Jay's Brewing Blog

Malt Spotlight – This week we’re taking a look at Briess’ Special Roast Malt. Shortened to “Special Roast”, this malt is a kilned, American 6-Row Barley, roasted to a medium-dark amber color. Used in moderation, Special Malt can impart beautiful gold and brown colors into a beer; and at 40L, this malt remains versatile when […]

Red Wheat Malt – Produced from quality hard, spring red wheat. Using this malt produces a fuller-bodied beer that is creamy and sweet, with a malty flavor and a hint of fruitiness. Considered a base malt, with a utilization recommendation ≤50%. Proper use of this malt aids in the formation and retention of a creamy smooth […]

Pilsner malt – Produced by multiple malting companies both US and abroad. Its made from a light, quality American or European 2-row barley, rich in enzymes and low in protein.  Not to be confused with pale ale malt that differs from pilsner in both color and flavor. Using Pilsner malt produces a clean and neutral […]

Vienna malt – Produced by Weyermann Malting Company in Bamberg Germany and made from quality, German spring barley. Using Vienna produces full-bodied beers with color ranging from amber-red, to orange-copper. Contributing to smooth mouthfeel and delicate toastiness, Vienna malt is appropriately used in German-style ales and lagers; Perhaps most notably it’s use in Oktoberfest (Festbier […]

A few months ago, we challenged the loyal customers of Jay’s Brewing to an experiment. We wanted you to come into the shop, pick up some Best Malz Red X malt and make something unique. We went out of the gates with two recipes, a fairly complex Rye IPA and a very straight forward Munich […]

There are so many reasons – beyond the simple fact that they give us a place to drink – why having lively, healthy pubs, bars, and breweries in your community is a huge plus. If your live in one of the nation’s beer-loving cities, you know that drinking establishments provide us with an outlet to […]

We recently had a customer email and ask a question about getting his keg to seal properly. We get this question in-store all the time. Given the frequency, we thought it might be useful to put our response in a quick post. Here are a couple quick tips for getting your keg lid to seal […]

If you’ve been into Jay’s Brewing lately, you’ve probably noticed a grain bin isolated from the others. Don’t worry, it hasn’t been quarantined, it just hasn’t found a permanent home yet.This bin belongs to the newest malt in the store, Best Malz Red X Malt. No, that’s not just a fancy name, it was designed to […]

Before getting too deep into the waters, let’s first discuss what makes a specialty grain, well, special. Any brewer would probably admit that all malts are pretty special, given they are usually beer by the time we finish with them. However, when you want to branch out into certain styles, you need something a little […]

It’s October, so that means cooler weather, changing leaves, kids back in school, and fall/harvest festivals. With festivities comes lots of fun, food, and many different varieties of festive beers. When I think of a fest beer I think of a heavy rich beer with scents of and flavors of spice and holiday cheer. But […]