The items included in the recipe to make the beer/wine
5
votes
4answers
896 views
What is Extract Twang?
This term pops up from time to time and it often cited as a reason to go to all grain. But maybe its because I don't really know what it tastes like.
Do you believe in extract twang?
How do you get ...
2
votes
1answer
77 views
Brewing with Tonka Beans
I am planning a recipe with Tonka Beans. At what point should I add them and approx. how many?
I know that vanilla is usually added after primary.
Should I do the same with these or can I add them ...
13
votes
5answers
5k views
What are the benefits of using brewing sugar over types of sugar?
In many kits I've used, the instructions recommend using brewing sugar. Of course it's okay to use other sources of sugar, but I was wondering whether there are any benefits of using brewing sugar ...
8
votes
4answers
2k views
What causes a stout's creamy head?
Stouts, especially beers like Guiness (its cousin Kilkenny as well), have a head that's really creamy. Being a stout lover myself, I always envied this head, but I have no idea how one can achieve it. ...
1
vote
2answers
115 views
What effect does adding flaked corn to a recipe have?
I've been taught to look down on breweries that use corn in their beer, because it's a cheaper ingredient, and obviously men would never put corn in their beer.
That being said, why would you put ...
2
votes
1answer
64 views
Can I leave the sulphites out of my store bought wine kits
Have trouble with any sulphites. I have all the wine making equip including a filter machine and have made 100 bottles of wine. Would love to try and leave the sulphites out but hate to wait 3 months ...
4
votes
3answers
170 views
Looking to make an Ancient Egyptian brew, but what about bittering and flavoring?
I've done some research on wines and beers of Ancient Egypt and I've decided I want to try and brew a beer based on the ingredients that would have been available at the time. I don't want to make a ...
7
votes
2answers
111 views
Green wood in beer
I was wondering if I can make some post-christmas beer out of the christmas tree (Norway Spruce).
So my question is, does wood have to be dried in order to use it for flavoring or can I use green ...
3
votes
6answers
574 views
Which sweeteners are good
I need something to sweeten my alcoholic ginger beer. Im currently at the last fermentation stage before bottling.
I was thinking of using Honey as the primer since not all of it will ferment in the ...
1
vote
1answer
124 views
LHBS Got my grain bill wrong. Suggestions?
I went to my LHBS today and there was a guy there who I've never had service with (been going to this place about 3mo now). He ended up giving me the wrong grains, and I'm wondering what I can do with ...
3
votes
5answers
232 views
What are the possible consequences of putting dry yeast straight into the wort?
I always put my dry yeast directly into the wort, even though the packaging says to rehydrate it first. I've never had (noticed?) any problems with fermentation.
What could this habit cause to go ...
3
votes
1answer
160 views
Are there sulfites in homebrew?
My friend, who has a severe sulfite allergy, wanted to try some of my beer. I had to refuse because I wasn't 100% sure that there weren't sulfites in it.
How are sulfites introduced to beer? I was ...
1
vote
1answer
92 views
Coffee Beans for Homebrewing [closed]
I'm planning to brew a Coffee Oatmeal Stout in a couple of weeks and was curious about what kind of coffee beans most people use in their homebrews. I was thinking about roasting some beans myself ...
9
votes
4answers
4k views
What malt should I use to get a red beer?
So, I want to make a red beer, what is the best malt to get this color?
7
votes
1answer
283 views
Can I make urwagwa?
Urwagwa is a popular beer in Rwanda made from bananas, and I'd like to brew some myself. The recipes and methods I've read online have some very traditional methods (e.g. Bury the bananas for a ...
1
vote
3answers
643 views
Apple juice for hard cider (UK)
I need a recommendation about an apple juice that I can buy in order to make hard cider. I have read that it requires an apple juice without preservatives, but is there anything else I need to look ...
5
votes
1answer
300 views
What is different between American Oak and French Oak?
What other "nationalities" of Oak are used in brewing?
