discuss Melanoidin

would 2row plus some Melanoidin= a result very similar to marris otter or vienna?

No, anymore than putting A-1 on a cheap steak is going to make it taste like a prime rib eye. An improvement? Yes, but it's not going to turn one malt into another.

so how does it add malt characteristic? what is it most similar to? what kind of effect is it like

Melanoiden more closely would resemble the effects of a decoction mash and the increased malliard reactions that take place, it also adds a red color to the beer. If you want to add a little more malty characteristic to your plain 2-row you could add a little aromatic or biscuit malt, that would make it a little closer to MO or Vienna.

I have a weak Pale Ale on tap with pretty much 2-row and some Melanodin (maybe a lb), and some west coast "C" hops. It was a recipe I came up with to get a lower alcohol Pale Ale with some nice hop and malt flavor in a relatively simple recipe. I've grown tired of Crystal in Pale ales and IPAs, so thought it'd be interesting to try.

When it was green, shortly after kegging and not fully carbed, I didn't like it much. I thought I had used too much Melanodin. But after about 6 weeks(total), I really like it. Very drinkable, good flavor, kinda Octoberfesty but light and easy to drink alot of. I tasted many Pilsners and some Marzens at the Canned Beer Festival in Reno yesterday, and liked mine better. Very quaffable, and met my all goals for the beer. I'm really a Pale Ale and IPA fan, however, so YMMV.

Whether it gets the nod from decoction fans is another story. People are often shooting for something very subtle in the lager realm, and Melanoidin may not measure up used that way. But that wasn't my intent, so YMMV...

I'll dig up and post the recipe here, now that it turned out so good, although I'm a little unsure of the category. It was just below or on the low end of Pale Ale for O.G.

At any rate, experimenting with a little Melanoidin is well worth it, especially for those that just do infusion mashes and batch sparging! Go for it!

Edit -- oh, Marris Otter flavor? I don't think so...