Adventures in Homebrewing is proud to announce an expanded offering of malted brewing grains. We now carry nearly 100 different malts and specialty grains to add to your homebrewing arsenal. We have grain products from some of the best malt producers the world has to offer, including Briess, Weyermann, Crisp, and more. Want to brew an authentic German, Belgian, or English ale? Now you can build your beer recipe around malt from the region where your favorite beer is traditionally brewed.

Adventures in Homebrewing offers malted brewing grains from the following malt houses:

• Avangard – Avangard Malz, based in Germany, is the largest maltster in that country. Use Avangard pilsner malt for your German lagers, Avangard wheat malt in your hefeweizen, and Avangard Munich Light or Munich Dark in your Munich-style lagers.

• Briess – Briess is the largest maltster in America. We carry a variety of Briess 6-row and 2-row base malts, a complete range of Briess caramel malts, and several specialty malts, including chocolate malt, Vienna malt, smoked malt, and Carapils, just to name a few.

• Crisp – Crisp is the leading maltster of the UK. Many homebrewers swear by their Finest Maris Otter malt. Crisp is also one of the few producers of such specialty malts as amber malt, brown malt, pale chocolate malt, and crystal malts 15°L, 45°L, and 77°L. Use these Crisp malts for your English pale ales, porters, and stouts.

• Dingeman’s – Mouterij Dingeman’s is a Belgian maltster producing some of the specialty malts you’ll need for your favorite Belgian beer recipes. Use Belgian biscuit malt, special B malt, and aromatic malt to bring authenticity to your Belgian beer recipes, or add them to other recipes for a touch of complexity.

• Gambrinus – Canadian maltster Gambrinus is famous for its honey malt, also known as “Brumalt”. As the name implies, honey malt can lend a pleasing sweetness to just about any beer. It worked great in my Flower Power IPA!

• Munton’s – Another highly regarded British maltster is Munton’s, who makes some one-of-a-kind malts like English lager malt and English mild ale malt. Their unmalted roasted barley contributes characteristics roasted flavor to porters and stouts.

• Weyermann – Germany’s Weyermann is one of the most well-respected maltsters in the world. We now carry 31 malts from Weyermann, from their Bohemian pilsner and pale wheat, to a chocolate rye malt and Carafa Type I, Type II and Type III. Weyermann malts can be used in any style of beer, but will really excel when recreating the traditional beers of Germany.

Our expanded of malted and unmalted grains now give the homebrewer even more control and versatility over the beers they make. Whether you brew all-grain or extract, these grains can help bring a range of character and flavor to your homemade beer.
What are some of your favorite malts for homebrewing?
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David Ackley is a beer writer, homebrewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder of the Local Beer Blog.

Guest blogger Matt Chrispen shares the impact that various minerals can have on different styles of beer. To get the whole story start at Part 1 of this 3 part series.
There is no hard and fast rule in the application of brewing minerals. Every person’s tastes differ. As such, we are exploring the art of “seasoning” the finished beer, like adding a little salt and pepper to your favorite dish. A little may be good, but too much could ruin the batch.
Below are some starting points for 5 gallons of extract beer. Some minerals are already concentrated in the malt extract, so we recommend using reverse osmosis (RO) or distilled (DI) water. When using tap or spring water, reduce the recommendations to taste. Fully dissolve mineral salts in water before the extract is added to boil.
Mineral Recommendations for Different Beer Styles

• Lagers are historically brewed with soft water.
  • No mineral additions recommended.
• Malty, Roasty Ales include browns, porters and stouts where malt flavors and sweetness are expected.
  • Add ½ tsp (~2 grams) of calcium chloride.
• Hoppy Ales include most American pale ales, hoppy ambers, and IPAs.
  • Add ½ tsp (2 grams) to 1 tsp (4 grams) gypsum.
• Mineral-Rich Ales include English bitters or Burton ales.
  • Add ½ tsp (2 grams) to 1 tsp (4 grams) each of gypsum ands calcium chloride

Personalizing Additions:
To determine how much mineral(s) might influence your beer, try the procedure below.

