Writer: Adrian Febre
New Malts to Brew With
Maltsters around the world have been releasing exciting new malts available to homebrewers in recent years. It’s time we check in on what’s become available, including a number of heritage barley varieties, cutting-edge offerings, and even style-specific malts.
Hanabi Lager Co.’s Haná Pilsner clone
Hanabi Lager is quickly gaining an international reputation for developing a new class of Pilsner- and helles-style lagers that are rich and complex in flavor, unusually so for these lager categories, into which they only loosely fit. They focus exclusively on rare and heirloom grains, brewing with them on their custom decoction brewhouse, and presenting them through the pure, cold-fermented lens of lager.
Forgotten Star Brewing Co.’s Whistlestop Oatmeal Stout clone
This stout is rich and robust with a harmonious blend of roasted nuances and a delightful oatmeal sweetness that comes from two unique oat products — Simpsons Golden Naked Oats® and Gambrinus Honey Malted Oats.
Small-Batch Brewing
Five-gallon (19-L) batches have long been the standard for homebrewers, but there are some real advantages to brewing smaller all-grain batches. Whether as your primary system or to use as a “pilot” system, brewing batches of a gallon (3.8 L) or so requires little space and encourages experimentation with minimal risk.
