bring out the flavors created by quality German Weihenstephan yeast. This beer
would be very difficult for an all-grain brewer to produce. It would be a challenge for a
homebrewer to mash 100 percent wheat...How does Ireks produce 100 percent wheat
extract? I haven't a clue, but it tastes great!"
Ingredients:
6.6 lbs. Ireks 100% wheat malt extract
1 lb. dry rice extract
2 oz. Hallertauer whole hops (3.2% alpha)
1/2 tsp. Irish moss
Liquid Wyeast #3068 (Weihenstephan)
3/4 cup of corn sugar
Step by Step:
While the can of malt extract is sealed, heat for 15 minutes in 1 gallon of 150° F water
(removed from burner) to make it easier to pour. Bring 2 gallons of quality bottled water to a
boil. Add wheat malt extract and dry rice extract, stirring constantly to keep from
scorching. Bring wort to a boil for 15 minutes. Add 1 oz. hops. Boil for 15 minutes. Add
remaining hops. Boil 15 more minutes. Add kettle coagulant and boil another 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool to about 150° F.
Add wort to primary and bring total volume to 5.5 gallons with pre-boiled,
room-temperature water. Pitch the yeast. It is critical that you use Weihenstephan; do not
substitute any other.
Ferment in primary for three days. Secondary fermentation is usually complete in five to
seven days. Prime with corn sugar. Leave bottles at room temperature for two weeks. Place
in refrigerator for four to six weeks. This will remove the chill haze common to wheat
beers. This beer will mature over eight to 10 weeks.
Rich Curtin:
Maple Surprise
(5 gallons)
"This recipe is a classic example of the 'barter system' at work. I helped a friend collect the
sap from his maple trees. In return he gave me a few gallons of the best maple syrup I have
ever tasted, and I gave him some of the best beer he's ever tasted!"
Ingredients:
3.5 lbs. John Bull Lager (hopped) malt extract syrup
2 qts. maple syrup
1.5 oz. Cascade hops
1/2 tsp. Irish moss
Dry ale yeast
3/4 cup of corn sugar
Step by Step:
Bring malt extract, maple syrup, and 1.5 gallons of water to a boil. Add 1 oz. hops and boil
for 30 minutes. Add 0.5 oz. hops and Irish moss and boil for 15 minutes. Sparge with 3.5
gallons cold water into fermenter. Pitch yeast when temperature reaches 80° F. Ferment for
seven days in primary, then rack to secondary for five days. Bottle and age at least two
weeks.
OG = 1.044
FG = 1.014
Sal Emma:
Old Coot
(5 gallons)
"I racked this to secondary after six days and bottled it 10 days later. It was excellent. The
malto-dextrin gave it just a hint of sweetness without being syrupy, and it had excellent
body. The demerara provided extra alcohol and the molasses gave it a unique warm and cozy
feeling. I was trying to copy Old Peculier but was unsuccessful. Old Coot is a really tasty and
satisfying strong brown."
Ingredients:
8 oz. roasted barley
4 oz. British crystal malt
4 lbs. dark liquid extract, unhopped
2 lbs. demerara sugar
1 cup black strap molasses
1/2 lb. malto-dextrin
1.5 oz. Northern Brewer pellets (7% alpha)
2.5 oz. Fuggles pellets (4.5% alpha)
1 tsp. Irish moss
Wyeast 1028 London Ale yeast
Step by Step:
Two to three days before brewing, activate yeast and make a starter. On brew day crush the
grains, wrap them in a straining bag, and steep them in the brew pot, keeping the water
around 160° F for 30 minutes.
Remove the grains, let them drain into the brewpot, and discard. Bring liquid to a boil,
remove from heat, and add malt extract. Stir well. Return to boil. Add sugar and
malto-dextrin and stir well. Return to boil. Add Northern Brewer hops and 0.5 oz. Fuggles and
boil 45 minutes. Add 1.5 oz. Fuggles and Irish moss and boil 15 minutes more. Cool, rack to
fermenter, and pitch starter.
OG = 1.046
Daria Labinsky:
Orange Blossom Special
(5 gallons)
"This light, effervescent beer has a lovely honey color with a fluffy, white head. We like to
drink it chilled during warm-weather months. The fresh orange peel and coriander produce a
flavor reminiscent of a fine orange liqueur, and the sweet, Belgian-yeast taste comes
through strongly. It is based on a recipe in The Complete Joy of Homebrewing."
Ingredients:
5 lbs. extra-light dried malt extract
3 lbs. honey
2 oz. Hallertauer hops (4-6% alpha)
2 oz. freshly crushed coriander seeds
1 oz. freshly grated orange peel
Wyeast 1214 Belgian ale yeast
1 1/4 cup dried malt extract
Step by Step:
Prepare yeast starter culture in advance. On brew day add malt extract, honey, and 1 oz. hops
to 1.5 gallons water and boil for one hour. Add 1 oz. crushed coriander and 0.5 oz. hops and
boil for 10 minutes. Add remaining coriander and orange peel and boil for three minutes. Add
remaining hops and boil for two minutes.
