My beers are a bit too sweet

[Chris]

You may still get some roasty flavour out of the grain. It would be interesting to find out. Let me know either way.

[Thirsty]

I ceratinly will. So, is it the case that the grain (say, crystal) you buy from the HBS is already malted or partly malted? I'm just trying to get my head around this partial stuff.

[Chris]

Yes. Grain bought from HB shops will be pre-malted. There is a lot of skill required to be a good maltster, hence my previous comment about this area being a minefield.

[Oliver]

Thirsty,

Regarding bittering v aroma v bittering and aroma hops, any hop can be used for any purpose, and the guide at http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/hops.html is meant only as a guide.

Taking Fuggles as an example, because you mentioned it, they can (and are) used for aroma and bitterness, but bittering in beer containing Fuggles for aroma may be done with a high-bitterness hop (thus meaning fewer hops overall need to be used).

Likewise Saaz hops. They are used extensively for aroma and finishing in pilsners and other lagers, but rarely for bittering as they are very low in bitterness, meaning lots needs to be used.

When Saaz is used for bittering, they have a very subtle taste, not the harsh taste that is sometimes associated with beers bittered using high-bitterness hops. Some of the best pilsners in the world are made exclusively with Saaz hops, and that's exactly why they are some of the best in the world.

An aside, Thirsty: Can I suggest you split some of your longer posts into paragraphs? Huge slabs of text can be pretty daunting!

Cheers,

Oliver

[Thirsty]

Thanks Oliver, oh wise one!

Grammar is not my strong point after numerous HB's, however I will endeavour to keep my posts shorter or split them into paragraphs.

Again, thanks for the advice on beer and prose!