newbie grain list comments please

[Titch]

just about to place my first ever all grain order

what do you experienced chaps think of this for a first shop

paris otter 25kg
choc malt 1kg
crystal 1kg
wheat 1kg

goldings 100gm
whitbread goldings 100gm
fuggles 100gm


this will see me through a few brews and give me most of what i need .........wont it?

suggestions please if you think there are essentials missing

 

[Mr.Everready]

I've just ordered my first batch of grain too !

Do you have Irish moss/Protafloc tablets ?

 

[Runwell-Steve]

Initial thoughts are that you have enough grain for about 5 x 5 gallon brews, However not knowing what beers you intend to brew does limit me a little in knowing whether you are ordering the correct stuff or not.

You may be a bit light on hops though, especially if you like late hopping, again not knowing what beers you plan to brew it's hard to say.

 

[richc]

just about to place my first ever all grain order

what do you experienced chaps think of this for a first shop

paris otter 25kg
choc malt 1kg
crystal 1kg
wheat 1kg

goldings 100gm
whitbread goldings 100gm
fuggles 100gm


this will see me through a few brews and give me most of what i need .........wont it?

suggestions please if you think there are essentials missing

Two things

1. Yeast, you might as well get some at the same time as all the rest. From your hop choice I'm guessing you are after making classic British beers so I'd probably suggest S-04 as being easy to use and effective.

2. Crystal malt, I'd suggest getting a bit more of this, you've got enough of everything else for about 5 brews but the crystal could last as little as 2 brews depending on recipe.

 

[Hawks]

Sounds quite French...

It's a good start though, if you have got up to free delivery, or a weight where adding a few more bits does not increase postage then I'd be tempted with some caramalt, maybe some munich and some black malt - but of course this all depends on what beers you intend to make..

Same with hops - fuggles and goldings will make you great beers, but I always have some bobek, challenger and some cascade around but that's because I like them. As you have 25KG of pale malt though, I would get more hops regardless of which ones.

Oh and do you have all your bits like yeast, finings etc etc

:thumb:

 

[TheMumbler]

Depends a bit on what you are making tbh, If you post an idea of what you want to brew it will be easier to advise.

No doubt somebody with more experience will be along soon enough but for my money, what you have looks reasonable if you are going for bitters and pale ales (which seems likely from your hops). Assuming 5 x 23l litre brews of bitters and ales I'd go for more crystal, maybe 2 500g lots of different kinds to give you more variety. A bit of munich is nice for added maltiness IMO but not needed. Depending on your preferences I'd think about going 500g of chocolate or even dropping it entirely if you don't want to do darker bitters or brown ales. Don't go mad on speciality grains or you'll end up with a bucket full of them going stale

Depending on style you might need more hops. What are you thinking for yeast?

paris otter 25kg

Are you going for french beers ;-)
Sorry couldn't help myself.

edit: wow I got massively scooped there, no replies when I started :) protofloc tablets are a good call, campden tablets and cleaners (vwp or similar) I guess if you haven't got them.

 

[Titch]

looking at 80/- and boddingtons type beers.
yeast and tablets etc on the list, just tryign to maximise my postage costs and get some variety

 

[TheMumbler]

I don't think you need 1kg of chocolate in that case. You could go 500g of choc and 500g of Roasted Barley and do a Big Kenny (see the recipes section). Go for 2kg of crystal not 1kg as you will go throught that. Consider another 100g of hops, especially if you want to do anything in the way of late hops. I'd suggest challenger for the styles are talking about.

Some carafa special 3 is good for adjusting colour without impacting too much on flavour, but not necessary unless you are really bothered about the colour.

I'd go S04 from the dried yeasts for those styles.

 

[Titch]

cheers chaps. chic malt I think was to do moonraker clone

 

[dennisking]

I always like to keep Challenger in stock personally

 

[Titch]

thanks for adding to the list

just hope WHS would reply to emails confirming stock ;(

 

[luckyeddie]

I would suggest a kilo or so of Special B and Biscuit Malt - a little of either will add immense complexity to your beers. They are quite wonderful malts. Also, get yourself a couple of kilos of cheap porridge oats (the 50p a bag stuff from ASDA is fine) and some flaked or torrified wheat. They will help to give you good head retention.

 

[Sean_Mc]

Agree with Mumbler about giving Wez's Big Kenny recipe a go. Also I'd say get some Nottingham yeast as well as S-04 and see which yeast you like in a bitter type recipe.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Looks O.K :thumb:

With the wheat get wheat malt not torrified.
Don't forget CRS to reduce alkalinity and campden for the chlorine.
BB

 

[TheMumbler]

two things

Firstly you have been given suggestions for a few types of wheat for head retention. You only need one of them. Don't order 1kg each of flaked, malted and torrefied wheat as you won't use enough of them. Some people don't like the taste of torrefied wheat in a beer but you'll have to find out for yourself which you prefer. I'd go with 1kg of wheat malt, partly because it is only really available from a homebrew shop and partly because I like wheat beers so I can generally use it one way or another. You might be able to pick up flaked wheat and flaked barley from a local health food shop.

Secondly, if you have a good idea of what you want to brew from that 25kg of base malt then you don't really need to pick up a grab bag of stuff. Just take the recipes from a book, off the forum, or formulate the recipes with Beer Engine, qbrew or whatever software you prefer. Then get the stuff you need for that and nothing else. You can always experiment later and it is better to have fresh grain.

edit: It is probably an idea to have more packs of dried yeast than you need (an extra pack or two). They store well in the freezer and if you have a problem with fermentation it is great to have one there ready

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I'd also round each brew off to 5kg pale malt so your not left with less than you need for a decent brew.

BB

 

[Titch]

final shopping list was
Maris otter 25kg
choc malt 1kg
crystal malt 2kg
wheat malt 1kg
whitbread goldings 100g
east Kent goldings 100g
fuggles 200g
protafloc tablets
2 packs of safale s-04

grand total spend
44.37

I reckon that was pretty good myself now to get brewing.

 

[somptingsaint]

sorry to interupt the post but as a complete newbie on ag brewing ,,am i right that 44 quid of ingredients gives you enough for 200 pints at about 22pence per pint?? if so i might be able to convince the wife to let me start building a system ,,again sory for the interupt but ,,im a newb ,,i need to know these things :

 

[Titch]

thats what im working on, plus i think someone said a couple of quid per brew for electric

so lets round up to £50 so about 25p a pint

can't wait, shame im on call this weekend, but you never know

think ill sort out storage for it all now i know the size