One thing I was very surprised to learn as a newbie homebrewer is that most beers are made up of very plain (and similar) base malts. So what makes a beer unique? Specialty malts have a lot of influence despite the small percentage of the grain bill they make up.
Malt
How to Roast Your Own Malt At Home
As a homebrewer, one good way to make your beer a little more personal is to roast your own malts. Roasting malts is a surprisingly easy process that doesn’t take more than an hour and can add a unique quality to your beer that you would not have otherwise. Home roasted malt lacks the consistency that is present within professionally roasted malts, but honestly, the unique nature of home roasted malt more than makes up for this.
Get Based: Typical Styles of Base Malts Explained
There are many factors that differentiate beers from one another and the grain used plays a strong role in beer. Choosing your base malt will decide the direction of your beer. They generally make up for the majority of your malt profile, and will produce the most of your sugars that will ultimately be converted into alcohol.