Steeping the malt grains
Today I attempted to brew a mild, this time without the help of my friend Bob, brewer extraordinaire who taught me how to brew on my recent trip back to the States. (He’s also the guy who originally turned me on to beer.)
I was using his recipe because it turned out so well the first time, but I had a hell of a time finding the ingredients and had to substitute some of it. I had to go to Surrey to get the crystal malt (thanks to the very helpful Richard Burns at Cheers Brewing) and Grotusque sent me the magnum hops from the US. (It seems the variety of hops available in the UK is very limited– or am I missing some amazing supplier? At this point hop distribution should have recovered from last year’s shortage.)
Once I got the wort going I was encouraged– it filled the whole flat with that comforting smell: the hominess of bakng bread with the halo of Bacchanalian promise. It’s in the fermenter now– hoping I get to see a bubbling airlock tomorrow.
Impy Malting 