I just copied this encouraging emoticon from a website I can’t believe I haven’t found before: www.homebrewtalk.com, givers of free advice and dispensers of sudsy enthusiasm for all attempts to make beer at home.
As you may know from a previous Team Beer post, we are soon going to try what we thought few sane home brewers had done before, at least not in the modern era: make beer from whole grains and flowers (wheat, barley, hops). We’ve been getting slightly anxious about it, but Rick LaFrentz, our Beerless Leader (and Sunset’s head gardener), has kept a cool head and a que sera, sera smile as we’ve moved into what we thought were fairly uncharted waters.
They’re not. Here on homebrewtalk.com unfurls a whole forum addressed to makers of AG brews—All-Grain brews. “Attention new all grain brewers!” booms one post, from senior member RichBrewer of Colorado. He’s advising us to use plenty of water during mashing and sparging (I love the vaguely troll-like sound of beer terminology), and how to hit the temperature “sweet spot” for mashing. There are even how-to photo guides for new AG’ers, including one called Partial Mash Brewing, courtesy of Deathbrewer, in Oakland. Thanks, dude.
This site covers everything, it seems, that anyone of any skill level would want to know (or teach) about beer, from brewing wild and funky lambics to brew-tracking software. There’s even a neat little section on wine, cider, mead, and homemade soda.
Homebrewtalk.com, we’re glad we discovered you.
