Next?

[Moley]

Trying to build stocks up (275 bottles (mainly pints but some 500ml) brewed since March, around 140 still down the cellar) I am contemplating my next brew but my LHBS doesn't carry much of a stock range.

Their Fuggles are feeble, Goldings are good, I used their Northdown in my last brew but I'm not entirely sure about those, they have Saaz and that's about it.

Likewise, malts are limited to Pale, Crystal, Chocolate and Black. They also have a crushed Lager Malt - what's that?

Last night I tried a Morrison's Organic Golden Ale and that was quite pleasant, brewed by Wychwood using Tettnanger & Challenger with a Lager Malt and an Ale yest.

How would I make a (slightly) Gingery Beer? I can't find a clone recipe for Badger's Blandford Fly.

 

[tubby_shaw]

Lager malt, is not surprisingly malt used for lager brewing
But seriously it is malted and kilned in a different way and produces a paler sweeter tasting beer (there is a bit more to it than this ) and British lager malt can be used in the same way as "normal" pale malt.
I cannot recommend strongly enough that you find a reliable source for your hops as correctly stored fresh hops are a must for producing amazingly flavoured beers :thumb:
Try one of the online suppliers for vacuum packed hops.
To produce a slightly gingery beer, peel and boil some root ginger in your next batch. It really is suck it and see as to flavour profile though

 

[Aleman]

One word for your hops and malt supplier

BARLEY BOTTOM!!!!

 

[tubby_shaw]

One word for your hops and malt supplier

BARLEY BOTTOM!!!!

That's two words
and a lot of punctuation :lol:

 

[corby_brewer]

have you tried the Wine Emporium
TheHigh St,
Studley,
B80 7HJ
Tel: 01527 854198


Business type: Wine Making & Home Brewing Equipment & Supplies

or you could always try MATCHLESS they have a very good selection.

 

[Moley]

Thanks folks, I think I'd already sussed that my LHBS's hops probably weren't ideal, so I will mail order some from BB. As for malt, I'm happy to collect, I can get it slightly cheaper per kilo online but with carriage costs I've worked out my break-even point is around 15kg. My LHBS do stock decent malt and crush on demand.

 

[Moley]

The deed is done, I've ordered some Aurora (Super Styrians), Boadicea (replacing Challenger) and Pilgrim (“has been compared to Target but much hoppier, similar profile to Pioneer”).

 

[Reviled]

The deed is done, I've ordered some Aurora (Super Styrians), Boadicea (replacing Challenger) and Pilgrim (“has been compared to Target but much hoppier, similar profile to Pioneer”).

Aurora??? Super Styrians???

OMFG, tell me more!!! I love a good styrian bitter :drink:

 

[Moley]

Ok, I've ordered some proper hops, Mrs. Mole is working again on Sunday and I want to play.

Loosely based on a Brakspear's Special, combined with the Golden Ale I mentioned above (and taking onboard what T_S said about lager malt), with a kick and a Blandford twist, how does this sound?

Golden Dynamite

3kg crushed Pale Malt
1.5kg crushed Lager Malt
125g crushed Crystal Malt
25g crushed Black Malt

4.65kg total grain
Mash liquor 11.5 litres @ 77°C
90 minutes mash @ 66°C
Sparge liquor @ 84°C
Extract 30 - 31 litres.

90 minutes boil

250g Sugar
35g Boadicea (Challenger replacement, 5.6%), 90 mins
15g Aurora (Super Styrians, 8.1%), 30 mins
25g grated Root Ginger, 30 mins
3g Irish Moss, 15 mins

Post-boil:
10g Goldings (4.6%)

 

[Moley]

Aurora??? Super Styrians???

OMFG, tell me more!!! I love a good styrian bitter :drink:

I dunno really, see the Barley Bottom link in the forum header.

 

[Moley]

Well my hops arrived, prompt service and no p&p mark-ups, nice one BB, I will be back for more.

Went up to my LHBS this afternoon to get some grain. I had mistakenly assumed that when I've previously found the shelf bare of pale malt and the bloke said to hang on while he nipped out back to "do me some" that he meant crushing it. Seems he actually meant "hang on while I go and open a new 25kg sack of crushed pale malt and weigh you some". Even so, they have a fairly quick turnaround on Pale and it's £1.80 a kilo with no carriage to pay.

Not so the Lager Malt, it seems when they've bought a sack and weighed it out, it has sat on the shelf for 6 months, so now they buy Young's pre-packs, for which they charge £7.99 per 3kg. By my maths that's £2.66 a kilo, so they can go and get stuffed!

I know I've seen £1.49/kg for most grains in the other headline links so I will have to think ahead and order a job lot.

Game On for Sunday morning, as previous post but with 4.5kg pale malt.