Hi, I did some googling about mini-mash and came across with this video: I'm seeing a couple of (new) things for the first time, so I'm not sure what to make out of that. 1. He added DME AFTER the boil. I know about late extract addition, but I never know that you can add it after the boil and just mix it?? Is that really OK? Doesn't extract need to be boiled for at least 15 mins?? 2. Adding ice to cool down the wort. I usually add water to top off, but I never thought about adding ice. I guess the advantage is to top off + cool down the wort quickly. But I think I recall reading somewhere (don't exactly remember why), that you should not add ice?? Again, not too sure about this. Is it OK to add ice? Thanks.
Some people worry that ice can be unsanitary and a potential source of contamination, so the general advice is to avoid this unless you can make the ice yourself with a sanitary process (i.e., in a sealed, sanitized plastic container). Sure, you can add DME at the end of the boil, this is especially done in partial boil extract batches to reduce caramelization which will make light colored beers come out darker than intended.
If I can add extract at the end of the boil, then the only reason to add it in the beginning is to keep company with the hops. True? Then question, how much, at the minimal, of extract should I add to make the hops happy?
I think that those homebrewers who say that DME (or LME) needs to be boiled are just thinking about the possible contamination of the product as it is poured into the boiled wort. Reduced caramelization and wort darkening are also benefits of late addition as well as post boil of these products.
Yea, the reason to boil DME is to make sure your wort is bug free, like Mothergoose said. Also, it dissolves easier the hotter the water is, so that is another consideration (though the difference probably is negligible at just below roiling boil). I think depending on the size of your boil, half a pound should be plenty. You don't want to add ice if you are doing a full boil, because you may exceed your desired volume. But if you are topping off, I think its fine. Like someone said above you have to use homemade ice, made with the water you want and in a sanitized container. It's definitely possible though, and it greatly helps in chilling to pitching temps if you don't have a wort chiller. I have been doing this for 6 years and have never noticed any problem I can attribute to the ice. One more thing is be careful when adding the ice because it can splash and wort is hot.
Part 1: just get a friggin' wort chiller. Trying to make beer without a wort chiller and without fermentation temperature control is like pissin' into the wind. Part 2: barely. Oft mentioned but rarely observed.
I don't see any need to worry about contaminants in the product, it's the use of unsanitized scissors to open the package as well as the outside of the package itself that may contain that one little bug that you don't need that can come into contact with your wort.
Yeah, you make a valid point. I always boil my extract, or steep it at high enough temps. For the time, money and effort we all put into this hobby there is no sense in taking unnecessary risks.
For chilling my wort is there any reason not to almost freeze a few gallons of water then dump it to top off for fermentation? I have to think that will cool it down, no?
As long as the water (and its container) was sanitized (for example, by boiling the water and by using Starsan solution for the container) before almost freezing, there's no reason this couldn't work. But you'd need to pay attention to the wort temp and the water temp and the relative volumes if you want to chill to a specific temp.
