A question on grains

[jibs]

Hi guys

Have tried to do a bit of research on this but haven't been able to find much. Hoping someone here can enlighten me.

When extract brewing, specifically IPAs and other pale ales, what are the main options available with regards to steeping grains?
I know crystal is the obvious one and have used this a few times but am looking to start experimenting a bit more.

Obviously moving to all grain will open up options significantly, and I hope to do this one day, but for now I'm enjoying the convenience of extract and keen to keep exploring flavours using this method for a while.

Cheers!

 

[SnakeRidge]

Have you read How to Brew by Palmer? Tons of good info. An old version is free at howtobrew.Com Check out chapter 13 for info on steeping grains

 

[mdindy]

you can try pretty much anything you like, maybe try some aromatic, biscuit or even honey malt. experimenting will help you find some new options.

 

[McGarnigle]

Here's Palmer's page describing grains. You can probably find more than these ready available nowadays.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter12-1.html

For IPAs, I'd thrown in Munich as a good option, although it should be mashed. If you're using it as a specialty grain, you don't have to worry about efficiency so much and can be imprecise in your mashing.

There are a bunch of different crystals to play with.

 

[hanuswalrus]

The best extract beer I made was an all Amarillo IPA. For steeping grains, I used about a 1/2 lb of Aromatic and 1/4 lb Crystal 40 I think it was. Turned out awesome.. also used about a 1/2 lb of Amarillo on a 5 gal batch. Special Roast might be another good one for steeping.

 

[Yooper]

You have a lot of choices! I really love victory malt in an IPA, for a bit of 'toasty' flavor without sweetness.

But you can really use any grain you want. For example, if you steep Munich malt at 150-155 degrees for 45 minutes, that is a mash. So you can even use grains that must be mashed. And a pound of Munich is really enough, so you don't need a lot.

Some good ones: Munich malt, Vienna malt, aromatic malt (for an accentuated malt aroma and flavor), amber malt (warm and biscuit toasty), melanoidin malt (very malty), biscuit malt (similar to Victory but drier), torrified wheat, wheat malt (awesome head retention!), honey malt (for a real flavor of honey) and of course a variety of crystal malts from caramelly sweet (crystal 10L) to toffee (crystal 80L).

One of my 'secret weapons' in a pale ale is golden naked oats. It's a tiny bit nutty, and a tiny bit sweet, but not really, and has this wonderful satin finish. I've not used it in an IPA, but that might be something I'll try sometime. I bet it'd be great!

 

[GonZolaB]

I just tried golden naked oats on an IPA recently, and liked the results.

 

[Calder]

Try a mini mash, really simple. Then you can use any grains you like.

Make your selection, then add 1 lb of 2-row to ensure conversion.

- For every lb of grain, add 1.25 quarts f water to the pot.
- Heat water to about 162 F.
- Add crushed grains. If you get a 5 gallon paint strainer bag from the hardware store, it will help removing grains. This should bring the temp down to about 152 F. Anywhere from 148 to 155 is fine.
- Steep/mash for 30 to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- While steeping, bring a separate pot of water up to ~170 F with the additional water you need for your boil. NOTE: the grain will absorb about half a quart per lb, so ensure you compensate for that.
- When mash/steep is complete, remove the grain from the mash., and let drain for a while, collect the runnings.
- Rinse/sparge (or whatever you want to call it) the grains in the 170 F water you just heated up.
- Remove from pot, let drain.
- Collect all wort in boil pot and continue as normal.

It is not much more work than you simple steeping. You will extract a lot more flavor. You will extract a lot more sugars (can cut down on the extract you use). You will make better beer (probably - not guaranteed).

 

[jibs]

Wow. Thanks team, great info and insights