How do you get a complex malt flavor?

[punk_rockin2001]

I don't know if I'm confusing "complex" with something else, but either way, I really love when a beer has a delicious malty backbone that you can really pick apart. Flavors I would love to be able to get: nutty, malty, toasty, biscuits, bready, smoky. Not really looking for all of those in one, but how do you go about getting those types of flavors? Just use a more complex malt bill? Use more flavor malts? Use darker flavor malts? I've also read that decoction mashing can really bring out a malty backbone. What are your suggestions?

 

[gtpro]

I cant offer anything from personal experience but heres a nice website profiling different grains and what they contribute, a few mention the flavors you're looking for.

http://www.brewsupplies.com/grain_profiles.htm

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Personally, I find the simpler recipes to exhibit more complexity in their profile than those that have nearly every grain in the book.

The latter tend to be "muddy" and "confused" in their flavor profiles.

Also, I find water has a huge impact on the malt character. Learning, even on a basic level, how to balance sulfate and chloride to your desired malt or hop profile can return huge dividends in the finished product.

Finally, sublety goes the distance in character complexity. Achieving the balance of a the slightest hint of this malt or that malt just ahead of the background makes for a elegant barley malt ballet on the pallet.

 

[remilard]

I don't know if I'm confusing "complex" with something else, but either way, I really love when a beer has a delicious malty backbone that you can really pick apart. Flavors I would love to be able to get: nutty, malty, toasty, biscuits, bready, smoky. Not really looking for all of those in one, but how do you go about getting those types of flavors? Just use a more complex malt bill? Use more flavor malts? Use darker flavor malts? I've also read that decoction mashing can really bring out a malty backbone. What are your suggestions?

I think the flavor contributions of decoction are overstated. It does wonders for enzymatically deficient mashes though.

Nutty, toasty, biscuits - these all come from toasted malts. Amber malt, brown malt, victory, special roast, biscuit etc. Pale chocolate (from several British Maltsters) sort of straddles the line between toasted and roasted grains and it can give a nuttiness IMO.

Bready comes from base malts. Continental pilsner has the most prominent "bready" flavor, IMO. The various munich malts have bready to bread crust type flavors. Some people describe english malts as bready but I think they are less bready than continental. The darker english base malts have some of the toasted type flavors, but not nearly as exaggerated. I tried making an APA with all Crisp Marris Otter and the malt backbone didn't stand up to the hops as much as a domestic base malt and half a pound of victory would have. Domestic lighter colored base malts have a "grainy" taste to me.

All malted grain is going to lend flavors that can be described as "malty" but if you want something that really screams malty munich and melanoiden are your best bet.