English Pale Ale LME(3.5L) need substitute

**Grinder12000** · 07-15-2008, 04:15 PM

English Pale Ale LME(3.5L) need substitute.

Look at AHS's LME selection what would you do to to copy this malt.

Combine a couple? Sounds like fun!! ( no seriously it does :-) Am I sick?

The Blow Leprechaun · 07-15-2008, 04:32 PM

If you can't get an english pale ale LME or DME, a regular light LME or DME is pretty much your only option.

It'll still come out fine.

Or if you're feeling adventurous, you could partial mash some maris otter.

**Yooper** · 07-15-2008, 04:32 PM

Pale malt extract or extra pale malt extract is fine, liquid or dry.

If you really want the English one, Northern Brewer has several British extracts.

Bob · 07-15-2008, 04:57 PM

English pale ale from which manufacturer? Different extracts are going to yield different characteristics. Muntons LME, for example, ferment quite dry. John Bull LME leaves lots of residual sugar and thus a full body.

Have you used English Pale Ale before? If so, what were the characteristics?

In order to approximate your English Pale Ale extract effectively, I at least need more information. I've used damn near every extract commercially available, so I can at least make some educated guesses. But I can't even do that without knowing exactly what you're trying to replace.

Cheers!

Bob

**Grinder12000** · 07-15-2008, 05:17 PM

Brewing Classic Styles

American Amber Ale

English Pale Ale LME (3.5L) 6.6 lbs

Never used it so it's an unknown. Perhaps knowing WHAT I'm brewing will help???

Bob · 07-15-2008, 06:13 PM

Yes!

Okay, you're brewing AAA. That means you want it to finish dry. Muntons will work fine. Use the Light syrup. By no means use the Extra-Light, as it uses rice solids to get lighter than Light. (I'm not sure if Muntons make Extra-Light LME; they do make X-L DME.)

That said, English pale ale malts are inappropriate for AAA. It stuns me that the book recommends it. What were they thinking?

You should look for Alexander's canned LME or get Briess LME in bulk. If you're shopping at AHS, get the Extra Pale syrup. Were I you, I'd get the Briess Light DME. DME is easier to deal with, IMO. Again, avoid the Extra-Light. It's formulated with adjuncts to lighten the colour.

Cheers,

Bob

The Blow Leprechaun · 07-15-2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobNQ3X

That said, English pale ale malts are inappropriate for AAA. It stuns me that the book recommends it. What were they thinking?

Jamil, like every other brewer, has things that he likes better than other things - this is pretty obvious if you read the entire book. He uses some of the same yeast strains for a lot of different beers. I think he likes MO malt for his base malt in nearly everything, so he recommends english pale alt malt extract.

That said, with John Bull closing its doors, this kind of extract is probably going to get even tougher to find, since I think really only Munton's and John Bull make it.

Bob · 07-15-2008, 08:59 PM

Good lord - John Bull is closing!? Yeep!

Anyhow. Maris Otter is a fine malt. It's just not appropriate for American ales of any type, in my not so humble opinion. Maris Otter is an English malt, and one can tell the difference between Maris Otter and US 2-row "brewer's malt". Maris Otter has a definite crackery flavor, and is not as neutral as US 2-row. Since American Amber Ale should not defined by the flavor characteristics of the base malt - it should be defined by emphatic caramel/crystal malts - using Maris Otter in that application will add an inappropriate flavor note. AAA requires a very neutral base malt, on which the caramel/crystal malt and hops flavors can ride. Even UK 2-row malts - Golden Promise and the like - are too strong in flavor.

I like Maris Otter too, and use it all the time. It's simply not the right base malt for American Amber Ale, or any other American Ale, for that matter.

Of course, that's just one brewer's opinion.

Bob

ArcaneXor · 07-15-2008, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobNQ3X

That said, English pale ale malts are inappropriate for AAA. It stuns me that the book recommends it. What were they thinking?

Considering Jamil is one of the most award-winning homebrewers out there, he probably had a good reason for it. It'd be interesting to find out his reasoning. I'll listen to his podcast - maybe he mentions it there.

Bob · 07-15-2008, 10:20 PM

If he mentions his reasoning, great. I'd like to know it. He doesn't usually go that far out of style. In the last issue of BYO, he was advocating not using Belgian pale ale malt in Belgian Pale Ale, because the appropriate base malt is Pilsner malt. If he would go that far, why would he blithely ignore the American Ale profiles?

I'm sure he had a good reason for it. Hell, we're homebrewers - "because I like it" is a good-enough reason, right?

Cheers,

Bob