Steeping Grains

[benny_bjc]

Hello,

I mainly brew Pale Ales, AIPA, Double IPA's and Heavy Stouts. (I generally use extract can + extra malt + hops + steeping grains.)


What common steeping grains should I buy to add to my inventory for future brews??? (I will be purchasing from craftbrewer website)

Also I find it difficult to work out how much of each grain I would steep in a particular brew to achieve a desirable effect - Do people just learn this from trial and error over many brew?

Thanks!

 

[MarkBastard]

For your second question, look up some recipes and work it out that way.

 

[benny_bjc]

For your second question, look up some recipes and work it out that way.

The thing is I find most the recipes on the forum - or atleast the ones I'm checking out are All Grain.

 

[bum]

Also I find it difficult to work out how much of each grain I would steep in a particular brew to achieve a desirable effect - Do people just learn this from trial and error over many brew?

Personally, I read a lot of posts. I don't mean to imply that I have all the answers but I do find I get a better idea of how to head where I want to go with my brewing by discovering and trying to understand other peoples' perspectives.

I also drink as many commercial examples as I can and seek out recipes for clones/tributes to see what other people think contributes to the beers I like.

 

[andrewl]

You could also use beersmith to some effect. I have in the past and its come out almost exactly as planned.

 

[manticle]

The thing is I find most the recipes on the forum - or atleast the ones I'm checking out are All Grain.

The amounts of spec grain that I use for my AG brews are similar to that which I used in my extracts and partials. When you look at an AG recipe you like the sound of, substitute the base malt for extract (rough equivalent in terms of colour etc) and use the same spec grain amounts and approximate hopping schedule. Hopefully this isn't patronising but be aware that the recipes in the db are all for different volumes so scale up or down as required. One thing I learnt after my first one or two extracts is that even a black beer should be mainly paler malt with spec grains to make up the colour and special flavour profile.

Alternatively use software to calculate colour and trial and error to calculate flavour. Keeping the spec malt bill similar so you can judge the effects of each. Trial and error always helps in anything but you can take a bit of the guesswork out.

For stouts I would recommend you get choc malt, black patent and roast Barley. Crystal malts are commonly used in many different brews- looks like a lighter crystal might be good for you. I'm not a brewer of APAs etc so someone else might have better advice there.

 

[boingk]

I'll run you through what I have, as I brew some similar styles and have the grains there ready to go for most of them.

Wheat [1kg]
Crystal 60 & 120 [1kg packs]
Chocolate [1kg]
Black Patent [500g]

That seems to cover the basics for most situations and then I've got some Munich and Amber malted grains for European Lagers and English Bitters, respectively.

You may wish to increase the amounts there if you brew a lot or often. Hell, get the most you can at one time to save on postage.

Cheers - boingk

 

[Fourstar]

I'll run you through what I have, as I brew some similar styles and have the grains there ready to go for most of them.
Wheat [1kg]

If you are only steeping beer007, i'd shy away from Wheat as it needs to convert (be mashed) to be fermentable. If Boingk uses this for head retention, you can sub it with carapils or crystal malts. Carapils is usually preferred as it doesnt impart excessive colour or flavour.

Cheers B)

 

[crozdog]

If you are only steeping beer007, i'd shy away from Wheat as it needs to convert (be mashed) to be fermentable. If Boingk uses this for head retention, you can sub it with carapils or crystal malts. Carapils is usually preferred as it doesnt impart excessive colour or flavour.

Cheers B)

Like wheat, Munich needs to be mashed. I'm sure Amber does too. Avoid em unless you're doing a mash, cause you won't convert the starch to sugars in a steep, resulting in a hazy product

You might want to consider Caraaroma, it adds strong caramel flavor, red color, and malty aroma. :icon_drool2:

The chart at http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Malts_Chart will be useful as it shows if mash needed (for steeping use those that don't need to be mashed) as well as the flavours & characteristics imparted by each grain.

beers
Crozdog

 

[glaab]

I whack in 300g Crapils in everything for body and head retention but if color isn't an issue I use Carared
, it'll give you better head than Anna Nicole !! :icon_cheers: , freakin' genius !!

 

[benny_bjc]

I'll run you through what I have, as I brew some similar styles and have the grains there ready to go for most of them.

Wheat [1kg]
Crystal 60 & 120 [1kg packs]
Chocolate [1kg]
Black Patent [500g]

That seems to cover the basics for most situations and then I've got some Munich and Amber malted grains for European Lagers and English Bitters, respectively.

You may wish to increase the amounts there if you brew a lot or often. Hell, get the most you can at one time to save on postage.

Cheers - boingk

When you say Crystal 60 is that Crystal Pale?
and is Crystal 120 Crystal Dark?

the craftbrewer website only have pale, medium and dark as far as I can see.

Thanks

 

[Fourstar]

When you say Crystal 60 is that Crystal Pale?
and is Crystal 120 Crystal Dark?
the craftbrewer website only have pale, medium and dark as far as I can see.
Thanks

Medium is usually 60L, such as Caramunich.
Dark is usually 80-120L Such as JW Dark Crystal up to Caraaroma as the darkest @ 120L+

Personally i consider malts like caraaroma to be Ultra Dark Crystals and treat them as the outlier of the darkest crystal @ 120L+. not as just 'dark crystal.

Anything from 80L-120L to me is just a dark crystal.

 

[Nick JD]

Can't go wrong with a couple of kgs of carapils, and then I'd suggest buying by EBC.

50, 400, 1000 - remembering that the higher the number, the less you tend to use.