i am looking to begin my frist batch of cider here in a few days. i was going to use organic cider (pasteurized). it is my impression that the campden tablets are only necessary with the fresh squezed cider to supress bacterial gorwth. am i misinformed?

and i am still unsure as to what yeast i should use. looking for a dry cider with apple flavor, 8-10% ABV. input would be much appreciated. I’ve had good results making Cyser (Apple juice and honey) and don’t use Campden.  I use a yeast starter and make sure I have a healthy amount to pitch and get the fermentation rolling as soon as possible.  Honey does have  mild anti-bacterial properties, which may help.  My recipe for 3 gallon carboy…..

2.5 gal Knudsen’s Organic Unsweetened Apple Juice, pasteurized.
6 lbs clover honey
1 oz yeast nutrient
Priesse de Mousse Champagne Yeast

after racking off lees add:
3 lbs clover honey
1/3 gal Knudsen’s Organic Apple Juice

The yeast sort of pooped out at 12%, with a nice residual sweetness.
Lots of apple aroma and flavor.

Good Luck,
MzIce

I have not bothered with the Campden tablets on the ciders I have made.  I did not make mine at 8-10% ABV though and getting the apple taste is a little tricky because immediately after fermentation it tastes nothing like apples.

However, after about 5 months of maturing it now tastes a lot like what I expect a dry cider to taste like.  I used a cider yeast from England on one (I brought the kit over with me) and a champagne yeast on the other.  The champagne yeasted cider is very dry and lacks a lot of character, so I threw in 1oz of oak per gallon to try and get a little character into it.  You could look at some of the wine yeasts that bring out fruit flavors, but I am unsure of all the varieties without my books. I have used Lalvin D47 in my Meads and it creates a mead with lots of body and character, but cider needs to be crisp and refreshing. The body could be due to the high alcohol content though.  I have used beer yeast in a cyser and you should be warned that beer yeast is much more foamy than wine yeast, and allow appropriate head space.

If you want to get a really apple tasting cider, I think you will need to create something that is a bit sweeter. To do this you will need potassium sorbate to stop the refermentation when you add the extra juice. Commercially it would be flash pasteurized and filtered before force carbonating. Unless you have a corny keg, you could look at trying the Tap-a-Draft kegs. They hold 1.6 gallons each and can force carbonate your cider. I just ordered two more taps so that I can carbonate a mead and a cider!

Mzcle  –  How long do you ferment in the primary before racking to the secondary?  Also, how long do you keep in the secondary before bottling? Do you prime? and once in the bottle how long does it take to mature?  Thanks

On my ciders I’ve had good luck using “Lalvin ICV-D47” . It doesn’t make for a dry cider like champagne yeast does, and allows more apple flavor to show up in the finished cider. Another thing is to make sure you use a good tart cider, something with the tart late apples, and a small dose of crab apples to the blend really brings out the apple flavor in the end product. But once you have reached your end result (sweetness), give it a dose of camden tablets and Potassium sorbate to end the fermentation. Do everything just like the Wine industry does to preserve fruitiness & sweetness in wines, after all Cider is nothing but a wine anyways. Now you can bottle it and have a still Cider. If you want a sparkling cider, just force carbonate it in a corny keg to 2.5-3 atmosperes and chill it to below 30*F then bottle it from the corny keg, it should retain most of it carbonation when served at serving temperature. Reading up on “Making wine” is one of the best ways to produce good cider, that and starting out with a good quality sweet cider as your base must. outside of kegging and force carbonating, is there any other way to carbonate the cider?

won’t the addition of priming sugar carbonate the cider, as the infusion of fermentable sugars should (in theory) re-invigorate the yeast and cause carbonation?

Can I take beer that is carbonated and in the keg already and put it in bottles. WITHOUT using a beer gun or counter pressure filler thing?

Can I take a gallon out of the keg, back into my bottling bucket, add the sugar and bottle??

Thanks
Bennett

Ok so you are saying that I can put the carbonated beer from the keg into bottles without the use of beer gun or counter pressure bottle filler?

Just dispense it into the bottle like I would pour a beer, except turn oaf the CO2, bleed the keg and let it trickle in??

Then why do people buy the beer guns and stuff? Not to argue because this is great if I can do it without, just asking.

