Hello - new member intro here

[DavidBD]

Hi. I'm a homebrewer joining from Austin, Texas. I've been enjoying the hobby for around 20 years. Beer brewing is multi-faceted and the learning never stops. I actually did an intro earlier, but the admins still say I need to do one so ...

 

[wallyLOZ]

Welcome from Missouri!

 

[IslandLizard]

Welcome to our forums!

I found this post of yours from a few months ago:

I found this site whilst searching for ideas on better tasting base malts.

Are you still looking for better tasting (base) malts?
Where do you get them from currently? They may be old and have become stale.
How do you store them?

 

[ncbrewer]

Welcome from NC.

 

[DavidBD]

Welcome to our forums!

I found this post of yours from a few months ago:

Are you still looking for better tasting (base) malts?
Where do you get them from currently? They may be old and have become stale.
How do you store them?

Hi. I'm a homebrewer joining from Austin, Texas. I've been enjoying the hobby for around 20 years. Beer brewing is multi-faceted and the learning never stops. I actually did an intro earlier, but the admins still say I need to do one so ...

Hi. No issues here; I just like learning about malt options and hearing about people's favorites. I mostly get grains on demand from a local home brew supply so storage isn't a concern. The store needs support and it's a good excuse to go see and smell the grains. There's no substitute for direct experience. It would be fun to get just a couple of ounces of multiple different malts and grains in order to check them out and take notes, but I'm not sure many stores would like dealing with small quantities.

 

[redrocker652002]

Hello from the sometimes sunny San Francisco Bay area. We have a LHB store about an hour away I am still trying to get to. LOL. Enjoy the site.

 

[Willy]

Cheers. Welcome to HBT

 

[IslandLizard]

I mostly get grains on demand from a local home brew supply so storage isn't a concern.

As long as they have relatively fresh stock and their turnover is decent.

Malts and other grains can remain fresh for a few years, stored in their original sacks.
I'm not so sure about malts stored inside bins, which tend to have relatively large (empty) headspaces while too often lids are left off. So there is exposure to air (oxygen), and if not stored in an air conditioned room, the worst factor in staling reactions, humidity!

You can always chew a few malt/grain kernels to learn their flavor profile and verify freshness. Just be careful chewing Crystal and Caramel malts and even some Specialty malts, they're usually very, very hard. You don't want to break your teeth. You could crush those hard kernels using (clean) pliers. Wind a piece of (masking) tape over the crushing area of the jaws to ensure they're food safe.

There's no substitute for direct experience. It would be fun to get just a couple of ounces of multiple different malts and grains in order to check them out and take notes, but I'm not sure many stores would like dealing with small quantities.

You'd only need about 2 (or 4) oz of each of those malts you're interested in. Aside from chewing the kernels, you could steep those 2-4 ounces of each crushed malt (150-170F) and smell and taste the resulting worts and make ample notes on your perception. It's also useful to team up with one or more other people to exchange those flavor/aroma experiences.

Yet, it remains pretty abstract to translate those single flavors and aromas to what they'd contribute to beer after fermentation, when there are so many other things going on at the same time, one of them being alcohol that really changes the perception. Still, a good exercise, though.

Back in my earlier brewing days, while studying for the beer judging (BJCP) course, I brewed a series of small batches of beer (~1.5 pint each) using either a different, single malt, or 2-row plus a specialty/crystal malt for each batch. Save those (larger) mayonnaise and peanut butter jars and/or (soda) bottles!

 

[DavidBD]

As long as they have relatively fresh stock and their turnover is decent.

Malts and other grains can remain fresh for a few years, stored in their original sacks.
I'm not so sure about malts stored inside bins, which tend to have relatively large (empty) headspaces while too often lids are left off. So there is exposure to air (oxygen), and if not stored in an air conditioned room, the worst factor in staling reactions, humidity!

You can always chew a few malt/grain kernels to learn their flavor profile and verify freshness. Just be careful chewing Crystal and Caramel malts and even some Specialty malts, they're usually very, very hard. You don't want to break your teeth. You could crush those hard kernels using (clean) pliers. Wind a piece of (masking) tape over the crushing area of the jaws to ensure they're food safe.


You'd only need about 2 (or 4) oz of each of those malts you're interested in. Aside from chewing the kernels, you could steep those 2-4 ounces of each crushed malt (150-170F) and smell and taste the resulting worts and make ample notes on your perception. It's also useful to team up with one or more other people to exchange those flavor/aroma experiences.

Yet, it remains pretty abstract to translate those single flavors and aromas to what they'd contribute to beer after fermentation, when there are so many other things going on at the same time, one of them being alcohol that really changes the perception. Still, a good exercise, though.

Back in my earlier brewing days, while studying for the beer judging (BJCP) course, I brewed a series of small batches of beer (~1.5 pint each) using either a different, single malt, or 2-row plus a specialty/crystal malt for each batch. Save those (larger) mayonnaise and peanut butter jars and/or (soda) bottles!

Thanks! Yes, I have plenty of mason jars. Small batch comparisons are a simple and practical way to gain good experience. I honestly don't know right now if I like crystal 40 more than crystal 60 or if I like chocolate more then light chocolate etc.

 

[IslandLizard]

Small batch comparisons are a simple and practical way to gain good experience.

Absolutely!
If you want to end up with at least a sizeable amount to drink, not only as a reward of your labor, but also for more extensive flavor testing, it only takes a little more time to brew 1/2 or 1 gallon batches as it takes to brew 2 pints.

Soda bottles (you can use different sizes) are also wonderful to ferment in.

In my experiment I brewed 4 to 6 of those small batches at a time, using 3/4 to 1 gallon lidded kitchen pots to mash and boil in. Together with a strainer and an extra pot as a temporary receiving vessel.

I honestly don't know right now if I like crystal 40 more than crystal 60 or if I like chocolate more then light chocolate etc.

Most malts have descriptions of what they bring to the beer.
It highly depends on the beer (style) you're using them in which are better suited than others.

You can also look at well thought-out recipes. Our forum has a very decent recipe/style database with comments and feedback to replicate from or use for ideas. Also look at the BJCP style guide for hints of what belongs where.

There is Ray Daniels' Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles. As the subtitle indicates, it's not covering more modern day beer styles such as those that have cropped up over the past 10-15 years or so, such as NEIPAs, Milkshake Sours, and such.

 

[HBT_Admin]

Welcome to HBT!