From my article in the May/June 2012 issue of Zymurgy...
This works great with grains or extracts, and maybe less well with hops. For grains, try putting 4 oz. of water in a cup in the microwave for a minute. It should heat up to about 170F. Stir in 1.5 oz. of crushed grain (about 4 heaping tablespoons) and let the mixture sit for about 30 min. to be sure you get conversion of the starches in the grain. You may need to reheat the mixture in the microwave once or twice during that time. I put it in for 30 seconds after 10 minutes and another 30 seconds after 10 more, and then let it sit for the final 10 minutes. Pour the mixture through a coffee filter and let the liquid drain off. You’ll be left with a couple of tablespoons of a sweet, malty liquid that really lets the flavor of the grain shine. Make sure to write down your impressions of the flavor and aroma so you can compare them to the next grain you try. Once you have an idea of the flavors of individual grains, try making a tea with a combination of grains to see how they work together. For hops, heat 4 oz. of water to 170F again and add 2-3 grams of either whole or pellet hops. That’s about 1/3 cup of whole hops or maybe a dozen pellets. Let the hops steep for about 5 minutes, and then filter through a coffee filter. But beware….this is some seriously bitter, harsh, vegetal stuff. It’s much more useful for comparing one hop variety to another than for actually getting the true taste, flavor and aroma of a particular variety. You could, of course, make a small amount of wort using either grain or extract and steep the hops in that. It won’t be as “challenging” to taste that way. But keep in mind that both the grain and hop flavor will change significantly during the actual brewing and fermentation process. Making a tea will only give you an approximation of what you’ll get when you actually brew with the ingredients. Fortunately, the aroma of a hop can tell you a lot about the flavor qualities it has. Take a hop cone or pellet, break it up, and then rub it between your palms to release the volatile oils. Take note of the aroma…is it flowery, earthy, woody, citrusy, dank….try to come up with descriptors that mean something to you so when you think back on the hop you can use it in your “taste imagination” recipe.
