It’s hard to believe we’re already into May — time flies when you’re having fun. Here at Beer Grains we’ve been busy researching new products, building new website features, and planning an event we can’t wait to share with you: Ottawa Homebrew Day.
Ottawa Homebrew Day — Saturday, June 13
Mark your calendar: Saturday, June 13th, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, we’re taking over the Beer Grains parking lot for a full day of all things homebrew.
The Ottawa Homebrew Society (OHBS) will be running live brewing demos throughout the day — perfect if you’re curious about the hobby or looking to pick up some new tricks. And if you’ve been brewing for years, come hang out, talk shop, and meet other homebrewers from around the city. OHBS members will be on hand to chat about the club and the perks of being part of Ottawa’s homebrew community.
And because no good brew day is complete without food, Beer Grains is firing up a free BBQ for everyone who comes out.
Bring a friend, bring your questions, bring an appetite. See you June 13th!
Introducing the Beer Grains Recipe Builder
We’ve just launched a brand-new Recipe Builder on the Beer Grains site, designed to make ordering ingredients for your next batch dramatically faster.
Here’s what it does:
- Build your full recipe on a single page and add every ingredient to your cart in one go.
- Save recipes to your account so reordering your house IPA — or that lager you nailed last spring — takes seconds.
- Import from Brewfather via BeerXML or JSON, and export back to BeerXML too.
- Automatic substitutions when a grain in your imported recipe isn’t something we stock, so you’re never stuck hunting for replacements.
A small ask: this is a brand-new tool, and while we’ve tested it thoroughly, recipe design has near-infinite combinations and there are bound to be edge cases we haven’t hit yet. If you run into anything unexpected, please let us know — your feedback makes it better for everyone.
Fresh on the Shelves 🧪
A couple of new arrivals worth flagging:
New WHC Labs Yeast Strains
New WHC Labs yeast strains are in the fridge, adding even more variety to the WHC lineup in our brewing yeast selection. Whether you’re chasing hazies, crisp lagers, or something more out there, there’s likely a new option for your next brew.
CellarScience Instant Water Salts
CellarScience Instant Water products are on their way and will be in stock soon. A fellow homebrewer put us onto these, and they’re a slick way to dial in your water chemistry without the math headache — just add them to your strike water and you’re good to go. Look for style-specific blends like Hazy, West Coast, and Pilsner.