About to go buy 50 + pounds of Base malt... What should I get?

[the-adjunct-hippie]

The Homebrew store that I go to that actually has decent pricing is pretty far out of the way for me, and although I use online shopping from time to time I figured it would just be best to get all my pale malt knocked out in one shot.

I brew a lot of New England style IPAs, a few Stouts, and the occasional Belgian, German, and Scotch Ales.

I've used Maris Otter in the past with great results, but I'm looking at switching it up a bit. This homebrew store has 55 lb of Fawcett Pearl on sale. Curious if that would be a good malt for the above styles, and how it compares to Maris Otter. I have also been thinking about Rahr Pale Ale malt which is also on sale (and $10 cheaper than the Pearl even!). Can one successfully use pale ale malt for any style? How about Pilsner?

Thanks!

 

[bleme]

Pearl is a great floor-malted barley, especially for English styles. It is darker than 2-row or Maris Otter with a little more bready/toasty flavor.

Rahr Pale Ale malt is pretty standard - it is extremely versatile and you can use it in anything but rely on the specialty grains for the main flavor contributions.

 

[Staticsouls]

I favor pilsner malts and 2 row for my neipas as base malt

 

[SEndorf]

I only buy Salzgitter and 2 row in bulk

 

[cubalz]

Maris Otter

 

[ong]

I’ve used Pearl in an NEIPA (just that and flaked oaks) and really loved it.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

I use Pale in most of my stuff. MO is really great for those English ales that are more malt-forward.

 

[hopjunkie26]

Rahr Pale Ale malt. Pretty versatile base malt you can use in several styles.

In addition to the Rahr Pale, my recent bulk purchases have been ESB Malt, Maris Otter, Golden Promise and Great Western 2-Row.

I generally plan brew days months in advance so I look at what I have on deck and try to order to accommodate those brews.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I like german pils malt as a base for all my recipes, which range from helles and pils to belgian ales and even dubbels, and I have been very pleased with the resulting flavor. Avangard pils is $53/bag at my LHBS and gives good efficiency, but now I use Bestmalz Heidelberg pils. This switch boosted my efficiency by about 7% which I imagine has something to do with the degree of conversion/diastatic power. It also seems to be just a tiny bit darker and to me has a bit more malty and less of a grassy flavor. Anyway, I love using pils malt for the base then adding a proportion of pale ale malt when a richer flavor is desirable, with small additions of aromatic or melanoidin for color correction.

 

[the-adjunct-hippie]

How about Great Western Pale High Color vs Rahr Pale Ale? 50lbs vs 55 lbs, $2 difference

 

[Gadjobrinus]

I haven't even tried it, but I "get it" because I've had ales (and single malt scotches) using it, but Golden Promise. Supposed to be less "biscuity," more sweetish and smooth approach. Timothy Taylor Landlord from Britain, if you've had it. 100% GP. I plan to go on a Scotch ale binge, perhaps after my bitter binge (those trials are going to take a helluva lot of drinking!), and use GP. Pearl does intrigue me as well, though I've never used it.

 

[z-bob]

My favorite is probably the FrancoBelgian pilsner malt.

I just bought a sack of Rahr pale ale malt; haven't opened it yet.

Plain old American or Canadian 2-row malt it pretty versatile. When I buy that, I go through the sack in about a year instead of 2 years for the pils or pale ale.

Anyway, I love using pils malt for the base then adding a proportion of pale ale malt when a richer flavor is desirable, with small additions of aromatic or melanoidin for color correction.

I'm going to do exactly that with the last of my pils malt and this new bag of PA.

 

[the-adjunct-hippie]

I ended up going with Great Western NW Pale Ale High Color. We will see how it turns out. I spent $100 on grain and bottle caps but I got every thinkable style covered for the next year or so. Cara everything, wheat, pils, munich, flaked barley and rice, belgo aromatic, gamb honey, etc etc.

Sticker shock at the counter lol

 

[couchsending]

Big Fan of Golden Promise, way less biscuit than MO.

Only NA malt I really like is Rahr 2-row.

Brewing with a lot with Belgian Pale these days (dingemans).

