Tasting Malt and Hops? Better understanding of each variety

[phatboytall]

I have a few AG's under my belt, all gone well, but all clone recipes.

I want to start creating my own recipes, but to do this i want to get a better understanding of what flavours each malt variety, and each hop variety brings to the beer.

I was considering mashing a few grains in a mug some 66c water, then tasting the water. Will that give me an inication of the malt flavour?
What about boiling a few hops into a hop tea to smell and drink?

Any tips very welcome, i haven't got much from taste/smell alone.

[dave-o]

You can always just munch on them too.

I do whenever i get a new grain.

[ncmcdonald]

I usually nibble a few grains as well. If you taste something like biscuit malt raw, you can get a real sense of what it's going to add to a beer. Funnily enough it has a real chocolate flavor too it as much as biscuit.

[flytact]

I've been toying with the idea of making 20L of "something standard" out of the mash tun and boiling it in 4L batches each with a different hop. Quick and easy(?) way of getting a good understanding. Quick 15 minute boils and use the late hop method.
I guess you could make a mini-mash and proportionally add it to each 4L brew to enhance the combinations.

[phatboytall]

Flytact, thats exactly what i was thinknig of doing! A single pale ale malt mash, then spliting into 4 heavily hopped single hopped batches.

Brewdog have done something similar, i am tempted to spend a few quid on it for "research" purposes.....
http://www.brewdog.com/product/ipa-is-dead

Only one stock pan might take me a while though!

[HighHops]

You can steep some grains like crystal, chocolate and roasted barley after the mash and add this liquor to the small boils. I've done this in the past when I've split a mash to make two brews and added a load of extra crystal to the second brew.

You can also do this with yeast. It is shocking the first time you do this what a difference the yeast makes. I made 8L of wort and boiled it up with the same hops but then split it in to four and pitched four different yeasts. I ended up with four completely different beers.

Keep experimenting and let us know how it turns out!

[Dr. Dextrin]

To me, sweet wort always tastes pretty much the same no matter what grains and hops have gone into it. I don't really get a feel for what the final beer will taste like until it's finished.

[mat69]

got to agree with the doc on this one.
you cant get a real feel for a hop or grain till its been through the whole process imo..

[dave-o]

I've been toying with the idea of making 20L of "something standard" out of the mash tun and boiling it in 4L batches each with a different hop. .

Have you got 5 4-litre fermentation vessels? As above, not much point in judging it on unfermented wort.


It's your call of course but i think you're trying to do too much at once. Either pick a recipe from the recipes section and brew it or just make your own up (and post it for suggestions). After 10 or so brews you'll have a great idea of what does what. In it for the long haul!

[phatboytall]

I've got about 8 5lt Demi Johns,

My plan was to ferment each batch out in there. Maybe a 12 litre brew split into 3 demijohns, so leaving 1litre space for a ferm head in each sound about right?

Anyone used a demi john as a fermenter before? any times?

Is it as simple as sanatise, pour in leaving 20%space for a head, pitch yeast, and put the airlock on?

[dave-o]

Yes you can use demijohns in the manner you stated.

[flytact]

Have you got 5 4-litre fermentation vessels?

Not yet. The only way would be to buy plastic bottles of juice or "jug" wine.
Sorry for the confusion of fermentation. I just assumed things would be "normal" after splitting the batches.

phatboytall: If you only have one pan then perhaps a big charge and a 15 minute boil will speed things up.