Favourit brew ?

[PieOPah]

If your mate has a microbrewery, you might be able to convince him to order extra grain on your behalf

I order all my grain from the Hop and Grape which is very reasonably priced...

Biggest problem I found with using Malt Extract was that it was so much more expensive than using Kits. I very quickly moved on to AG just to save the money!

[tubby_shaw]

Sadly, my local hbs closed, so i can't buy real grain anywhere unless i can get it from my mate at www.potbelly-brewery.co.uk.

But he has produce to make, so isn't going to want to send me half his grain stores when i want to make a bitter.

I think i might go half-way and start doing extract kits.

I can do partial mash with diastatic, can't i?

I quickly learnt that partial mash using diastatic malt extract is a royal PITA.
It's unbelievably expensive, plus if you are going to go to the bother of mashing you may as well just use grain
Give the mini mash method a go as a trial, you'll soon be hooked
The cost of buying grain over the web can seem expensive but when you weigh up the cost of beer kit V grain it is a lot cheaper and as your local HBS has shut you must be buying mail order anyway

[maxashton]

My wife is going to kill me.

I may need advice when making a lauter tun.
I reckon i can nick an old igloo type thing from my mum.. i have to go see her anyway..

[maxashton]

Out comes the dremel, and the blowtorch.

[Wirdart]

Extract and kit brewers join in too.
Yes we know that you sneak into the grain brewing forum when you think we're not looking

Damn, been found out

I am trying all sorts of kits at the moment but seem to get John Bull kits quite often. Always stick to a bitter, though, in any kit I get. The only variations I have tried are through the sugars.

I was thinking of trying the extract method, but listening to what you are all saying about that method, I may just skip it and wait til I get the rest of my equipment together! Still aiming in joining you AG lot!

[SteveD]

Sadly, my local hbs closed, so i can't buy real grain anywhere unless i can get it from my mate at www.potbelly-brewery.co.uk.

But he has produce to make, so isn't going to want to send me half his grain stores when i want to make a bitter.

I think i might go half-way and start doing extract kits.

I can do partial mash with diastatic, can't i?

Get it my mail order? If you don't have a PC, you can phone it through and some places will accept non-credit card forms of payment, eg Hop and Grape

[maxashton]

I have several PC's, it's just that i presumed grains and whatnot would be in very large quantities.

[steve_flack]

I about two weeks ago I ordered about 50kg of grain from the Hop Shop and they only charged a fiver in postage.

http://www.hopshopuk.com/

They are on their hols right now so may take a while to get back to you

[SteveD]

I have several PC's, it's just that i presumed grains and whatnot would be in very large quantities.

No, you can usually order what you want. H&G will let you order down to gram weights of grain, eg 150g of black malt, etc. (mind you, they're late with my delivery at the moment) They charge £4.70 for delivery. It costs me at least that in petrol to go to the local homebrew shops.

[SteveD]

I tend to brew pale-ish bitters..about 95-97% Pale Malt, balance is Crystal Malt. Hops usually Goldings, sometimes Fug/Gol mix, with plenty in late, or steeping, or dry, as I love fresh hop flavour and aroma. OG usually in range 1040-1055.

That said I've also done lagers, stouts, porter, dark winter ales, wheat beers, brown ale.. but always come back to the classic hoppy English ales. Not necessarily very bitter, as Jen doesn't like strong bitterness, but with a lot of hop character nontheless.