Thanks
Conor

Here’s what I have done: I attach an 8 – 10 inch piece of tubing to the exit nozzle of my picnic tap. The tubing reaches to the very bottom of the bottle. I chill the carbonated keg to about 30-32 degrees and add a very small amount of pressure (about 2lbs of pressure) – the pressure is so low that I have to lower the tap to below the keg surface for the beer to flow. All you have to do then is fill the bottles. It takes abs out 10 minutes to fill a couple six packs this way. The beer left in the tubing pours out as you remove the tube so that you can fill the bottle all the way to the top alleviating oxidation concerns.

I have not held bottles for much longer than a couple of weeks like this so I don’t know how long the carbonation holds – but it seems to do well up to 2 weeks. Mostly I’ve just done this to give beer away or bring it too parties. It also seems to work best when the beer is slightly overcabonated.

As Mark warns – would not be a good idea to add priming sugar!!!! However, you could use this method to fill uncorroborated beer in bottles with priming sugar probably.

Thanks
Bobby

I have had a little success with filling bottles from the keg.  I usually don’t fill too many this way, but here is my procedure:

1) lower dispensing pressure.
2) bleed CO2 in keg.
3) raise dispensing pressure to approximately 4 PSI.  This is based upon my balanced dispensing system which is normally set at about 10.5 PSI.
4) attach hose to faucet end.
5) insert hose in bottle to bottom to minimize foaming.
6) fill bottle.
7) allow foam to settle and add additional beer.
8) cap bottle.
9) return system to normal dispensing pressure.

Hope this information helps.

Beer has been around for yonks. You are bound to feel something missing in a celebration if there is no beer. It has become such a part of our culture nowadays and no celebration is complete without it. Moderate limits are always better than indulging overly in anything. Same goes for beer. Beer is fun when taken in moderation. Most of the slang words associated with beer usually seem to be defining extreme drinking habits and over drinking. Find funny and interesting slang words in the list below and get yourself acquainted with amusing and witty human creativity. This post doesn’t include any sort of offensive slang.

Aiming Juice – This term refers to drinking beer before playing golf in order to improve aiming skills.

Amber Nectar – This is an Australian slang word that is a name for beer. This word isn’t really of Australian origin. People have been using it since nineteenth century, so it’s not really new. This modern-sounding phrase was earlier used to refer to honey.

Barley Pop – This phrase is used to define malt liquor or freezing of beer. This phrase implies that the end result is going to be a lovely revelation.

Barley Sandwich – This slang refers to having beer during lunch time.

Barley Soda – This slang is used to refer to beer when in the company of people who might get offended by beer consumption or influenced by the same in a negative manner.

Brew – It simply means beer.

Brewski – This slang came into being and became popular in the 70’s. It is used to refer to cold driveway beer.

Cold Coffee – It is another way to refer to beer.

Frostie – People in Los Angeles like calling beer as Frostie, be it cold beer or otherwise.

Frosty Pop – It is yet another interesting name for your favourite drink.

Laughing Water – This term is used to refer to strong beer.

Liquid Bread – This phrase refers to just about any kind of beer but mainly refers to very filling full-bodied beers.

Swipe – It refers to weak beer.

Swing Oil – Swing oil is another slang used for beer in reference to playing golf.

Beast – Surprisingly enough, the term “Beast” is used to refer to any beer that is cheap. A beer named “Milwaukee’s Best” made this slang term famous.

… and there are tons more…

Two of the slang terms used for Camp or Home-Brewed beers are Bust Head and Oil of Gladness. Wobbly Pops is my favourite. What’s yours?

Hello,

I am new  to homebrewing and I am reading as much as I can, I see that many people use 6 gallon buckets as there fermenter, others like a glass carboy. My question is why can you not use a plastic carboy? I am guessing because it has flavors that can taint the brew, but if you sanitize enough will it still work? Any info on this would be great, because I can get several plastic ones for free, but I would have to buy a glass one, although not that expensive still it would be good if I could get a free one.

