grains

This week I take a look at some of the key process factors when lautering and sparging your all grain beer. Last week in part one, I discussed equipment design and how a filter bed forms around grain husks and creates channels that the wort flows through. I explained why a poorly designed lauter tun […]

Steeping and Mashing Dark Grains in BeerSmith

by Brad Smith on April 19, 2022 · 1 comment

This week I take a look at how to incorporate separately steeped dark grains with BeerSmith, a technique often used to minimize burnt, harsh roast grain flavors in the finished beer. Steeping/Sparging vs Mashing Dark Grains As I covered in this original article on the topic, all grain brewers can be well served by separately […]

Flavor Depth from Grains in Dark Beer Brewing

by Brad Smith on October 8, 2021 · 0 comments

This week I look at how to create layers of flavor in your darker beers by mixing grains from different groups and judicious use of harsh zone malts. Depth in Beer Flavor I want to first introduce the concept of depth in beer flavor. Depth refers to a beer that has layers of flavor and […]

This week I take a look at Caramel/Crystal malts and how it is different from kilned specialty malts from a flavor perspective. While most homebrewers are very familiar with caramel and crystal malts, few have a well developed understanding of the flavors provided by kilned malts. The Malting Process Malted barley starts by taking raw […]

This week I offer a tip for extract brewers about steeping grains and why its important not to steep your grains with too much water. Many extract brewers start by steeping their grains with their entire boil volume, which can lead to excessive tannin extraction. Steeping Grains in Extract Brewing and Tannins Tannins are a […]

Some time ago I wrote an article on steeping vs mashing dark grains for all grain beer brewers. That article recommended steeping some dark grains into a separate tea to minimize burnt, harsh flavors. This week we take a look at a simpler method for achieving the same effect. Steeping vs Mashing Dark Grains As […]

Storing and Preserving Your Beer Ingredients

by Brad Smith on June 16, 2016 · 0 comments

Fresh ingredients are important for brewing great beer, but if you buy brewing ingredients in bulk you can also save money. So this week we take a look at how to store and preserve your hops, grains, yeast and malt extract for brewing great beer. When I first started brewing I bought one kit at […]

I’m happy to announce a series of new add-ons for BeerSmith Desktop. The new add-ons feature over 170 new yeasts, 32 hop varieties and 48 Misc items plus updates for Avangard, Bairds, Muntons and Rahr malts. Thanks largely to the efforts of fellow brewer Brian Young, we now have most of the latest hops, yeast […]

Mash Temperature Adjustment for Home Brewing

by Brad Smith on January 13, 2016 · 3 comments

Even the best brewers occasionally miss their target mash temperature. Whether its due to a calculation error, water temperatures being off or perhaps just a cold mash tun it eventually happens to us all. So today I’m going to cover what to do when your mash temperature comes in a little too high or a […]

Brewing Gluten Free and Gluten Reduced Beer

by Brad Smith on November 18, 2015 · 2 comments

This week I provide a quick tip on brewing gluten-free (technically gluten reduced) beer by using enzymes to break down the gluten in the finished beer. Many people are gluten sensitive, but new enzymes offer an opportunity to still brew beer with traditional barley grains while substantially reducing the gluten content of the finished beer. […]

Randy Mosher joins me this week to discuss what different malts and grains bring to your home brewed beer. He gives us an amazing tour of the most popular malts used in home brewing and explains the flavors they really bring to the beer. Download the MP3 File – Right Click and Save As to […]

Cereal Mash Steps for All Grain Beer Brewing

by Brad Smith on September 6, 2013 · 10 comments

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This week I take a look at both when and how to do a cereal mash when brewing beer. A cereal mash step is used with unmalted or low enzyme grains such as rice, corn or oats to gelatinize the sugars before continuing with a traditional mash. When to Use a Cereal Mash Step? A […]

This week my guest is Gordon Strong, three time Ninkasi award winner (best in the US) and a Grandmaster Beer Judge. We discuss advanced homebrewing techniques – specifically for all grain brewers who have the basics of beer brewing down but want to do more. Download the MP3 File – Right Click and “Save As” […]

Dark grains are perhaps some of the most interesting ingredients for home brewing beer – they offer an explosion of flavor and color. This week, I step off the beaten path and explore some alternative ways to use dark grains when brewing beer. [NOTE: I’ve since published an updated (simpler) method for accomplishing the same […]

Malting Barley Grain at Home

by Brad Smith on December 5, 2009 · 69 comments

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For the adventurous home brewer who wants to take all grain beer brewing to yet another level, you can malt your own grains at home. The equipment required is modest, and bulk unmalted grains can be purchased at a fraction of the cost of malted ones.