Going Overseas Need Help choosing Ingredientes

[Bpts_finest13]

Whats going on everybody. I am as NEW as a Noob gets. I havent even brewed my first batch yet. I just got my kit in and am waiting for all extract ingredients kit. Anyways i have some family going over seas to Brazil and to Colombia. They know that I am interested in this new hobby which is more like an obsession and I am lucky enough for their support. They have promised to try to bring me back some grain but i don't know what to ask for or get since I am no where that far in this to know what to get for my future batches. Does anyone know where I could get this information form or what exact grains do i need to ask for? I would love to be able to create some great Brews using ingredients from My home country BRAZIL.

 

[Dunerunner]

The beer influence in Brazil is German, therefore any German Style would be traditional. I would think most of the brewing grains are imported, so you could spare them (your family) the excess baggage weight charges, and just go to your local Home Brew Store and get what you need.

I recommend a nice Hefe Weizen.

 

[El_Exorcisto]

I would do something a little more interesting with ingredients from Brazil. Get them to bring back some crazy fruits, any sugars besides cane, and any unique spices you would think of using. Do some crazy belgian thing with ingredients the rest of us can only drool about. Grains here are as good as anywhere, so stick with buying local or online.

Also get your hands on the freshest fruit you can and try to culture some wild yeast from it. I know you think you're too noobish to do "advanced" things like play with wild yeast. My 6th batch used it, and I'll never use US-05 ever again. Just drop some peel in a bottle of sterile wort and cap it with aluminum foil. If it takes off, pitch that into a small batch of beer and you're golden, with a yeast no one else on earth is playing with.

 

[Bpts_finest13]

Sounds good and I will deff keep that in mind but i think that's way out of my league for now. I am currently reading How to Brew and the book is amazing but it also scares me somewhat. So i think I will do a couple kits before messing around with ingredients. Anyways thanx guys, for the responses.

 

[Vance71975]

I would do something a little more interesting with ingredients from Brazil. Get them to bring back some crazy fruits, any sugars besides cane, and any unique spices you would think of using. Do some crazy belgian thing with ingredients the rest of us can only drool about. Grains here are as good as anywhere, so stick with buying local or online.

Also get your hands on the freshest fruit you can and try to culture some wild yeast from it. I know you think you're too noobish to do "advanced" things like play with wild yeast. My 6th batch used it, and I'll never use US-05 ever again. Just drop some peel in a bottle of sterile wort and cap it with aluminum foil. If it takes off, pitch that into a small batch of beer and you're golden, with a yeast no one else on earth is playing with.

+1 This would be the way to go UNLESS there is some Native Grain that we do not have access to here in the USA, then by all means have them grab it!

 

[mlyday]

I would stick to maybe some local spices. Most of the time you cant transport fruit into the US.

 

[Bpts_finest13]

Don't mean to sound so DUMB... but as far as spices what do you guys mean. From what I am reading you have to be extra carefully what you put into your recipe.. more help on this.. thanx once again

 

[El_Exorcisto]

You have to be careful if you are trying to mimic someone else's work. Spicing beer isn't rocket science, just start low with a small batch, and scale up as appropriate. As for being careful of what goes in a recipe, that's just plain poppycock (yes, poppycock). Sam Calagione put algae in his green beer for Christ's sake.

As for wild yeast being out of your league, just substitute "make starter, pitch yeast" with "pitch yeast-covered fruit." It works, I promise.

 

[Bpts_finest13]

Looking forward to experimenting with beer.. the main reason why I wanna get into the hobby but I want to make sure I make a couple good kit beers first

 

[El_Exorcisto]

Kit beers are nice, but building from a recipe is just as easy and permits a lot more learning. The biggest advice I can give, is start with 2-3 gallon batches of all grain beer. I never liked the thoughts of brewing beer from a can when I can buy beer already made in a can, and I generally dislike it. It means you can brew more of them, and you have to drink less of your early beer, which will be okay. When you drink the first beer that you can step back and say "holy s**t... thats AWESOME" then move up to five gallons and really start experimenting.

As to the original post, spices are your best bet. There was a time where beer was brewed with a myriad of different spices, predating the use of hops. Now spices seem to be relegated to Belgian and Christmas brew... what a shame. Sugars are also a very neat ingredient to work with, and if you can get your hands on some sugars based off something other than cane, I guarantee you will be blown away by the results. Just make sure they bring back enough that you can get familiar with the ingredient, then make a brew to take the biggest advantage of it.

 

[Bpts_finest13]

Yeah I agree.. one of my next purchases will be a 2 gal fermenting bucket.. that way I could experiment with smaller batches..

 

[El_Exorcisto]

I actually did a lot of my early little batches in a Mr Beer fermenter. I never did use the kit parts, but the fermenter is handy as a test platform.

 

[Bpts_finest13]

Yeah I heard mixed feelings about them.. but I will deff get sine 2 gal bucket.. saw on another post and this guys uses them to create his prize winning beer.. so I will try that in the near future to put together friendlyvdrinking beer... lol