Avangard Maltz Premium Pale

Has anyone used this malt? I'm thinking of getting a sack. I know pale malt is all pretty similar but....

I think it's a quality malt. I got a sack back in the winter, and was somewhat hesitant due to the low price. I think it's just fine. I switched from Great Western NW Pale Malt to the Avangard due to what my local was carrying at the time. I still prefer the GW, but the Avangard is pretty good. The only thing that I noticed is that the Potential Gravity that I found online was like 1.037 and the sack I got was more like 1.035. I will buy it again.

I was thinking about doing the same, just haven't pulled the trigger yet.

allentwnguy said:

Has anyone used this malt? I'm thinking of getting a sack. I know pale malt is all pretty similar but....

Click to expand...

I have been HIGHLY disappointed in this malt as an all-around, versatile malt. I will never buy another full sack of this malt again as I find it's usefulness too limiting (and flavor too characteristic). Unless it's used in a batch of beer whose other malt flavors are very pronounced, this malt will dominate the beer's profile. I would strongly suggest purchasing a grainbill with this malt to try it out before going all-in on a full sack. Purchase the makings for a Pale Ale (i.e. APA) and see if you like the outcome.

OTOH, Avangard Munich I and Avangard Pilsner malts have been fantastic! I will always continue to purchase full sacks of these malts as they are as good, or better, than the equivalent malts out there (and usually cheaper). In addition, these malts are versatile and flavor characteristics match what is to be expected.

The Avangard Premium Pale Ale malt comes across like it's been mixed with 25% Crystal 40L, and has a tangy characteristic to it (not sour, but tangy). The malt character is pronounced in the finished beer and cannot be missed. The finish is unusually sweet (too sweet). The color is MUCH darker than expected; I find it's color range to be close to that of Munich 7-9SRM. You will not produce a straw or golden ale with this malt.

At least that's my take on it.

Edit:
I need to add that I have (finally) found that Avangard Pale Ale malt works very well in non-dry stouts and porters. I've never been disappointed with the color, and the bit of excess sweetness plays well with the roasted malts. Additionally, the other malts overwhelm the character of the Pale Ale malt so it doesn't present itself too much but provides enough malty background to stand up to the roast. This is how I intend on using up the rest of my sack, which is (luckily) almost gone

Edit Again:
After re-reading my post, I sound so "always" and "never" in my post above - sorry about that. What I mean is that I will continue to buy Avan's pils and munich malts because I find their qualities very acceptable and price-point is great. I will not buy another sack of Avan's pale ale because of the aforementioned reasons, and I highly doubt I'd buy another grainbill with this malt. Avan also produces dark munich, vienna, and wheat base malts - all of which I would try but will plan on purchasing individual grainbills with these malts to test out prior to purchasing a full sack.

Thanks on the replies. I've always used GW as I'm a MoreBeer junkie for ingredients (order it today have it tomorrow with free shipping.) I'm doing my first bulk buy and they don't have GW. Theere's also Briess, Dingemans and Muntons pale malts. For the couple bucks price doesn't really matter. It was a good suggestion to brew a batch with it before going with a 55lb sack. I'll have to mull this over a bit more!

Great post stpug. I'll agree on the Pilsen being a quality product. I have also read, as he mentions, that the pale ale is darker than avg and has a caramel dimension, though I don't have any personal exp with it. I've been wondering about the Munich...

I'll have to give their Pils a shot, I'm partway into a bag of their Munich dark which is only about 15L and I like the flavor a lot, going to brew a 100% Munich Dunkel with it soon.