Steeping grains.....

[TommyB]

So when designing an extract recipe, how do you go about picking steeping grains?

 

[Yooper]

So when designing an extract recipe, how do you go about picking steeping grains?

The first thing is to decide what you want for your recipe, then pick out the ingredients that will get you there.

For example, say you want to make an American pale ale. Here are the BJCP guidelines:
Type: Ale Category Number: 10A
Original Gravity: 1.045-1.060 SG Color: 5.0-14.0 SRM
Final Gravity: 1.010-1.015 SG Bitterness: 30.0-45.0 IBU
Carbonation: 2.3-2.8 vols Alcohol by Volume: 4.50-6.00 %

Refreshing and hoppy, yet with sufficient supporting malt. An American adaptation of English pale ale, reflecting indigenous ingredients (hops, malt, yeast, and water). Often lighter in color, cleaner in fermentation by-products, and having less caramel flavors than English counterparts
Profile: There is some overlap in color between American pale ale and American amber ale. The American pale ale will generally be cleaner, have a less caramelly malt profile, less body, and often more finishing hops.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt, typ Am two-row. Am hops, often citrusy. Am ale yeast. Water can vary in sulfates, keep carbonates low. Specialty grains add character & complexity, make up a relatively sm portion of grist.


Well, then you know that you want to make recipe that uses a small portion of specialty grains, so you want to use mostly light extract to get you to the OG of 1.050. The ingredients are right there, for the most part- American malt and often citrusy American hops. For the specialty grains, you can use up to a pound of crystal malt. I like to use a mix of crystal malts for interest, say .5 pound of 20L and .5 pound of 60L.

From there, the recipe will just sort of make itself known.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

It really depends on what style you're going for, and what kind of base malt you plan on using.

You'll eventually get the feel for what styles require what malts, but designing a recipe is a little most tricky.

If you stick to using a standard light or extra light malt extract, then choosing the grains is fairly simple along with converting the recipes to all-grain in the future.

I'd suggest buying the book Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels. It's geared more for all grain brewers, but if you use the light extract like I mentioned above, you can simply substitute pale malt for light malt extract and keep the steeping grains the same as the rest of the recipe.

 

[HomebrewMTB]

Or go look at some extract recipes that other people have done. Check the recipe section of this site or Northern Brewer.

 

[RobWalker]

What yoooer said. Also, decide the flavour they add would be good, and use them.

 

[TommyB]

Is there anything out there that lists the different types of grains commonly used for steeping and the flavors they add?

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

 

[Yooper]

Is there anything out there that lists the different types of grains commonly used for steeping and the flavors they add?

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

Hmm. Our wiki has a list, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Steeping_grains and I can't really think of any other lists off of the top of my head.

 

[TommyB]

Yooper you rock! That's what I was looking for.

 

[RobWalker]

Most stores have a decent enough description of malts too, here's the UK store I use for example - good that way because you don't have to go looking for it after

http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewCat&catId=17