Substitute?

I'm doing my first all grain. Will there be a huge difference if I substitute a cheaper malt for Maris otter pale? What would be a good sub?

 

It may not be as "full-bodied" but yes, you can substitute virtually any base malt.

I typically use 2-row pale (or Brewers Malt) as the base for most of the things I do. If I use a special imported base malt like Maris Otter or Simpson's Promise, sometimes i'll do 50/50 with 2-row.

 

I find the size of the difference depends on the style you're brewing. In a moderate to highly hopped American Pale Ale, the difference is noticeable, but not huge. In a low gravity, lightly hopped, Ordinary Bitter (where the malt plays more of a leading role) it's a very noticeable difference.

I wouldn't do it to save a few bucks, but if that's your angle, give it a shot - it might work out fine for you. If it's merely an availability issue, Golden Promise is a good substitute.

 

I use 2 row for American Ales, Maris Otter for my British and Munich and Pilsner for my German ales. Of course this is a generalization.