Grain School - That’s a Wrap
For those of you who are semi-new to brewing your own beer via the all grain method, I can’t recommend grain school highly enough. I am now drinking my first batches of three beers brewed post-grain school, and I can’t say enough about what the education has done for the quality of my beer.
I think the most important thing I learned is how less is often more. My current pale ale is the very best I’ve ever brewed. It consists of base malts and a single crystal malt. Add some hops, water and yeast, and it’s a huge winner. Cheap to brew and a huge winner.
So, now I know how many of the grains available to me work and, importantly, how and when they don’t work.
I’m now playing with hops. My current Amber Ale uses Willamette, which I have never used before. It is delicious:
7.75 lbs pale malt
2.00 lbs Munich
1.00 lbs Carapils ( I actually like to use flaked barley instead, but didn’t have any. Neither are really required in this recipe anyway)
12 oz Crystal 60
8 oz Crystal 120
22 IBU of Magnum at 60,
12.5 IBU Willamette added late in the boil
US-05 to eat sugar and pee alcohol
Enjoy it! At 72% brewhouse efficiency, this one clocks in at 1.062 OG and just over 6% alcohol. I’d probably back it off just a bit next time. My efficiency generally is around 68ish% - not great, but usually pretty reliable.
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