Making Tea from grains? Will this work for tasting purposes?

Hey guys.

See subject. Could I make small teas with different specialty malts to get a better idea of some of the tastes of these without actually brewing a batch?
I've predominately used biscuit and some crystal for my IPA's and lighter ales, while I've used some choco malt, roasted barley for my stouts/porters.
Just curious because I feel like there are so many specialties available that I barely see in any recipes.

Sure. Some of the nuances are difference once fermented, but the tea would give you a pretty good idea.

Get a french press coffee pot, and brew up a bunch of grain teas.



The Basic Brewing guys also did a series of interesting videos on the topic.

January 28, 2008 - Specialty Grains
James and Steve steep up some specialty grains to compare how they look and taste.

click to view Mp-4 or Flash

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May 15, 2008 - Base Malt Experiment
We get unexpected results when we compare unhopped beers made with three different base malts.

click to view Mp-4 or Flash

Click to expand...

May 28, 2008 - Base Malt Experiment II
Our Base Malt Experiment continues as we compare beer with and wtihout hops.

click to view Mp-4 or Flash

Click to expand...

August 8, 2008 - Base Malt Experiment III
It's the final installment of the Base Malt Experiment as we use liquid yeast to ferment beers made with and without hops.

click to view Mp-4 or Flash

Click to expand...

That's great.
Thanks guys. It was good to see that they recommended doing the "tea" tasting at cool temps to bring the flavor out more.
I would not have thought of that. Gonna head to the LHBS and annoy the guy buy asking him for 1 oz of like 15 specialties lol.

You can also just munch on some dry grain. Obviously not the same thing, but it does give a very good idea of the flavor. I do that pretty much every time I'm picking up grain.