What should I brew with these ingredients?

[Tyler B]

Hello! I typically buy grains in 1 kg bags but don't always use the full kilo for my recipes. I'm starting to accumulate lots of small bags of various grains and don't really know what to do with them. So... What would you do with the following?

1 lb Munich Light
0.63 lb Caramunich II (45L)
1.41 lbs Carared (20L)
1.12 lbs Carahell (10L)
0.68 lbs Carafa I (340L)
2 lbs Carafa II (430L)
1 lb wheat malt

What do you think? I'll obviously add some 2-row to whatever I make. I considered doing some sort of kitchen sink type of beer. Maybe like a stout with Belgian yeast just to make it weird and fun. Also partially because ive always wanted to try to step-up yeast from a Belgian beer like Chimay.

Not sure though... Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[RPh_Guy]

If it's not milled then it'll save for a long time.

 

[Tyler B]

It isn't milled but I'd still like to use it up. Some are pushing a year and I threw out one bag because I found some bugs (weavels?). I have since started taking better care with proper storage bins but still want to keep the inventory fresh so now I'm looking to clear out some of the old stuff.

I'm going to use it one way or another. I just thought someone might look at the grains and say "that would be perfect in a ________!" I'm just not that skilled at recipe design and don't really have the answer. I'm not opposed to using some, most, or all in one or more beers.

 

[archthered]

I don't see any style jumping out from that but I like the idea of just throwing it all together with some base malt and calling it a Belgian Stout!

 

[lump42]

It'll be difficult to use this all in one 5gal/19L batch, especially 2+ lbs of carafa. Brewers Friend has a recipe suggestion based on inventory, or in the recipe builder as you enter ingredients it suggests styles.

You could do a amber, or a saiason. A lot would depend on how you hopped and what yeast.

This is gold - light copper saison grain bill I threw together.
8 lbs pale
0.63 lb Caramunich II (45L)
1.12 lbs Carahell (10L)
1 lb wheat malt

Or here is a more amber version
8 lbs pale
0.63 lb Caramunich II (45L)
1.14 lbs carared (20L)
1 lb wheat malt
6 oz carafa I

To avoid this, I've started building my recipes around what I have first. Making substitutions for what I have. I replace various cara- malts with any other caramel/crystal malt of similar color (+/- 15L). Carafa can replace most other roast malts unless it's for a stout where you want the bitterness.

 

[Tyler B]

Good stuff! Thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning kitchen sink Belgian Stout, but I do like the amber suggestion as it's a bit more refined.

Whatever I do, I'll update and share my success (or failure) with you.

 

[TurnipGreen]

You could use up the light Munich and some wheat with some Pilsner base malt for a kolsch. It’s cold now, good time to make it.

Or a pils with the carahell and a bit Munich.

 

[kh54s10]

I don't have any great suggestions, but I would NOT use all that in a kitchen sink beer. It would be a bloody mess. Way too much Cara.

And I hope that older grains do not make bad beer since all of my grains are over a year old and some are 4-5 years old. They have been stored, sealed tight and are still not stale.

Got a Unibrau coming so I hope to use up my old stuff and get fresher ingredients soon.

 

[Tyler B]

You could use up the light Munich and some wheat with some Pilsner base malt for a kolsch.

Any dry yeast options for kolsch? I'm kinda limited on my yeast selections.

I don't have any great suggestions, but I would NOT use all that in a kitchen sink beer. It would be a bloody mess. Way too much Cara.

Haha... OK, noted. Just out of curiosity, what if I added a TON of 2-row so that the Cara % was something like 10-15% of the grain bill? I'd basically turn it into something more like a RIS. Still a bad idea? Also, glad to hear you're successfully keeping your grains as long as you're able to.

 

[brewbama]

Any dry yeast options for kolsch?

 

[Tyler B]

Perfect! Maybe I'll set the wheat and light Munich aside for a Kolsch, which I admittedly know VERY little about. This is exactly why I started the thread.

 

[kh54s10]

Haha... OK, noted. Just out of curiosity, what if I added a TON of 2-row so that the Cara % was something like 10-15% of the grain bill? I'd basically turn it into something more like a RIS. Still a bad idea? Also, glad to hear you're successfully keeping your grains as long as you're able to.

You would need about 20 pounds of base grain. And whenever I use Carafa II, I use about 1/2 a pound at the most.

 

[Dave Sarber]

Start looking at tripels, dubbels, and quads.

 

[lump42]

Any dry yeast options for kolsch? I'm kinda limited on my yeast selections.

There's also safale k-97. It's about half the cost of Lalbrew Koln Kolsch yeast.

Or go with llalemand bry-97 and it would be a cream ale/blond.

 

[Tyler B]

You would need about 20 pounds of base grain. And whenever I use Carafa II, I use about 1/2 a pound at the most.

You're not going to like this... but... IF I did a 22.5 lb grain bill with 12% dark grains, 14% Cara grains, and 74% base grains, that would be 16.7 lbs of base grains. Oskar Blues claims to use nearly 50% specialty grains in Ten Fidy and I'd still be quite a ways away from that.

Please understand that I hear you loud and clear and I appreciate your input. I'm just looking to have a little fun, get exposure to things I'm not familiar with and learn along the way. If I made it "Belgian", I could play with things like the Chimay yeast that I referred to earlier and homemade candi syrup which I've just started reading about. Just experimental stuff for the sake of learning. I am fully aware that the kitchen sink beer probably won't be very good.

I think I'll definitely try the kolsch. That seems promising.