Pour two gallons of cold water into fermenter and sparge wort into fermenter. Top off with
water to equal five gallons. Follow normal fermentation procedures (five days in primary, a
week in secondary), prime, and bottle as usual. Age two weeks.
About the Ingredients:
You'll get a stronger fermentation if you culture the yeast before adding it to the wort; just
remember to start a day or two before you plan to brew. Otherwise, use one package of dried
ale yeast and rehydrate it before pitching.
Different kinds of honey impart different flavors to beer. I used clover honey from the
supermarket, but some swear by honey purchased directly from a beekeeper.
Grind the coriander seeds shortly before brewing; don't use the already-ground kind. Fresh
orange peel adds a more intense flavor than dried peel from the supermarket.
Sam Wammack:
Old Yellow Dog Lager
(5 gallons)
"This one is not to be confused with Yellow Dog Malt Extract (the beer recipe came first). I
first made this beer in 1987 and won a nationwide competition with it. Yellow Dog is even
better if cold lagered with a liquid lager yeast."
Ingredients:
1 oz. chocolate malt (not crushed)
11 oz. Dutch light dry malt
1 can Alexander's malt extract
0.75 oz. Cluster hop pellets
0.5 oz. Hallertauer hop pellets
European lager yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar
1/2 tsp. Irish moss flakes
Step by Step:
Heat five gallons of water and uncrushed chocolate malt. Remove the chocolate malt when
the water reaches 170° F. When water boils, turn off heat and stir in malt extracts. Resume
boil, add the Cluster pellets, and boil for 45 minutes. Add Irish moss and boil 15 more
minutes. Turn off heat, stir in the Hallertauer pellets, and let sit for a few minutes.
Cool the wort to 70° F and siphon into a primary fermenter. Pitch yeast into the stream
going into the primary. When you reach the bottom of the brewpot, carefully siphon the clear
wort off and leave the trub and hop particles behind. Use a two-stage closed fermentation,
siphoning into a secondary fermenter when the kraeusen has dropped from the beer in the
primary. Bottle after fermentation is done and the beer has become clear in the secondary
fermenter.
OG = 1.036
FG = 1.008
Scott Russell:
My Favorite Märzen
(5 gallons)
"This is an Oktoberfest-style ale with a lovely, toasty flavor underlying the hops and the
rich maltiness. I know it is not quite authentic, but boy is it nice!"
Ingredients:
1 lb. toasted and cracked lager malt
0.5 lb. Munich malt
0.5 lb. chocolate malt
3 lbs. unhopped amber dry malt extract
6 lbs. unhopped amber extract syrup
2 oz. Hallertauer hop pellets
1 oz. Spalter pellets
1 oz. Mt. Hood pellets
11.5 g. Edme ale yeast
Step by Step:
Toast lager malt in a 350° F oven for 10 minutes. Crack all three malts and add them to 2.5
gallons cold water (in grain bags), steeping while bringing the water to 170° F. Remove
grains to a colander suspended over your fermenter, and sparge with 2 quarts preboiled 170°
F water. Add unhopped amber dry malt extract (reserving 1 cup for priming) and unhopped
amber extract syrup to the kettle, stirring to avoid scorching.
Bring up to a full boil and add Hallertauer pellets. Boil for 30 minutes. Add Spalter pellets
and boil an additional 15. Remove from heat. Pour into sanitized fermenter, add 3 gallons
cold water and Mt. Hood pellets. Let cool. Pitch the yeast. When wort hits 75° F, seal and
ferment as usual. Rack after five days, let settle six more. Bottle, priming with reserved dry
malt extract. Age cool (45° to 50° F) for four weeks or more.
OG = 1.055 to 1.058
FG = 1.012 to 1.015
Tom Fuller:
Maple Porter
(5 gallons)
"Being from Michigan, I really enjoy trying to use as much of the Michigan resources as I can.
Lots of great produce is grown in Michigan, and so are maple trees. Maple syrup is a Michigan
staple, and it seems only natural that it end up in Michigan beer. The best part of this beer is
that not only is the maple quite evident in the flavor but in the aroma also."
Ingredients:
6.6 lbs. unhopped light malt extract syrup
2 lbs. light dry malt extract
0.25 lbs. black malt
0.5 lbs. roasted malt
10 oz. chocolate malt
0.75 lb. caramel (crystal) malt, 50° Lovibond
1.5 oz. Northern Brewer hops
16 oz. maple syrup
Wyeast 1098
Step by Step:
Add the crushed grain in a grain bag to 1.5 gallons of water in the kettle. Bring to a boil.
Remove the grain just before boil begins. Add the extract and bring to a rolling boil. Add
hops, and boil for one hour. Pour in maple syrup two minutes before the end of boil. Strain
the wort into a fermenter containing 3.5 gallons of cold water. Top up the fermenter to 5
gallons. Pitch the yeast and wait for the goodness.
OG = 1.070
FG = 1.016 |
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