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Malt extract, grain, hops and grain mills

Dry and liquid malt extract, base and specialty grain, hop pellets and 2- or 3-roller grain mills for extract and all-grain brewers.

Best grain millsExtract vs all-grainBeginner beer stylesIBU calculatorBeer color calculator
Dishes of malt samples from pale to black for brewing
Photo: JoergWoelk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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IBU calculator (Tinseth)Tinseth IBU for every hop addition.Beer color calculator (SRM, Morey)Beer color from your grain bill (Morey).

Choosing brewing ingredients and a grain mill

Every beer starts from malt sugar. Extract brewers buy it concentrated: dry malt extract (DME) stores well in a sealed bag and is easy to weigh, while liquid malt extract (LME) comes in 3.3 lb (1.5 kg) jars or pouches and darkens with age, so buy it fresh. All-grain brewers start from base malt such as Briess 2-Row or Muntons Maris Otter and add specialty malts for color and flavor.

Malt color is listed in degrees Lovibond (°L). A few ounces of a dark malt change a beer far more than pounds of a pale one, which is why the beer color calculator is worth a minute before brew day.

Listed malt color

Midpoint of the listed range where a range is given

Briess Pilsen MaltBriess Pilsen Malt: 1.2 °L1.2 °LBriess 2-Row Brewers MaltBriess 2-Row Brewers Malt: 1.8 °L1.8 °LBriess White Wheat MaltBriess White Wheat Malt: 2.5 °L2.5 °LWeyermann CaraMunich Type 1Weyermann CaraMunich Type 1: 34.5 °L34.5 °LBriess Caramel 40LBriess Caramel 40L: 40 °L40 °LBriess Roasted BarleyBriess Roasted Barley: 350 °L350 °L
Source: Product listings (Briess, Weyermann)

Hops: pellets, cryo and freshness

Pellets are the standard for homebrew: compact, consistent and easy to dose. Cryo (lupulin) pellets pack more aroma per ounce, so use less. Alpha acid varies by crop year; enter the number printed on your package into the IBU calculator rather than a typical range. Store opened hops cold and airtight.

Should you mill your own grain?

Milling at home lets you buy uncrushed grain in bulk and set your own gap. A 2-roller mill suits most BIAB and cooler mash tun brewers; drive it by hand or with a low-speed drill (MaltMuncher lists 200 rpm). If your mill crushes finely for BIAB, rice hulls help a cooler mash tun drain.

Allergen and gluten notesLactose is milk sugar, so tell guests about milk stouts. Beer from barley or wheat contains gluten; a gluten-free beer has to be brewed from non-gluten grains or syrups such as sorghum. Enzyme-treated "gluten-reduced" beer is not safe for people with celiac disease.Source: TTB Ruling 2014-2

Ingredient mistakes to avoid

  • Buying LME months before brew day: it darkens and stales; DME keeps better.
  • Using a typical alpha acid instead of the number on your hop package.
  • Milling too fine for a cooler mash tun without rice hulls, which can stick the sparge.
  • Forgetting to label crushed grain with the date; crushed malt loses freshness faster than whole kernels.

Store grain cool, dry and sealed against pests, and hops in the freezer.

Related reading: best BIAB bags and hop spiders.

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Ingredients & milling: questions

DME or LME: which malt extract is better?
Both make good beer. DME stores longer once opened and is easy to weigh in small amounts; LME is closer to wort and is often used in kits. Buy LME fresh because it darkens with age.
Should I mill my own grain for homebrewing?
It pays off once you brew all-grain regularly: uncrushed grain keeps longer and you control the crush. Occasional brewers can buy pre-crushed grain and brew within a few weeks.
How long do hop pellets last?
Sealed and frozen, they keep their character far longer than open bags at room temperature. Use the alpha acid on the package when calculating IBU, and store leftovers cold and airtight.
What is the difference between base and specialty malt?
Base malt (2-row, Pilsen, Maris Otter) supplies most of the fermentable sugar and enzymes. Specialty malts (caramel, roasted) add color, body and flavor in small amounts.
Can I brew gluten-free beer from this aisle?
Only from non-gluten sources such as sorghum syrup, rice or millet. Enzymes like Clarity Ferm make beer gluten-reduced, which TTB says cannot be verified as gluten-free.