Thanks in advance

Hey gregory,

Problem with buckets can come in a variety of problems. First of all the interior is easy to scratch. Which can lead to infections ask a mold and bacteria which then will ruin anything you are home brewing. No matter how much you think it’s sanitized, ya can still run that risk. Granted a bucket is cheaper but a glass carboy at least you don’t have to worry about scratches on the inside of the glass.
Another problem with buckets is if you have to ferment for extended lengths of time. It’s pretty easy to oxidize a brew in a bucket. Buckets also allow a little oxygen flow slowly over time. Another problem is if the brew is infected, you cannot see it. Yet again, a problem can arise from the lid not being properly sealed. That’s a bucket in a nutshell.
Glass carboys can be dangerous if handled with damp or wet hands. They can also break if you are not careful. It has all the benefits from seeing the brew fermenting to the proper seal on the 3 way valve that lets out the co2 being formed as a by-product. They also cost more than a bucket but they also have a longer life expectancy than a bucket. So in your brew time you may end up having to get 30 buckets versus only 1 glass carboy.
In reality, a 6 gallon bucket will work but you really want one that is 6.5 gallons. You will ask why. Its because of the fermentation process can get very explosive meaning there is a lot of action going on inside which the yeast will cause bubbles and rise on top of the wort. Wort being what is turned into the final product. I’ve had fermentation process that a 7 gallon bucket couldn’t contain so a 6 gallon won’t either. But that is from my personal experience. I hope all this helps. If not, just pm me for more details.

I was making a batch of wine using a bucket for primary fermentation. I opened the lid (that had a burper), to check the SG (sugar level)… and after I shut it, the stuff really took off. Took longer, but would recommend doing this way as its good aseptic practice. BTW, buckets are free, drill a hole, and plug with bung. Works like a charm!

My understanding is the same as Darren’s, that plastic is harder to disinfect than glass, and more likely to contaminate your product. Not sure what this says about ancient methods, which involved clay, wood and cow stomachs and such. I think I’ll pass on trying some of those methods.

1 gallon glass jugs can be pretty easy to obtain–just buy a jug of apple juice at the grocery! Be sure to sanitize well before using, though.

I’m not sure how to cheaply get bigger glass carboys, though. Do any water companies still use 5 gal. glass jugs? Any of them not require returning the bottles? Most I’ve seen now use plastic, but the plastic they use I’d be inclined to trust, since their business depends on not getting impurities in your water.

you will have to use glass i m afraid coz if you need to prevent from mole and bacteria. So a little investment may be involved but the results will got better! I primary in 1/2 bbl sankey kegs. I secondary in 5 gal plastic carboys. I have a wall covered with ribbons. Plastic pails are fine for primary but you have to be careful not to scratch them.

Beers,
Steve

There is a difference between, a plastic carboy drinking water(5gal). and a Plastic carboy(5gal) made of PET. Poly..something. It is a non-barrier plastic, meaning oxygen can not transfer through the plastic and oxidize
your beer. A oridnary 5gal carboy for drinking water will impart taste and oxygen over time. So if you are going to use plastic carboys or bottles make sure they are PET. It will say on the bottom.

Brew on..

There may be a difference but I still stand by my water bottles. Cheap and good. The proof is on my wall. A cider I took best of show with aged in plastic water carboys for 6 months. I have had judges pick up other unrelated flaws but never oxidation.

I was doing a little research on using this yeast, as this is the one we plan to use in the BKB summertime Community Brew. I wanted to share this with everyone because as it says, most people aren’t used to using a yeast that ferments at these type of temperatures.

So here is what I found out about the yeast from the Labservices at Wyeast.

My note to them…………

I was reading an article on Belgian Saisons and was wondering if your yeast exhibits the same characteristics.

” Yeast character is the single most important flavor component in any beer, especially a Saison. Many homebrewers have successfully cultured yeast from the dregs of a bottle-conditioned beer like Saison Dupont, and there are also Saison yeasts available from White Labs and WYeast.
Fermentation temperatures for this beer are shockingly high, and require a leap of faith by brewers conditioned to never ferment anything above 70°. Saison Dupont ferments at around 90°, give or take a few degrees. In fact, if you are squeamish about fermenting this high, be prepared to wait weeks for primary fermentation to complete, as this yeast is notoriously sluggish at lower temperatures.
If it does conk out on you, don’t panic, simply get it as warm as is possible (80° to 90°), and prepare to wait. Rousing, or stirring up the yeast sometimes helps, but not always. The yeast will work, but very slowly. Sometimes these beers can take three to four weeks to ferment out, but that’s the price we pay for working with such an idiosyncratic yeast. It is worth it, as you will see and taste in the glorious resulting beer. ”

I just want to make sure that I get a complete fermentation when using it as it will probably be fermented at around 75 degrees or will I have to I will heat my fermenter to get it up into the 80-90 degree range? Any insight on this will be helpful as it is a Community Brew for a forum and I will make sure your response gets posted.

