What with the wonderful new boiler and my growing experience working with grains and partial mashes, I am having some quandaries taking the next step into brewing with grains.

Essentially, I don’t think the boiler is the best equipment for mashing grains – merely because of its size. Also, because there is clearly a wisdom (and a science) to draining the wort from the mash-bed, and the sparging. Very different to the process I am doing using the muslin liner.

It also means I am somewhat limited with how I can go about doing two batches at the same time that are different – which has been my intention with thinking about the next batch (or two).

So the next one may well be two batches – just that they will have to be the same. About the only difference I can make is in the yeast and aroma hops used (which can be put into each fermenter).

My plan is to use the fresh hops I just harvested: cascade and golden cluster. With any luck, this year we will be able to expand on the varieties we have growing in our garden, and this will be good  for variety.

So, I’m planning to head to the local HBS to get some grains and some advice…