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Brewing Beer
Fri, May 12 2006

Topic: Malt Extract
I started my 7th batch of malt extract beer on May 1, using a pound of malt extract and 3 quarts of water, along with 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar and 300 mls of a sugar syrup made of sugar and water in a 2:1 proportion.

I am using the proper ale yeast for the first time in this brew. It foamed up right away with a beautiful, creamy foam, but then the next day it died down.

I decided to add some other grains. I put 6 Tbls of ground barley into a quart of water, brought itt to a boil and boiled until the barley flour was cooked. I took it off the heat and added another quart of cold water to it so it wasn't too hot and poured it into the brew, along with another 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar.

That worked great. By the next morning there was a solid layer of foam on top of the batch and I could hear it fizzing when I walked into the room. I will definitely use that formula for making beer from now on: malt extract + mixed ground grains + sugar + cream of tartar.

The fizzing/fermentation lasted until May 10, longer than usual because it was interrupted in the middle. I decided to bottle right away as I am out of beer at the moment and in a hurry to get more. I poured it into another container, leaving behind the sediment, and let it set for a few hours. Then I poured it into pouring jugs to pour into bottles. This is not "regulation" procedure as you're supposed to do a whole lot more siphoning and clarifying, but it gets the job done. And if the beer is a little bit cloudier for it, the cloudiness is caused by yeast that will probably add flavor to the final product and are good for you anyway. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :-) )

I put 1/4 tsp of granulated white sugar into each pint of liquid as a primer, still using the plastic soda pop bottles. Screwed the caps on tight and put the bottles in an out-of-the-way place.

Final recipe:

1 pound malt extract
150 mls 1:1 sugar syrup
6 Tablespoons of ground barley
1 1/2 tsps cream of tartar
5 quarts of water

Posted Charlotte O'Neil at 8:41 AM BST
Updated: Fri, May 12 2006 8:57 PM BST
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