Their reply:

Brian,

This quote you listed speaks the truth exactly.  If you cannot run your ferment at 90 with the Dupont strain, then plan on a very long and drawn out primary (weeks to a couple of months).  If you can ferment at 90, then it will finish (and finish very complete) within days.  A 75 degree F ferment could take a couple of months.

The key is to ferment at 90 from the start.  Starting cool and then having to heat the brew later on to keep the ferment from slowing can have adverse effects on the beer.  Prolonged fermentation at high temps can lead to oxidation and off flavors.

I hope this helps.  As I said before, the recommendations in the quote are right on with what we recommend.

Please let me know if you have other questions.

Jess Caudill
Brewer/Microbiologist
Wyeast Laboratories

So as they say it’s going to take a leap of faith on my behalf as I have never fermented at these temperatures. Just remember it will take longer to ferment at cooler temperatures……

GOODBREWING

WOW!!, i just need to fig out how to keep it that warm!!

You could put a fermenter wrap heater around it or put it in a closet or room with a space heater or you could use the wrap heater on the wall of your fridge to keep it that warm. I’m going to use my extra bathroom and shut the doors and turn the heat on……I have baseboard heaters…

i’m going out on a limb to say that i don’t think most people have access to the necessary facilities to maintain an even temp of 90F during fermentation.  what about using a different yeast strain that is made for Saisons but ferments at lower temps?  has anyone used a heating pad to ferment Saisons before?

here are a few strains by White Labs that ferment lower “room” temperatures:

WLP550 Belgian Ale Yeast
Saisons, Belgian Ales, Belgian Reds, Belgian Browns, and White beers are just a few of the classic Belgian beer styles that can be created with this yeast strain. Phenolic and spicy flavors dominate the profile, with less fruitiness then WLP500.
Attenuation: 78-85%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 68-78°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium-High

WLP565 Belgian Saison I Yeast
Classic Saison yeast from Wallonia. It produces earthy, peppery, and spicy notes. Slightly sweet. With high gravity saisons, brewers may wish to dry the beer with an alternate yeast added after 75% fermentation.
Attenuation: 65-75%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 68-75°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium

WLP566 Belgian Saison II Yeast
PLATINUM STRAIN – July/August
Saison strain with more fruity ester production than with WLP565. Moderately phenolic, with a clove-like characteristic in finished beer flavor and aroma. Ferments faster than WLP565.
Attenuation: 78-85%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 68-78 F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium

i already bought  the farmhouse yeast, i’ll give it my best shot at keepn it warm

I agree with 1n1m3g on this one.  While it would be ideal to use the special Saison strain, I’m probably going to opt for a different Wyeast strain such as Forbidden Fruit, Belgian Ardennes, or even one of the Belgian Witbier yeasts that ferment in the mid 70s.  The book “Beer Captured” actually recommends these strains for their Saison recipes.  I would love to use 3724, and would even consider getting a brewbelt or some other heating source specifically for that, but I still think it’d be tough to keep the 90 degree temps with that (anyone know what brewbelts will heat up to?) .  Just my two cents.

I thought this was why we were doing this in the summer.  You know, when the temps are warmer.  I was planning on waiting for a hot spell, brew, throw it in the attic, and hope it doesn’t get too hot!  I’m personally in no hurry to brew this, still in the research phase actually.  Don’t ge me wrong, I’m very excited.  I just want the temps to be right.

Cheers!

I am sort in agreement with Yendor…..it’s not like the yeast doesn’t work at 75 it just will take a little longer, it’s rated at 75-90 degrees, if fermenting on the low end you just may need to allow a little more time and have a little patience. You will just have to take that leap of faith…..

GOODBREWING

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Wyeast 3726 is not the Saison Dupont yeast.  I believe it’s origins are from Brasserie de Blaugies.  Wyeast 3724 is the Saison Dupont yeast.

Saison Dupont is fermented at very high temperatures (90 degrees), because they can’t afford to keep the beer in the fermentation tanks any longer than a few days.  Brasserie Blaugies on the other hand ferments their Saison d’Epeautre at 77-80 degrees.  There is also another really big difference between the yeasts/breweries we are talking about here.  Brasserie Dupont stores their bottles for 6-8 weeks in the 70-75 degrees range, whereas Brasserie Blaugies stores for 5 days 41 degrees.

