2-Row Pils vs Pale?

Ó Flannagáin · 07-20-2007, 09:43 AM

Is there a big difference in all the different 2 rows out there? I've heard a lot of people talk about marris otter being greatly different, and I agree, I've used it once and could tell the difference. But what about all the other 2-rows?

I guess what I'm getting at is, I have a 55lb bag of Durst pils... is this cool for beers other than German? I would like to get at least 1 stout, 1 belgian and 1 EPA or APA out of it. And of course a few weizens. Will the beers not be as good since I use pils instead of pale?

zoebisch01 · 07-20-2007, 11:57 AM

You'll notice more of a difference when you brew the lighter styles. In complex Ales, like a Stout you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. It all boils down to a matter of personal taste in those cases really. If I had to choose though, I'd probably choose a Pils because the depth of malt can be pulled from other grain additions...but you cannot undo the slight difference in character when brewing say a Pils.

But the short answer is you can pretty much use them interchangeably. There will be slight differences in color and taste depending on mainly on the Maltster first and the recipe second.

**the_bird** · 07-20-2007, 12:33 PM

Just remember that it's generally recommended to do a 90-minute boil with the Pils malt, as it tends to have more of the stuff in it that forms DMS and needs to be boiled off.

Willie3 · 07-20-2007, 01:17 PM

(Ignorant) What is DMS?

- WW

**johnsma22** · 07-20-2007, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonwj

(Ignorant) What is DMS?

- WW

Here is an excerpt from John Palmer's book, How to Brew, from the "common off-flavors" chapter that referrences DMS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Palmer

Dimethyl Sulfides (DMS)/ Cooked Vegetable Flavors
Like diacetyl in ales, DMS is common in many light lagers and is considered to be part of the character. DMS is produced in the wort during the boil by the reduction of another compound, S-methyl-methionine (SMM), which is itself produced during malting. When a malt is roasted or toasted, the SMM is reduced beforehand and does not manifest as DMS in the wort, which explains why it is more prevalent in pale lagers. In other styles, DMS is a common off-flavor, and can be caused by poor brewing practices or bacterial infections.
DMS is continuously produced in the wort while it is hot and is usually removed by vaporization during the boil. If the wort is cooled slowly these compounds will not be removed from the wort and will dissolve back in. Thus it is important to not completely cover the brewpot during the boil or allow condensate to drip back into the pot from the lid. The wort should also be cooled quickly after the boil, either by immersing in an ice bath or using a wort chiller.
When caused by bacterial infection, DMS has a more rancid character, more liked cooked cabbage than corn. It is usually the result of poor sanitation. Repitching the yeast from an infected batch of beer will perpetuate the problem.

peterfuse · 07-20-2007, 05:42 PM

Hey seefresh, i know you've visited Northern Ireland before but apparently the Hilden Brewery here use a Lager/Pils type malt exclusively as their base malt. They dont even make any lagers, just ales and a porter.

Desert_Sky · 07-20-2007, 05:48 PM

now remember....

a bit of DMS is desired in a German Pils.
a little DMS is acceptable in American Pils also

I do a 60 minute boil with my blond ale which I use 85% Pils. Personally I think it finishes very clean and no noticeable DMS. But I also have a bit more hop flavor and aroma than a normal pilsener. That might be masking it so who knows.

Ó Flannagáin · 07-20-2007, 07:09 PM

You guys rock as usual. I feel learned.

**Brewer3401** · 07-21-2007, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoebisch01

You'll notice more of a difference when you brew the lighter styles. In complex Ales, like a Stout you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. It all boils down to a matter of personal taste in those cases really. If I had to choose though, I'd probably choose a Pils because the depth of malt can be pulled from other grain additions...but you cannot undo the slight difference in character when brewing say a Pils.

But the short answer is you can pretty much use them interchangeably. There will be slight differences in color and taste depending on mainly on the Maltster first and the recipe second.

I agree with this. You could use pils malt in a heavy beer, but if you used Maris Otter to make a German Pils, I don't you could pull it off; one thing being too dark. Pils malt is super pale (1-2) where MO is 3++.