Looks kind of like dry oatmeal. Is it a new "cleanse diet"?
No, this is spent grain. Chocolate, Crystal, and Black all-grain malt to be precise.
I am making a Honey Brown Ale (more posts to follow).
You see, brewing can be done using dry malt in big powdery bags, or it can be made by cutting out that process and going "all grain". Many brews also mix both.
What are the benefits of all-grain, you ask?
So, until I have the means to control my temperatures a bit more, the most I will do with grain is use it to flavor and color my brews in combination with dry malt.
If you would like to know more about grain and malts, see the site that I used for reference.
Here is an image of the color that the three grains, mentioned above, impart to the brew. I strained this liquid from the cheese-cloth bag I made for soaking the grain. This is a small amount of the total yield.
No, this is spent grain. Chocolate, Crystal, and Black all-grain malt to be precise.
I am making a Honey Brown Ale (more posts to follow).
You see, brewing can be done using dry malt in big powdery bags, or it can be made by cutting out that process and going "all grain". Many brews also mix both.
What are the benefits of all-grain, you ask?
- Grain is cheaper.
- Grain is tastier (so I've heard).
- Grain needs controlled temperatures.
- Grain produces a lot of byproduct (spent grain).
- Grain has to be crushed open, and then "mashed" before brewing.
So, until I have the means to control my temperatures a bit more, the most I will do with grain is use it to flavor and color my brews in combination with dry malt.
If you would like to know more about grain and malts, see the site that I used for reference.
Here is an image of the color that the three grains, mentioned above, impart to the brew. I strained this liquid from the cheese-cloth bag I made for soaking the grain. This is a small amount of the total yield.
What can be done with the spent grain?
Well, many people feed it livestock, some people bake bread with it (myself), and still others combine it with cellulose of some variety (wood chips, paper, etc) and grow mushrooms on it. Oyster mushrooms are recommended.
How can I do it myself and what is the lingo I need?
Well, Tex, you've got to crush your grain down in a malt mill.
Mix it with hot water to make it into a mash in a mash tun.
Then, you've got to sparge, or separate the grain in a process, called lautering.
See my reference under BREWING.