7
votes
5answers
344 views
How do you make your own recipe?
I guess most people brew from kits, or from the many available recipes on the net. But for those few recipe formulators, how do you go about building a recipe?
And, given the inexactness of brewing, ...
6
votes
2answers
902 views
How should I design my new home brewing space?
I am moving into a new house, and the garage in the back garden is just screaming out to be converted into a home brewery.
I realise planning a brewing space depends on a lot of specifics (space ...
7
votes
3answers
64 views
How do i determine the quality of ingredients?
I'm new to home brewing and want to make sure I'm using quality ingredients. I've been to a few stores, but have trouble knowing if what they offer is good quality or not. What tips / techniques can i ...
10
votes
3answers
829 views
Confused by malts!
great site. I am a total newbie at brewing (used a Mr. Beer kit a few times with success), and recently got a 2 tier homebrewing system for Christmas. I got a prepackaged "American Amber Ale" kit as ...
3
votes
3answers
541 views
What's wrong with using finings?
I've heard a lot of folks complaining about the use of finings in beer & one in particular claimed that commercial brewers stopped using finings once they had to start listing ingredients on the ...
3
votes
2answers
81 views
What are the best online hombrew retailers in Australia?
I've been looking for good homebrew ingredient and equipment retailers in Australia and would like some recommendations. If you have recommendations for online retailers that have the follow qualities ...
7
votes
2answers
404 views
Carastan substitute?
I recently brewed a recipe that called for Carastan malt. My LHBS didn't carry it, so I just used 40 L Crystal. In the finished beer, I'm missing the toffee and toastiness found in the original. Does ...
8
votes
3answers
370 views
Suggestions for cheap recipes
I would like to create a recipe (or recipes) that is fairly cheap and will serve as a session beer that I can drink when I just want a beer in the evening, and I'm not particularly choosy about what ...
4
votes
3answers
553 views
Chilli Alcohol Recipe
Is it possible to ferment chilli-peppers and produce a liquor with a alcohol content and also a hotness?
3
votes
2answers
317 views
Should I include my specialty grains in a mini-mash?
I'm planning to use up all my leftovers from recent batches, augmented with minimal newly-purchased ingredients, to make an oatmeal stout.
I know I need to mash the oats, so I picked up a pound of ...
2
votes
1answer
194 views
What are the hops varieties Sticklebract & Galena?
A homebrew shop has just opened up near me (hooray!). Browsing their wares I saw two hops varieties unknown to me: Sticklebract (I think this is the correct name) and Galena. They seem to have been ...
6
votes
2answers
230 views
What elements are common to Shiner Bock and Real Ale's Fireman's #4?
Shiner Bock and Fireman's #4 both have this weird aftertaste that I can't stand. Any idea what they both have in common so I can avoid it?
EDIT: It's almost a slimy taste (I know slimy is not a ...
8
votes
5answers
696 views
How do you calculate a beer's nutrition facts?
How can I figure out a beer's nutrition facts when I've homebrewed?
It's not a sum of the ingredients any more, is it?
--EDIT--
So when I say "beer's nutrition facts" I means values like calories, ...
4
votes
3answers
475 views
How to avoid a boozy flavor in high-gravity beers
Many of the high-gravity commercial beers I taste end up coming off as boozy. What kinds of ingredients or processes will limit this flavor? I want to brew a big beer, perhaps in the 1.100 ...
7
votes
1answer
241 views
Victory v. Biscuit malt
Are there flavor differences between these two malts?
How can each be described?
I have used them both but often in complicated recipes, and never side by side for comparison.
How is each produced?
8
votes
2answers
307 views
At what point can a beer be called organic?
A lot of the homebrew I make is made with organic ingredients - organic grain and hops. However, I have never come across organic yeast (!?) or irish moss. Can I rightly call this beer organic, or ...
3
votes
1answer
521 views
How much Malto Dextrine or Cara Pils is needed to mimic higher mash temps?
