AG basics

So, I am VERY new to brewing with only one extract brew under my belt. But necessity has pushed me to go AG very early. I live in Taiwan where there is not a single brew shop, but I have managed to find a brewery that imports malted barley by the metric ton and is willing to sell be a few kilos here and there. I do not however understand quite how to brew from grain. So here are the first questions that come to mind.

1) What special equipment do I need? I know there is some kind of straining device required, which I will have to build myself.

2) In simple terms, how does one brew from grain?

3) I have just basic malted barley, how to I roast to make it into other kinds? Many recipes I want to try call for chocolate, crystal, and other kinds of malt. Can I some how get to that on my own from basic pale malted barley?

4) Any other info people think I should have?

Thank you in advance.

Check out www.howtobrew.com. It contains very detailed answers to most of your questions.

As for roastng your own barley, you can certainly do that to achieve different color and flavor profiles from a standard base malt, but there are certainly malts that you will just not be able to create yourself from a base malt. Crystal (caramel) malt being one of them.

I suggest the first thing a AG brewer is an understanding of the basics.

No one can answer all the questions for you.
Well actually they can and they wrote them in books and on the internet.

I second www.howtobrew.com.

The book "Brew Ware" helped me gain an understanding of equipment. So did some of the back issues of "Brew Your Own" (BYO) magazine.

Instead of trying to malt your own specialty grains you might consider buying them in bulk (they store well) and getting a grain mill to crush your grains as you need them.

Thanks for the links. As for specialty grains, buying in bulk is generally not an option. Shipping costs are just too high. However, I do make trips back to the States now and then. My goal is to get as much out of my local ingredients as possible so I only need to bring back the speciality grains it is impossible for me to produce. What can I reasonable make myself out of pale malt barley?