# Speciality Grain



## humulus (27/7/11)

Brewers im in the middle of getting my S--t sorted and its time to start getting bulk grain,ive got a dozen 2kg containers and id like to order some speciality grains in small volumes 1-2kg, mainly do 20l batches what do you guys/girls recommend?? as to what style i like,how long is a piece of string?
Any heads up would be appreciated!
cheers humulus :icon_cheers:


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## Nick JD (27/7/11)

What kind of beers do you like to make?


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (27/7/11)

I like to brew plenty of darker APA and AAA, and some British Ales and Malty Lagers, so I pretty well use Caramunich I as my "darkening and maltiness-ing" 2ndary grain. I use Rye, Crystal, Smoked, Wheat, etc etc etc to bulk out various recipes, but inevitably Caramunich I will make it in there somewhere along the line. I generally construct one of those above recipes as x kg of base, 200g-300g Caramunich I and then the rest of my specs around it, using my hops to balance to where I would like a recipe to be.

Like Nick said, what do you brew?

Goomba


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## mje1980 (27/7/11)

Great answer NJD. 

Im a UK ale man, and my go to spec malts for those beers are :

1.) Wey caramunich 3. Lovely lovely spec malt. 

2.) Simpsons heritage crystal. Just starting to play with this one and it may replace the above.

3.) Spec B. In small amounts combined with the above, yum didleedumscious.

4.) Pale choc. For milds,browns etc i love it. 

5.) Wey abbey malt. Good sub for biscuit. Very nice malty toasty flavour with this. Used it up to 40% in a brown. Droooooool!

Try as many as you can, but make sure you try the same spec malt in 2 or 3 beers to see if you like them.


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## humulus (27/7/11)

Nick JD said:


> What kind of beers do you like to make?


NJD love my dark,malty profile with big mouthfeel this time of the year, lagers and crisp pilsners when the weather warms up,and SWAMBO loves a wheat or wit beer as well!!!


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## mwd (27/7/11)

humulus said:


> NJD love my dark,malty profile with big mouthfeel this time of the year, lagers and crisp pilsners when the weather warms up,and SWAMBO loves a wheat or wit beer as well!!!



A good medium crystal malt should cover you for most of your ales.

Crystal-Heritage is very tasty CB crystal heritage


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## Nick JD (28/7/11)

I like the Weyermann stuff. Caraaroma is my all-time favourite (it's quite dark) - and the cupboard always has Caramunich (2 and 3), Carabohemian, Melanoidin, Caramel Wheat and a big ol' sack of Barret Burston's Caramalt.

I've never met a spec malt I didn't like. Oh, wait - can't stand the rye stuff! Tastes like dishcloths. :blink:


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## humulus (28/7/11)

Nick JD said:


> I like the Weyermann stuff. Caraaroma is my all-time favourite (it's quite dark) - and the cupboard always has Caramunich (2 and 3), Carabohemian, Melanoidin, Caramel Wheat and a big ol' sack of Barret Burston's Caramalt.
> 
> I've never met a spec malt I didn't like. Oh, wait - can't stand the rye stuff! Tastes like dishcloths. :blink:


NJD you just about summed up my rough list,how do you store your small amounts of grain,im thinking 2l cordial bottles or something similar what do you reckon?


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## RdeVjun (28/7/11)

humulus, depending upon your supplier, it usually comes sealed in a plastic bag, so I just leave it in that until required. Once opened, I just twist it up and secure with some gaffa to prevent any more contact with the air. You could transfer to a container if you wanted, but I don't see the point, plus it has the remainder of the container space is filled with fresh air, whereas a twisted up bag doesn't have that extra airspace. I've had no trouble with spoilage, keeps for months if not longer.


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## bignath (28/7/11)

Aromatic Malt - i could literally just sit down with a bowl and spoon and go beserk. Taste's a lot like jatz crackers.

Maybe do some aromatic malt, with some nice cheeses and quince paste........


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## humulus (28/7/11)

Big Nath said:


> Aromatic Malt - i could literally just sit down with a bowl and spoon and go beserk. Taste's a lot like jatz crackers.
> 
> Maybe do some aromatic malt, with some nice cheeses and quince paste........


MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....Quince paste! :icon_cheers:


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