Grain shopping list / favorite grains

Anything and everything about beer and brewing it.
Post Reply
User avatar
SandyM
Posts: 300
Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 9:28 am

Grain shopping list / favorite grains

Post by SandyM »

Myself and Conor just placed a fairly large order for a wide range of grains to experiment with and so that we would have a good stock. I think we both have a few recipes in mind which obviously influenced what we bought but we will definitely have plenty left over to have a play with after.

I was wondering which grains you lot favored most and why? Clearly this depends on what you are making but is there a grain you favor most as it adds a certain character you like? Also, what grains (other than Maris Otter obviously) do you generally keep in stock?

What about hops?
Burns stuff. And makes beer. Usually not at the same time.
User avatar
I_used_to_brew
Posts: 2356
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:06 pm

Re: Grain shopping list / favorite grains

Post by I_used_to_brew »

I keep a stock of MO pale and Munich as my base grains. I try and keep a stock of crystal, black and brown, wheat and chocolate malts as well as other unmalted adjuncts such as roast barley, flaked barley and terrified wheat. When I use something up, I replace it. Although I really don't like the flavour of terrified wheat and I've not used crystal in ages so won't be replacing them.


Hops - well, you can't go wrong with Fuggles and Goldings for the vast majority of British beer styles. Noble hops work well in lots of l*ger styles so I might suggest Saaz and also Styrian Goldings (which also works well in British beer styles).

The "C" range of American hops are good ones to try too.
User avatar
SteveW
Posts: 264
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 5:53 pm

Re: Grain shopping list / favorite grains

Post by SteveW »

I always have lots of Amber malt as a 'replacement' for crystal malt as I like old beer styles along with Chocolate and Brown Malts.

I use caramalt and carapils in some lighter Ales to good effect.

I wish that a good supply of 'Pale Amber' was available, as the late John Harrison of the Durden Park Beer Circle reckons some fantastic beers can be made with it.

I also keep some black malt handy as I REALLY like my dark Ales.

I will experiment with Carapils and Munich as replacements for Pale Amber as he suggests in his book 'Old British Beers.......'.

Would anyone be up for splitting a sack of Brown and or Amber malt in the semi-near future?
I could get through 12 Kg of each without a problem!

I'd like to try slightly 'roasting' 'a la Harrison' some pale malt to see what that gives in terms of flavour!

As to Hops I keep a stock of Goldings and Fuggles and latterly a stock of American hops such as cascade. I think motueka , Simcoe and Amarillo will be recurrent additions.

I am looking forward to trialling other American hops, as the bulk buying expands to new (for me), Frontiers!
The craft beer revolution will not be sanitised!
(Apologies to Gil Scott-Heron)
tim__k
Posts: 65
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:59 pm

Re: Grain shopping list / favorite grains

Post by tim__k »

Hi Steve

I'd be interested in splitting a sack of Amber with you. I've only started using it in the last couple of months but it's really versatile. Works in British and Belgian styles really well.

If you're looking for something like Amber or Munich but a bit paler you could try Vienna. Its quite similar to Munich but with less colour, and less toastiness but similar.

I have found some of the darker roasts like chocolate a bit harsh in anything but very small quantities.

Cheers, Tim
The Terrace Brewery - brewing on terraces since 2009
User avatar
SteveW
Posts: 264
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 5:53 pm

Re: Grain shopping list / favorite grains

Post by SteveW »

Great news Tim!

I'll put in an order for 25Kg of Amber in the next Bulk Order we do.

We'll have to talk logistics of pick-up or delivery depending on the geography.

Anyone Interested in Splitting a Sack Of Brown Malt?
The craft beer revolution will not be sanitised!
(Apologies to Gil Scott-Heron)
User avatar
alikocho
Posts: 1540
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 8:31 am

Re: Grain shopping list / favorite grains

Post by alikocho »

I think part of the question is not what a basic stock looks like (Roger summed this up pretty well), but what some of the more specialty malts you might want are that add complexity to a beer. For pale ales I like Belgian Biscuit (the equivalent of US Victory), to get that dark fruit flavour in a big beer I like Belgian Special B, and my Black IPA uses German dehusked Carafa. These tend to be more expensive, but they are worth it to give that special character.

I've just got Gordon Strong's new book Brewing Better Beer which has some great thoughts on understanding different malts and tasting them. This is something we'll cover on the BJCP course, but might be an activity we could devote a meeting to if between us we had a good range of malts.
Ali

BJCP National Judge
BJCP Assistant Regional Director (North-East/Europe)
American Homebrewers' Association International Subcommittee
Organizer, National Homebrew Competition
CBA UK Competition and Training Coordinator

http://serenbrewing.com
User avatar
I_used_to_brew
Posts: 2356
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:06 pm

Re: Grain shopping list / favorite grains

Post by I_used_to_brew »

Perhaps I'm not very adventurous but unless I understand how a malt pans out in a known recipe and vary the ratios to test the effect I wouldn't just try a new malt for the sake of it. I can safely say that I really dislike the flavour of terrified wheat and that a kilo of black malt could well last you a lifetime!

Likewise with hops, you can see a range of flavour effect depending on when they are used in the copper, experiencing these variations is invaluable.
User avatar
SandyM
Posts: 300
Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 9:28 am

Re: Grain shopping list / favorite grains

Post by SandyM »

I think a session of tasting to understand malts would be great Ali. I have been researching a little (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mash_ingredients was great for a basic understanding of what different malts do) but without trying them in beer it is hard to see how they end up. I'm definitely in favour of a BBC session aside from the BJCP course.

Over time i'm sure I will come to have a better understanding from my own experience but at the moment i'm kind of throwing flavours I like at each other to see what happens. I haven't made it much past pale ales yet, I have an amber in the bottle which i quite liked the taste of just before I bottled but I think it could be a bit more complex.
Burns stuff. And makes beer. Usually not at the same time.
Post Reply