Bromley

Recipes 

I did some searching to see if I'm repeating anyone else, but didn't see anything.

So here's my question. I've been thinking about brewing 3 or 4 pale ales using different pale malts (Halcyon, plain 2-row, Marris Otter, Golden Promise, etc) and keeping everything else about the recipes the same (yeast, hops). But my question is: can I make a decent pale ale using just 8lbs of the base malts or should I really be throwing at least a minimal amount of crystal or something else in there for flavor? If anybody that has tried this before has some advice I'd be grateful.

Thanks fellas.

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Next Up: American IPA, Bock, Belgian Blond Ale
Primary: Saison
Secondary: Bohemian Pilsener
Bottle Conditioning: Dragon's Milk (100% Maris Otter and Kent Goldings, 1.084) and subsequent small beer, Berliner Weisse
Drinking: Spiced Pumpkin Ale, Maibock, Bourbon Barrel Porter, Hefeweizen, Weizenbock, Kolsch, The Bitter Truth, Altbier, Special Bitter, EF Clone

Judd

Recipes 

Yes. You can make delicious simple and crisp beers with only base malt. Try looking up some of the examples in the recipe threads.

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The Greenwall

uglygoat

Recipes 

do it as you originally planned it out, or toss in the same amount of caramel malt in each recipe.

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A barrel of malt, a bushel of hops, you stir it around with a stick
The kind of lubrication to make your engine tick

never argue with an idiot, they'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

modenacart

Recipes 

I like to throw in 3 oz of wheat malt for head retention.

Ender

Recipes 

There is a recipe for LandLord ale that uses just G.P. I've made it and tasted awsome! I also now have a Special Bitter made with just M.O. and stryian goldings. Can't wait for that one. The Brits over at http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/ rave about this "Styrian Stunner"

Ender
-I'm Smelling a lotta IF comming offa this plan-

Bromley

Recipes 

Alright, thanks for the feedback. I think I'll just go with 100% base malts.

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Next Up: American IPA, Bock, Belgian Blond Ale
Primary: Saison
Secondary: Bohemian Pilsener
Bottle Conditioning: Dragon's Milk (100% Maris Otter and Kent Goldings, 1.084) and subsequent small beer, Berliner Weisse
Drinking: Spiced Pumpkin Ale, Maibock, Bourbon Barrel Porter, Hefeweizen, Weizenbock, Kolsch, The Bitter Truth, Altbier, Special Bitter, EF Clone

TexLaw

Recipes 

Absolutely, you can make a damn fine beer with just "base malt." That term makes it sound so plain, but it's more to underline how essential such malts are to beer.


TL

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Beer is good for anything from hot dogs to heartache.

Drinking Frog Brewery, est. 1993

Orfy

Recipes 

I've just done it.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/all-base-malt-46163/

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GET THE GOBLIN
Have a beer on me.

Soulive

Recipes 

You can do it and I recommend doing it with Vienna. Unless of course you haven't tried Vienna or don't like it

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Cheers!


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Green Lane Brewing
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Primary = Evan!'s Special Bitter
On Deck = EdWort's Porter / American Amber

EdWort's Haus Pale Ale Count

cheezydemon

Recipes 

I admire your desire to more intimately know your ingredients! I am on a quest to do the same with hops. I have gotten 2 kinds of hops and brewed 3 beers of identical simple bases, 1 with hops A, 1 with hops B, and 1 with both kinds. So far so good.

Let us know how they turn out!

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BOTTLED: "Route 66 IPA" 7% ABV, "Dave's Imperial Stout" 12% ABV , "Spider Imperial Stout" 9%ABV , "Mutt Irish Ale" 7% ABV, "Sorta Sierra" IPA's 4.4% ABV, "Habanero Ales" 5.5% ABV, "Pumpkin Seed Ale" 5.5% ABV , "Marzen" Lager, "Step child Ale",
PRIMARies: "Caramel Amber" , "Black Porter"
SECONDARIES:1 :"Miller Ale"
On DECK: Another Russian Stout