Designing Your Own Beer Kits, No Boiling Required

[LordEoin]

From Dirk in Brouland's Technical Department, regarding Isomerised Hop Extract, iso alha acidity 6%:
"1ml of this extract into 10 liter increases the IBU with 4."
If you put that in the product description, you're bound to sell more of them

So, based on that...
1ml = 40 IBU in 1L
vol hop extract (ml) = [bitterness (IBU) X Vol of beer(L)]/40

for 25L at 30 IBU:
vol hop extract (ml) = [30 X 25]/40 = 750/40 = 18.75ml
18.75 ml gives 30IBU in 25liters

but it comes in a 30 ml bottle, so lets see what 15ml (half the bottle) would do:
15 = (IBU X 25)/40
600 = IBU X 25
24 = IBU
half bottle gives 24IBU in 25 Liters

Still waiting on a reply from Ritchies

[Dunkel]

As a born-again newbie, I was wondering about the liquid malt extract. 30 years ago, when I last messed around with this stuff, I found it best to boil to get rid of a "malt extract tang" which I associated with the wort not having been boiled and gone through a hot break before concentration. Would that be the case here, or has LME been improved over the years? Probably the latter. Or am I just confused

[HomeBrewWest]

From Dirk in Brouland's Technical Department, regarding Isomerised Hop Extract, iso alha acidity 6%:
"1ml of this extract into 10 liter increases the IBU with 4."
If you put that in the product description, you're bound to sell more of them

So, based on that...
1ml = 40 IBU in 1L
vol hop extract (ml) = [bitterness (IBU) X Vol of beer(L)]/40

for 25L at 30 IBU:
vol hop extract (ml) = [30 X 25]/40 = 750/40 = 18.75ml
18.75 ml gives 30IBU in 25liters

but it comes in a 30 ml bottle, so lets see what 15ml (half the bottle) would do:
15 = (IBU X 25)/40
600 = IBU X 25
24 = IBU
half bottle gives 24IBU in 25 Liters

Still waiting on a reply from Ritchies

Done, thanks. Dirk is a good guy, met him over there a few weeks ago. But we sell it in 100ml bottles. Maybe we should get the 30ml one, but its much more expensive per ml. Hmmm, maybe we should sell syringes for measuring out the stuff too, or do you think one of these would do: http://www.homebrewwest.ie/measuring-cylinder-graduated-glass-10-ml-1763-p.asp ?

[LordEoin]

@Dunkel - I couldn't tell you. Thirty years ago i had just fallen out of my mother. I don't get any tang off it though.

@HBW - Sorry, I didn't notice you had the 100ml bottles. I was looking at the Broulands' site.
at €4.51 for 5 batches worth, I doubt there's be a point in having the smaller 30ml ones.
Either would do for measuring, but I'd  buy syringes over glass. I currently buy them from the vet or co-op and they only cost a few pence

[HomeBrewWest]

Ever walk into a pharmacy and ask for a syringe? Those 10 cc are tiny though, would take a steady hand. Only about 6mm ID at best.

[Ciderhead]

all the time I put a metabisulphite tablet in it fill it with water and they are great for injecting into bubblers without putting water everywhere

[LordEoin]

This is my 10ml from the vet.
It's no bother to get down to about a quarter ml
I use it all the time

[Padraic]

Some great points raised in this thread, I've missed it as I don't visit the kit section as often as I should!

I'm tempted to get a syringe now and some iso-alpha acid extract. I might even get them just to mess around and see if I can make [insert macro lager] taste more to my liking! It's a pity the aroma extracts are randomly called citrussy, floral etc. It would be great if we could get specific hops! But that's probably not commercially viable...

[LordEoin]

I suppose that if they named them after specific hops there'd be legal problems with patented hops like Amarillo.

[Padraic]

I suppose that if they named them after specific hops there'd be legal problems with patented hops like Amarillo.

I would have thought not if they were distilled from said hop, but I also guess that these aroma drops are probably not 100% hop based?!

[HomeBrewWest]

I would have thought not if they were distilled from said hop, but I also guess that these aroma drops are probably not 100% hop based?!

I think they actually are 100% hop based. This is from the Brouwland site:

"Increase the hop flavour in your beer or give it a unique touch without increasing the bitterness. The BREWFERM HOPAROMAS are specific flavour components, coming from the hop oils from pure hops. They are won out of a unique combination of extraction and distillation. Depending on the used extraction and distillation method, a specific flavour component is released. This flavour has a very distinguished profile. The BREWFERM HOPAROMAS can be added just before bottling. "

Sounds a bit like natural oil extraction from plants and flowers. Ever wonder why flowers smell different at different times of the day? Apparently, its got to do with temperature. Different aromas are released at different temperatures. Sounds like this is also how the hop essences are created (distilled at different temperatures).

[onesoma]

You can buy down to 5 / 10ml syringes in most chemists for less than 50c - and they haven't blinked an eyelid at me whenever I've done it.

With a 5 ml you could measure down to a half ml very handily.

[Will_D]

You can buy down to 5 / 10ml syringes in most chemists for less than 50c - and they haven't blinked an eyelid at me whenever I've done it.

With a 5 ml you could measure down to a half ml very handily.

Thats because you left the NHC hoodie in the car boot ye?

I assume you do have an NHC Hoody?

They are der-rigeur for the next seasson ( forget summer, thats tommorrow, I am talking of next winter ( September))

[onesoma]

I gotta get one. They must have not blinked an eyelid for some other reason... 

[LordEoin]

"Hello lovely Mr Chemist! I'd like new syringes and some citric acid please. Don't judge me! Homebrewing's addictive. I need another fix, man..."