On Thu, 3 May 2007 01:39:02 -0400, wild
<wild.2q03cy@usenet.brewtank.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Other than your LHBS, have you tried any online
>stores? Their prices might be more to your liking. With all that
>land, you might also have the ability to grow hops.
>Good luck and let us know about your progress.
>
>Wild[/color]

I have bought some 3gal carboys online, some airlocks (since they were
half the price as LHBS), and some odd bungs they don't carry.

I would like to grow some hops, 3 or 4 different kinds, but it seems
there is no way to know or calculate the Alpha Acid of homegrown hops.
More of a trial and error thing, is that right?

Denny Conn <denny.g.conn@ci.eugene.or.us> wrote:[color=blue]
>For ideas about inexpensive equipment and easy AG techniques, see my
>site at [url]www.hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew[/url]
>[/color]

Thanks Denny, I like the Batch Sparging, wasn't real sure what type
method to use. I also liked your Mashtun. Didn't occur to me to use a
braided hose when I was looking at other designs.

I do preheat and doughing-in right? I'm a bit anal about details.

I was planning to use SS for my homemade chilling coil (have a cheap
source), but it seems everyone likes to use copper. Is that mainly for
cleaning and to avoid pitting of the SS?

On Thu, 03 May 2007 18:51:44 -0000, Derric
<derric1961@removethis.yahoo.com> wrote:

[color=blue]
>NOTE - you can NOT just get the barley locally and brew beer from it,
>as your post "sorta" implies. Raw barley has to be "malted" first.[/color]

I was thinking more of my own roasted barley and wheat. Just for
flavor/coloring and because I can get it for less than $10/60lbs.
[color=blue]
>While it is possible to home malt barley, and some posters here have
>done it, nobody does it as a normal part of their routine. It seems
>that it is very difficult to get a consistent product from home malting.
>[/color]
Still... I might give it a try. I don't grow my own grapes yet, but I
do have apple trees and hope to make at least 80 gallons of wine this
year. Only made 5gals of apple 2 years ago when I only had 1 carboy.
The next year, I had 2-3gal, 5-5gal, and 1-6.5gal, but had a killing
frost and didn't get any fruit. This year the trees are loaded. A
local suprplus store, the next town over has pallettes full of 6.5
carboys for $15 each. Have already bought 3, and plan to get more.
[color=blue]
>On the other hand, it sounds like the "Eden's Organic Barley Malt Syrup"
>is simply "liquid malt extract" to me. You can use that directly for
>extract brewing. I wonder if the "Organic" version isn't much more
>expensive than the LME you can order online, tho'.[/color]

It's about $6.50 for 20 oz.gar, which is more expensive than other
bulk extracts I've seen online. It doesn't say it has preservatives,
but it doesn't say it has doesn't have any either. Should be about
right for a 1 gal batch, with maybe some roasted barley and/or roasted
wheat steeped first.
[color=blue]
>Regarding some of the things you mentioned:
>You can use "roasted barley" (unmalted) in stouts. You can use wheat,
>malted and unmalted, in different styles of beer. It is possible to
>malt wheat and make 100% wheat beers, I understand, but I think you need
>to add rice hulls for a filter in your mash tun. Honey can be added to
>any beer - it will boost the alcohol level like any pure sugar would.
>Honey will add a very slight flavor/aroma... personally it was never
>enough for me to notice.
>
>You don't mention them, but you can malt most any grain ... a popular
>one for people who can't have gluten is "grain sorghum" (not "sweet"
>sorghum). Again, you have to home malt the raw grain.
>
>Derric[/color]

What about corn? Should it be sweet corn or feed/field corn? Malted?
Or is it too strachy?

As for all grains for the mash, should they be crushed/smashed with
minimal dust and flour if I mill them myself (freezer bag w/ rolling
pin style)?

Or, say, I buy 10lbs of Pale Malt 2row, and 2lbs of Crystal 80 (or
2lbs of Caramunich) my LHBS would mill both for me, and I add both to
the mashtun for batch sparging?

I'm still a little confused about what grains are what (sugar or
flavor or color), and when they are added to the mash.

Forgive for asking so much. I've been reading a lot lately and my
thoughts are sort of jumbled.
Stu