1. Fill a clean 1-liter bottle or flask with RO water, and dissolving 2 grams of gypsum or calcium chloride. Shake to dissolve completely, creating a 2000 ppm solution of the salt.
2. Pick a homebrew and split into four 3-ounce (89 ml) servings. Use gypsum for hoppy or calcium chloride for malty beers.
3. Using a calibrated pipette or eyedropper, add 1 milliliter of solution into the first serving, 2 into the second, and so forth. Start with the first serving and work toward the fourth, taking notes.
4. Decide which serving you prefer. Mark that down. If you preferred serving #4, open another beer and continue the process.
5. Take the serving number (with equivalent number of additions) and do the math:
   1. The 1 milliliter dose equals 2 milligrams of the salt
   2. Multiply the preferred dose by 2, yielding the milligrams of salt added
   3. There are roughly 43 three-ounce samples in 5 gallons
   4. Multiply the milligrams dosed by 43, yielding milligrams needed for 5 gallons, and divide by 1000 to yield grams. 1 tsp = roughly 2 grams of gypsum or calcium chloride
   5. Use this amount of mineral salt in your next brew of that recipe!

What changes to you typically make to your brewing water?
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Series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
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Matt Chrispen is a passionate, experienced home brewer, craft beer fanatic, and collector of brewing gear. He also maintains a blog on advanced brewing topics at Accidentalis.com.
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Sources:
A Brewing Water Chemistry Primer, Homebrewtalk.com, AJ DeLange
Water Treatment for Extract Brewers, Beerandwinejournal.com, C Colby
Water Adjustment in Highly Hopped Beers, Homebrewtalk.com, M Brungard
Calibration Series: Personalized Sulfate and Chloride in Beer, Accidentalis.com, M Chrispen
Bru’n Water, Water Knowledge, M Brungard
How to Brew, John Palmer

Guest blogger Matt Chrispen shares some tips for adjusting water chemistry when brewing with partial mash recipes. This is part 2 of a 3 part series. To get the whole story start with Part 1.

Dry Malt Extract (DME) and Liquid Malt Extract (LME) products contain minerals from the mashing process. These minerals provide flavor nuances to the beer and the specific concentrations are proprietary to the maltster, but they directly influence the flavor and mouthfeel of recipe. Extract brewers can further enhance their recipes with additional minerals.
Introduction to Minerals for Brewing
Since the extract brewer is not mashing grain, we can focus solely on flavor components. Ion concentrations of sulfate, chloride, magnesium, and sodium influence perceived flavors and mouthfeel.

• Gypsum or Calcium Sulfate increases calcium and sulfate ions levels. Sulfates generally enhance dryness and increase the sharpness and bitterness of hops.
• Calcium Chloride increases calcium and chloride ion levels. Chlorides tend to round out and enrich mouthfeel and enhance malt characteristics.
• Sea/Kosher Salts or Sodium Chloride (without iodine) increases sodium and chloride ions, and like calcium chloride can enhance sweeter malt forward beers. Not recommended for an extract brewer, except in very traditionally salty styles, such as a gose.
• Magnesium Sulfate increases both magnesium and sulfate ions. Malt extract should contain sufficient magnesium to support healthy fermentation. Only in specific cases is magnesium sulfate useful to an extract brewer.

Water choice is important. Hard water (already rich in minerals) will add minerals into the beer in unknown amounts in addition to the extract’s contribution. By using reverse osmosis (RO) or distilled water, we can exert more control without risking off-flavors, providing a clean starting point for mineral additions.
To keep things simple, we can rely on gypsum and calcium chloride for “seasoning” our homebrew, and the resulting sulfate, chloride, and calcium ion contributions. As mentioned above:

• Sulfates enhance perceived dryness. Increases perceived hop bitterness and sharpness. Pale Ales and IPAs often have elevated levels of sulfates, but large amounts can be off putting.
• Chlorides enrich perceived mouth feel and malt flavors. Many darker, malt-driven beers benefit from a small amount of chloride.
• Calcium is beneficial in lowering the boil pH and precipitating proteins (hot and cold break). While there is no direct flavor impact, the resulting wort is clearer and more stable.

These flavors are recipe driven, and should be used appropriately and in moderation. A hoppy pale ale may need a little gypsum where a malty porter might benefit from calcium chloride.
In Part 3, we look specifically at applying these minerals to general beer styles.
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Series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
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Matt Chrispen is a passionate, experienced home brewer, craft beer fanatic, and collector of brewing gear. He also maintains a blog on advanced brewing topics at Accidentalis.com.