Now, having never used either yeast I can’t say definitively how they will ferment, what they will taste like, or even how long they will take.  My plan is to use Wyeast 3726 Farmhouse Ale yeast at around 80 degrees.  Recently here in DC my house gets about 75 degrees inside and with the extra heat that fermentation produces I’d be looking at 80-85 degrees inside the carboy.  It might take a couple of weeks in primary, but I’m ok with that…you can’t rush good beer.  Patience is not usually high on the list for most home brewers, ha.

If you aren’t comfortable using the yeast, then trade it out.  It won’t taste the same, but it won’t be bad.

DT

This is from Papazian’s book: The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing.  I found it on page 220 – I won’t post everything he wrote here, just an excerpt:

A sinfully unique combination of sour cherries, malt extract, a mild lend of hops and patient aging conspires to celebrate the rites of spring with the luscious memories of summers past…

…Cherries in the Snow faintly resembles a Belgium Kriek, a style of beer brewed with sweet cherries, malt and a lactobaccilus bacteria for tartness.  However, the tartness of Charries in the Snow is not as explosive as a Belgium Kriek, Lambic or Gueuze (all sour fermented beers); rather, it gently hints of a clean tartness, inspiring a call for more.  The hops are subtle, not bitter, yet flavorful in the style of an awakening spring.

As does a good wine, Cherries in the Snow offers a wonderful potential to mature dearly with age (years)–called fort for sinfully special occassions.

Ingredients for 5 Gallons

6 lbs light malt extract
2 oz. Hallertauer or Tettnanger hops (boiling): 10 HBU
1/2 oz. Hallertauer or Tettnanger hops (finishing)
10 lbs sour cherries
1-2 packages ale yeast
3/4 c. corn sugar (for bottling)

Basic procedure (abridged):

Boil malt extract, boiling hops, and 1 1/2 gallons of water for 45 minutes.  Add crushed sour cherries and finishing hops to the boiling wort.  Cherries should cool wort to about 160 degrees F.  Steep cherries for 15 minutes between 160 – 180 degrees.  Important: Do not boil the cherries.

After cherried wort has steeped for 15 minutes pour entire contents (without sparging) into a plastic fermenter and cold water.  Pitch yeast when cool.  After 5 days of primary fermentation, remove as much of the floating hops and cherries from the fermeneter as humanly possible.

Rack the beer into a secondary fermenter.  Attach air lock and continue fermentation until beer shows clarity.  Bottle when fermentation is complete.

60 Minute IPA Clone

( Dogfish Head)
( 5 gallons/19L)
OG= 1.064  FG 1.019
IBU= 60 SRM= 6 ABV= 5.8%

Ingredients

• 12lb. 15 oz. ( 5.86kg) 2-Row Pale Malt
• 6.4 oz. (.18kg) Thomas Fawcett Amber Malt
• .7 oz/20g Warrior Hops (60-35 minutes)
• .28 oz./7g Simcoe Hops (35-25 minutes)
• .7 oz./20g Palisade Hops (25-0 minutes)
• 1 tsp. Irish Moss (15 minutes)
• .7 oz./20g Palisade Hops (whirlpool)
• .59 oz./17g Amarillo Hops (dryhop)
• .59 oz./17g Simcoe Hops  (dryhop)
• .59 oz./17g Glacier Hops  (dryhop)
• Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or other English Yeast
• 1.5 qt. starter @ SG 1.030
• 7/8 cup corn sugar priming

Mash @152 for 60 minutes
Hop with a continuous stream of Warrior hops at a rate of .28 oz. per 10 minutes
you should run out with 35 minutes left
Simcoe till 25 minutes left
Palisade till flameout
Add whirlpool hops end of boil
Cool….aerate…pitch yeast
Ferment @71 and towards the end of fermentation and slowly raise to 74
Hold for 3 days
cool to 68 and add dry hops for 2 weeks
Bottle (I would say to condition for 4 weeks at 70 but I know you
won’t be able to do this)
Extract version ( for hop utilization purpose you’ll need to boil at least 3.5 gallons)
Steep 1.5 lbs Pale Malt and 6.4 oz.Thomas Fawcett Amber Malt
in 2.25 qts @152 for 45 minutes….rinse with 1 qt 170 water
Bring 4 gallons to a boil
4 lbs.Muntons Light DME ( Entire Boil)
3.3 lbs Muntons LME ( turn off heat and add with 15 minutes left, bring
back to a boil.)…..add irish moss and after boil cool and add water to make
5 gallons…..ferment like the all-grain recipe