 

[kh54s10]

You're not going to like this... but... IF I did a 22.5 lb grain bill with 12% dark grains, 14% Cara grains, and 74% base grains, that would be 16.7 lbs of base grains. Oskar Blues claims to use nearly 50% specialty grains in Ten Fidy and I'd still be quite a ways away from that.

Please understand that I hear you loud and clear and I appreciate your input. I'm just looking to have a little fun, get exposure to things I'm not familiar with and learn along the way. If I made it "Belgian", I could play with things like the Chimay yeast that I referred to earlier and homemade candi syrup which I've just started reading about. Just experimental stuff for the sake of learning. I am fully aware that the kitchen sink beer probably won't be very good.

I think I'll definitely try the kolsch. That seems promising.

I was just doing a quick estimate of what you needed for your stated 10-15% Style - darker beers can exceed the 15% easily. But too much of one very dark grain could easily overwhelm the flavors in a not so good way.

You could do a dark Belgian and use most of those grains but I wouldn't use all of the Carafa II.

 

[SEndorf]

Some good suggestions for using parts of your bits 'n pieces in a logical recipe.
You don't say what your batch size is, but your grain leftovers are about 50% crystal.
If you're dead set on using them all, you'll make a mutt for sure. Carared with Carafa ??
Personally, I'd keep the Munich, Wheat, and Carafa II for use another time since you have at least a pound of them. I wouldn't be inclined to use 3 bucks of left over grains for a science experiment.

 

[downzero]

Make a bunch of 1 gallon batches. I bet it'd be way more fun than kitchen sink beer.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Beer

 

[archthered]

OK I'll admit I think too hard about the amounts before suggesting using it all for a Belgian stout. That said I have made several monster beers to clean out old grain and hops and have always been happy so I still vote for doing a Frankenbeer Belgian Stout. Even if you do 5 gallon batches I think you'd be fine to use all of everything but the Carafa I and Carafa II. I'd use an even mix of the two and somewhere between .5 and 1 pound total, depending on your taste. If you use 10 lbs of two row you will still won't have too much caramel malt to get weird or cloying and the other malts will add character. You could, and I would, substitute some of the two row for sugar to lighten the body a bit. You would then have the Carafa I and II around and you could make some schwartzbier or bocks in the near future. This will get you some good beer while cleaning out your stock and give you something to do next. But that's just my 2 cents.

 

[Tyler B]

Thanks for all of the responses, I'm enjoying it!

I was just doing a quick estimate of what you needed for your stated 10-15% Style - darker beers can exceed the 15% easily. But too much of one very dark grain could easily overwhelm the flavors in a not so good way.

You could do a dark Belgian and use most of those grains but I wouldn't use all of the Carafa II.

Thanks for the input/feedback and you are probably definitely coorect. I'll take your advice.

Beer

Definitely!

Some good suggestions for using parts of your bits 'n pieces in a logical recipe.
You don't say what your batch size is, but your grain leftovers are about 50% crystal.
If you're dead set on using them all, you'll make a mutt for sure. Carared with Carafa ??
Personally, I'd keep the Munich, Wheat, and Carafa II for use another time since you have at least a pound of them. I wouldn't be inclined to use 3 bucks of left over grains for a science experiment.

Regarding batch size, it'll likely be 5 gallons, could go up to 10. Not really interested in 1 gallon batches. As for the 50% number, it wouldn't be 50% of the grain bill because I would add base malt. I thought I mentioned that. I also said in a previous post, not dead set on using it all in one batch. I plan on taking out the Munich and wheat for the kolsch. Definitely open to suggestions but am very interested in the mutt science experiment.

 

[Tyler B]

OK I'll admit I think too hard about the amounts before suggesting using it all for a Belgian stout. That said I have made several monster beers to clean out old grain and hops and have always been happy so I still vote for doing a Frankenbeer Belgian Stout. Even if you do 5 gallon batches I think you'd be fine to use all of everything but the Carafa I and Carafa II. I'd use an even mix of the two and somewhere between .5 and 1 pound total, depending on your taste. If you use 10 lbs of two row you will still won't have too much caramel malt to get weird or cloying and the other malts will add character. You could, and I would, substitute some of the two row for sugar to lighten the body a bit. You would then have the Carafa I and II around and you could make some schwartzbier or bocks in the near future. This will get you some good beer while cleaning out your stock and give you something to do next. But that's just my 2 cents.

After reading more Belgian recipes (as another member suggested) I think this is good advice. I appreciate it!

 

[Tyler B]

You've probably all forgotten this thread, but... I've since taken your advice into consideration. I am being more careful with storing ingredients and plan on keeping them for longer.

As for the Belgian stout, I attempted to step up Chimay yeast from the dregs of a few bottles. I grew a nice amount of yeast but unfortunately I also grew a pelicle and had to dump it so that idea is being scratched for the time being.

As for the Kolsch, I got the K-97 yeast in the mail today along with a few other ingredients and plan on brewing my first kolsch soon.

This inspired me to experiment with some other dry yeasts that I wasn't familiar with so now I have a few other new ones in the arsenal. Thank you to everyone who offered thoughts and opinions back in December. Who knew 2020 would be so crazy!

I'll let you know how my kolsch brew goes as well as any others inspired by this thread.

 

[Tyler B]

The "Kolsh" turned out fantastic! After doing some research, I'm not sure it was actually a kolsch, but it was a good beer.

Very clean and crisp. Definitely a departure from my normal beers. I'm glad I tried it and I'll definitely brew it again.