Matt Chrispen, a blogger at Accidentalis.com, shares some of his advice about water management for extract brewing. The first step: choosing the right water source.
There is a myth that good tasting water makes good tasting beer… this is just not true. With many good water sources, you need to decide which will make the best beer. Water chemistry has less impact on the extract brewer, but starting with the right water will help you have the best chance at a great beer.
Tap Water: Tap water contains either chlorine or chloramines to deliver safe water to your home. These chemicals must be removed or will cause off-flavors to form in the beer that taste strongly of chemical plastics, vinyl, or iodine. Filtering slowly with active charcoal, letting the water stand, or boiling the water will remove chlorine, but treatment with potassium metabisulfite or Campden tablets will fully eliminate both chemicals. Often it is best to both filter and use Campden tablets. Tap water quality can also fluctuate due to seasonal issues.

• Using Campden Tablets: For brewing, use ¼ tablet per 5 gallons of brewing liquor. Crush the tablet and vigorously stir it into the bucket of water. The reaction is fairly immediate, and you may smell a bit of sulfur.

If you have a water softener, use the water tap before the softener to avoid excessive levels of sodium or potassium in the water.
Well Water: Professional tests should be run to ensure that organic, metallic, or chemical contamination is not present such as iron or fertilizer residue. If the water is safe, then evaluate its hardness. Low to moderately hard water, low in alkalinity is preferred for brewing.
Store Bought Spring Water: Most bottled spring waters are filtered (the treatment varies) and have re-mineralized the water ensuring a good taste. You can also purchase these in convenient 5-gallon carboys. The mineral concentration will be added to the minerals in the extract. However, the consistency of bottled spring water is preferable to seasonable quality changes that often affect tap water.
Tap, well and Spring Waters contain dissolved minerals that impart flavor and mouth feel to your beer. Be careful adding minerals, which might, in concert with minerals already in the extract, create strong mineral or metallic flavors. Experiment for the best results.
Reverse Osmosis (RO), De-Ionized (DI) and Distilled Water: Some stores offer filtered water products in bulk. In addition, home RO or RO/DI filters have become quite common and inexpensive. Distilled water is also a good choice. These water sources are really ideal for extract brewing, and offer the best basis for adding minerals as part of your beer recipe.
Water is the fundamental ingredient (up to 97%) in beer. Your tap water may make good beer, but try an alternative source and see if things improve. Choosing the best quality water will ensure your extract recipes have the best chance of becoming great beers!
In Part Two, we will explore the use of common mineral additions to enhance and tweak your extract and partial mash recipes.
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Series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
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Matt Chrispen is a passionate, experienced home brewer, craft beer fanatic, and collector of brewing gear. He also maintains a blog on advanced brewing topics at Accidentalis.com.

The term ‘noble hops’ is very frequently used in beer making and refers to four varieties of hops that were originally cultivated in Central Europe. These four varieties share a set of common characteristics as they are highly aromatic and have very low alpha bitterness. Humelene or hop oil is abundant in these hops. This humelene is often used in the production of perfumes as it gives a woody, herbal, and robust aroma. However, it is extremely susceptible to breakdown due to heat, light, and oxidation, and hence beers containing noble hops must be properly stored.
Because the alpha acids are very low in noble hops, they make the brew bitter and add an aroma, but at the same time they do not make it harsh. They have very low amounts of acids that are harsher in taste such as beta acids. Conditions and soil during growth lend their characteristic properties to theses hops, hence only hops grown in a particular region are known as noble hops.
There are basically four varieties of noble hops:

1. Tettnanger/Tettnang–These are originally from a small town located in South Germany called Tettnang. It comes with slightly spicy and mildly floral characteristics. They are used for flavor as well as aroma and are commonly used in the production of French Ales, Bocks, Belgian ales, Pilsners etc.
2. Saaz – It is from Bohemia and the present Czech Republic and is responsible for almost two thirds of the hop produced in this region. The flavor is mild, earthy, and at the same time spicy. It is mainly used in Budvar and Pilsner Urquell.
3. Spalt – It is from the Spalter region in Germany. It’s hard to obtain as its production is limited to a small area. With a strong aroma and a mild spicy flavor, it is used for making ales, lagers, and bocks etc.
4. Halltertau – It derives its name from its region of origin called Hallertau in central Bavaria. This hop lacks the spicy character and is floral and slightly earthy.

All these four noble hops are rich in aroma.  What is your favorite variety of noble hops?  What do you use for your homebrew recipes?