NOTES: I talked to Jonathan Plise from MoreBeer and he said Dogfish Head used
English Ale Yeast, not Ringwood………
You will also have a really hard time trying to find Palisade Hops….I don’t
even think that they are available to homebrewer’s in pellet form (let me know if
you find them in pellets) You will have to order them in plug form which is also
hard to find……The Grape and Granary special ordered them for me and have them
in stock now…… the grape.net  . Last year when I made mine I used Cascade in
place of the Palisade and it came out real good. This year I made it with Palisade
and there is not much difference. I also used plugs for all varieties. Remember you
will have to add about 10% more when using plugs.
If you make this beer right you will never be able to tell the difference between it and
the real thing……this is a very good recipe, just remember to keep the hopping rate
steady and even….a few plinks of hops at time is how I did it and make sure you
have everything ready because you will be busy during the entire boil……..
If you want to buy the March/April 2006  back issue of Brew Your Own it has instructions
on how to make a continuous wort hopper….The Zopinator.…..and the recipes.

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With an embarrassingly large variety of grains available to the homebrewer these days, it can be difficult to make choices among them.  There is so much to consider. For instance, a small amount of dark crystal malt will result in the same color as a larger amount of lighter crystal malt, but the flavor and aroma will not be the same.  It is necessary to have some understanding of the malting process, and to develop familiarity with the different types of malts to make choices that will result in the beer ending up the way you want it to.

The Malting Process

A discussion of the malting process could easily consume all of the space intended for this article.  To stay focused, we will cover it as concisely as possible.  The grain (typically barley, but others such as wheat or rye are also used) is steeped and germinated.  The process of germination unleashes the stored energy of the seed by converting starches to soluble starches and sugars by developing diastatic enzymes.  The germination process is halted by removing most of the moisture by kiln drying, leaving the food energy and enzymes intact.  The ratio of the length of the acrospire (sprout) to the length of the kernel corresponds to the degree of modification.  Once the sprout is the same length as the kernel itself, the grain is said to be completely modified.

Many different types of malts are produced at malt houses using various kiln temperatures and kiln times and further roasting.

General Malt Types

Base malts are starchy and need to be converted to fermentable sugars by performing a mash.  Mashing is (in simplified terms) combining the milled grain with water, and maintaining the temperature where the enzymes are active until the starches are converted to sugars.  These malts are pale in color, and provide the bulk (or all) of the fermentable sugar in a recipe.  There are some higher kilned malts such as Vienna and Munich that also provide color, flavor and aroma.  These are considered to be base malts as well, and can be used in up to 100% of the grist.

Malts other than base malts are commonly called specialty grains.  These are where most of the color, flavor, and malt aroma comes from.  They are already converted, and can be used in a malt extract based recipe by simply steeping them without being concerned about any enzymatic activity.  These malts are the crystal/caramel malts and roasted malts such as Chocolate malt, Black Malt (sometimes called Black Patent), and Roasted Barley.

Potential Extract

When formulating a recipe, flavor, aroma and color contributions are the primary things to consider when making up a grain bill.  To hit your intended original gravity, it is also important to know the potential extract of each of the grain types.  You will not extract the full potential, as no brewery is 100% efficient.  The actual extract is your efficiency multiplied by the grains potential.

The potential extract is expressed in terms of specific gravity contribution of 1lb of grain/gallon of water.

Specific Malt Types

Below is a table of common grains, their descriptions and common usages, their approximated color, appropriate beer styles, and common commercial examples of these grains.

Get to Know Your Malts

Studying the malt types, comparing and contrasting the characteristics is a good start.  Having an idea of how they are made, how they look, and and how they smell is a good next step.  It may sound funny, but chewing the malt when selecting grains for your beer is important.  Take a few grains and munch on them.  This will help you have a sense about them and will be useful when choosing among them.  Finally, you have to brew with them.  Start with a base-line recipe and explore by adding various specialty grains taking your recipe in whatever direction you would like.

Change one thing at a time between each batch so that you can have a good idea of how the change affected the beer.  Keep good records of your brewing so that you know what you did.

With so many flavors, aromas, and even textures to play with, the exploration can last a lifetime.