So from what I've read, a lot of professional brewers mash all their beers at the same temps (usually around 150F), and use ingredients to adjust the "body" or "sweetness" of the final beers. At their ...
6
votes
2answers
160 views
Needs to be mashed
I recently had a debate with a brewing buddy of mine about malts that "need to be mashed".
For instance victory malt is listed in Palmers "How to Brew" as being in the needs to be mashed column. I ...
6
votes
3answers
659 views
Using commercial (breakfast) cereals in a mash
This question looks similar to Using flakes in a mash, but is not actually the same. I was thinking, if someone runs out of maize flakes, and definitely wants to use some for his mash, what happens if ...
5
votes
3answers
312 views
Do you use a default/standard base malt? What are the advantages?
Does anyone use a standard base malt to build your recipes from? What are the advantages?
A couple of obvious advantages would be having the ability to buy large bags of the base malt (and ensuring ...
1
vote
2answers
648 views
CaraBohemian malt
I just got back from a trip to the brew shop to get some stuff.
They had a couple new malts I haven't heard of before. One was this CaraBohemia malt. It had an SRM of around 70L and was described ...
3
votes
1answer
660 views
Weed Aroma/Flavor?
I have noticed in some beers, (nugget nectar, dbl. trouble, founders harvest and sublimely self-rightous ale in particular) an aroma/flavor of marijuana. I think Columbus/Tomohawk hops have somthing ...
5
votes
2answers
858 views
Flavor extracts - add to secondary or add during bottling?
What are the pros and cons of adding flavor extracts (fruit, chocolate, what have you) at bottling time versus adding them to the secondary? Does it make a difference? Is there a trade-off between ...
5
votes
1answer
187 views
Estimating Alpha Acids of Home Grown Hops
For the homebrewer that grows and harvests his/her own hops; how best can one approximate the alpha acids in the hops they have?
Is it worth it or should brewers stick to using home grown hops for ...
3
votes
1answer
368 views
Continental Pilsner Malt
What does the term "continental" mean when referring to malts?
I have seen that term used before, mainly when sourcing pilsner malt.
Is it just a different way of saying pilsner malt that has been ...
4
votes
3answers
253 views
Complete Ingredient List/Database?
I'm looking for an extensive database of grains, hops, yeasts, and other additives. Preferably with information like potential, SRM, alpha, flocculation, etc.
I've found BeerSmith's lists, but the ...
8
votes
1answer
10k views
What is torrified wheat?
What is torrified wheat and in what styles is it used?
Are there any restriction or special procedures you need to follow to when using torrified wheat?
Can you substitute torrified wheat with ...
2
votes
1answer
607 views
What's the difference between 2-row and 6 row base malt? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What's the difference between 2-row and 6-row malt?
I've been brewing all-grain for several years, but have been using recipes and kits. I'm starting to develop my ...
2
votes
2answers
624 views
Malted or Flaked Rye?
I'm wanting to make an American Rye Beer, and I'm wondering which sort of rye I should use. My LHBS carries flaked rye, and the nearby big-box brew supplier carries both flaked and malted rye.
...
9
votes
2answers
499 views
Why do extract recipes call for a late addition of the bulk of the extract?
My recipe calls for a pound of DME at the beginning of the boil and 6 pounds at 15 minutes to go. What's the point of that?
6
votes
2answers
959 views
Buying bulk hops online
I'm often tempted to buy my commonly used hop pellets online in bulk and storing them in my freezer. A lot of the cheap bulk hops are from the previous year. Assuming they are vacuum packed and ...
1
vote
2answers
123 views
What form of hops should I use for this recipe?
My LHBS sells whole hops, hop pellets, and hop plugs. Is there a way to know which this recipe calls for, and is there some sort of conversion formula between the different forms?
...
2
votes
2answers
389 views
quick brew recipes
What quick brews are there? ~ 2 weeks from start to drink...
Should be simple, boozy and tasty. any type of fruits or roots will do! so far have mainly tried a ginger beer, cider and elderflower all ...
