The Beer Circle » Brew It Yourself » Novice Homebrewer: Converting All-Grain to Extract
Novice Homebrewer: Converting All-Grain to Extract
For my most recent homebrew, I was looking to make a chocolate stout, preferably using the locally produced Wilbur Chocolate in Lititz, PA. To my surprise, I was able to find a recipe entitled Wilbur Bud Chocolate Stout, but alas, it was a 12-gallon batch, all-grain recipe. Thanks to a simple search, I found some great advice on how to convert such a recipe.
Here are the main rules of thumb to help with converting:
1. Convert the base malt in the recipe to a equivalent amount of extract by taking the base malt and multiplying by 0.75 (i.e. 1 LB base malt = 0.75 LB malt extract).
2. Adjust the beer color by using a lighter color SRM or Lovibond in the specialty grains.
3. Match the bitterness by adding some more hops into the recipe – easy rule of thumb is ~20%.
First, I adjusted the batch size proportionally to a 5-gallon all grain recipe. Then following the recommendations of the aforementioned link, I converted the Pale Malt into the corresponding amount of Liquid Malt Extract required. I adjusted the color by altering the Caramel Malt to 60L, and rounded up the hop portions I had proportionally decreased from 12 gallons. Below is my final result:
- 5 lb Pale Liquid Malt Extract (3.0 SRM)
- 1 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt – 60L
- 1 lb Chocolate Malt (350 SRM)
- 1/2 lb Roasted Barley (300 SRM)
- 1 oz Northern Brewer Hops [8.0%] – 60 min
- 1/2 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.8%] – 20 min
- 1.25 oz Wilbur Milk Chocolate – 15 min
- 1/2 lb Lactose – 15 min
- 1 tsp Irish Moss – 10 min
- 4 oz Wilbur Cocoa Powder – 0 min
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract – 0 min
- 1 pkg Dry English Ale (White Labs WLP007)
- 1/2 oz Chocolate Extract
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.012
- Steep grains (Caramel and Chocolate Malt, Barley) at 150-165 F for 20 min
- Bring to boil, add LME
- Follow hop schedule, 60 minute overall boil.
- Pitch yeast, 2 weeks Primary, bottle with Chocolate Extract.
This was obviously my first time attempt at this, so I had no clue how well the end result would turn out. I was pleasantly surprised a month later (when I tasted my first bottle) that it turned out half-decently. It is very dark, as you can see in the photo. I got a higher finishing gravity than I expected, but judging by the foamy head, it did a lot more during bottle conditioning to make up for it. It tastes of milk chocolate with a dark stout undertone.
I’d enjoy any feedback or suggestions I should take into consideration next time I convert a recipe!
Filed under: Brew It Yourself · Tags: Homebrewing
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