OFallonBrent
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- Apr 21, 2009
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I haven't brewed for about 5 years. After teaching a friend to brew recently I've decided to blow the dust off of my equipment and start brewing again.
In addition to the equipment, I have tons of ingredients left from when I was brewing all the time.
I have a large variety of hops that are still vacuum sealed and have been in the freezer the entire time.
I have yeast that has been in the refrigerator. I'm not so worried about this. I can do cultures and starters, so the age should not be a problem.
I have a couple of hundred pounds of specialty grains. The grain has been sealed in plastic bags and kept in plastic bins.
I also have a full unopened bag of the undermodified Budvar malt that was stored in a closed bin as well.
So, my questions are these.
Which method is the best for predicting the hop degradation in bitterness and aroma?
I'm assuming the specialty grains should be okay to use. I do have a few that were milled. I was planning on tossing those, but would they have any use?
Would the amount of roast make the milled grains more usable? ie milled light crystal vs milled black patent
What is the effect of age on base malts and other malts like munich, cara-pils, etc? What about malts like chocolate or caramel wheat, chocolate rye, peated malt, etc.
I'm going to use that Budvar malt. It is no longer available or I'd consider just getting a new bag. I'll be doing a double or triple decoction on it. Any thoughts on this?
I've looked around and I have not seen anything addressing old malt characteristics. Is there some resource I've missed?
Any other thoughts or suggestions?
In addition to the equipment, I have tons of ingredients left from when I was brewing all the time.
I have a large variety of hops that are still vacuum sealed and have been in the freezer the entire time.
I have yeast that has been in the refrigerator. I'm not so worried about this. I can do cultures and starters, so the age should not be a problem.
I have a couple of hundred pounds of specialty grains. The grain has been sealed in plastic bags and kept in plastic bins.
I also have a full unopened bag of the undermodified Budvar malt that was stored in a closed bin as well.
So, my questions are these.
Which method is the best for predicting the hop degradation in bitterness and aroma?
I'm assuming the specialty grains should be okay to use. I do have a few that were milled. I was planning on tossing those, but would they have any use?
Would the amount of roast make the milled grains more usable? ie milled light crystal vs milled black patent
What is the effect of age on base malts and other malts like munich, cara-pils, etc? What about malts like chocolate or caramel wheat, chocolate rye, peated malt, etc.
I'm going to use that Budvar malt. It is no longer available or I'd consider just getting a new bag. I'll be doing a double or triple decoction on it. Any thoughts on this?
I've looked around and I have not seen anything addressing old malt characteristics. Is there some resource I've missed?
Any other thoughts or suggestions?