Next time you’re at the LHBS taste everything. It’s amazing the difference.

 

[Desert_Sky]

I always had Maris Otter and Belgian Pils in bulk

 

[YeastHerder]

Lately I've been buying Breiss brewer's 2-row at $38/50lbs (morebeer) and using it as the base for everything. I've used their pilsen as base also, at only a $1 more, and it is visibly lighter than the brewer's malt, but I couldn't tell the difference otherwise.

 

[nh_homebrew]

is this base malt?

 

[Qhrumphf]

View attachment 628653 is this base malt?

Nope. Low kilned specialty malt. Starchy (needs a mash) but non-diastatic. Is good stuff. But not a base malt.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Weyermann Barke Pils, Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pils, Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter, or Crisp No. 19 (formerly branded as Gleneagles) Maris Otter would be my rec's for base malt.

Preference to Barke and Fawcett.

 

[40oz]

I use Great Western a lot here, 55# for $48

 

[z-bob]

I think my next sack of malt might be Vienna. Or wheat malt. I've not used either very much; 55 lbs should be enough for practice

Edit: probably not wheat for a base malt, been reading about it. But I might buy 10 lbs to play with.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

We will see how it turns out. I spent $100 on grain and bottle caps...Sticker shock at the counter lol

Man...I don't know how many times I have walked out of the local bottle shop with maybe a 12 pack of beer for $100.

I am boring...Briess Brewers Malt or Great Western Premium 2 Row have been my malts of lately. I tend to pick up a 10 lb bag of Maris Otter or Pilsner as I need it, but a standard American Pale Malt seems versatile in the beers I normally brew (Pale Ales, IPA, Porters, Stouts). I have been brewing enough lately that I might be able to justify keeping 1 or 2 more base malts on hand.

 

[kevin58]

My LHBS has been selling Briess Brewers Malt for under $40/50lb bag so I've been using a lot of that lately. Compare it with my two favorites, Maris Otter at $72 per bag and Golden Promise at $76/bag and the Briess is the clear winner.

 

[Lefou]

Man...I don't know how many times I have walked out of the local bottle shop with maybe a 12 pack of beer for $100.

...and I thought I was spending a bit more than usual buying some seasonal Sam Adams at $25 per twelver.
The Winter Lager is damned good, bock-strength and spiced, but nowhere near $8 per bottle. The store I like is loaded with specialty IPAs and stocks Chimay but my hot little hands stay away.

 

[cyberbackpacker]

Walk out with the "right" 375ml/750ml of Belgian Lambics/Gueuze and you'll be lucky to have a six pack for $100!

Back on topic-- I like keeping two sacks of UK pale malt (generally Simpsons GP and Fawcett or Warminster MO) and two sacks of German and/or belgian base malts (Weyermann or Franco Belges Pils and Weyermann "light" munich).

 

[LuckyBeagleBrewing]

Barke Pilsner and Bark Vienna
Aside from those two, anything Weyermann is my all around favorites.

 

[wiggybrewer]

Warminster floor malted Maris Otter has been my favorite base malt lately. $49.99 at my local home brew store Minneapolis, NB. (No hate please).

 

[Soulshine2]

The Homebrew store that I go to that actually has decent pricing is pretty far out of the way for me, and although I use online shopping from time to time I figured it would just be best to get all my pale malt knocked out in one shot.

I brew a lot of New England style IPAs, a few Stouts, and the occasional Belgian, German, and Scotch Ales.

I've used Maris Otter in the past with great results, but I'm looking at switching it up a bit. This homebrew store has 55 lb of Fawcett Pearl on sale. Curious if that would be a good malt for the above styles, and how it compares to Maris Otter. I have also been thinking about Rahr Pale Ale malt which is also on sale (and $10 cheaper than the Pearl even!). Can one successfully use pale ale malt for any style? How about Pilsner?

Thanks!

Ive had a similar thought. I have to either buy my malts online or ask someone who comes down from my old stompin grounds to mule some back ...my thoughts. Either a Breiss ,Weyermann ,or Rahr pale or pilsner malt , great base for nearly anything I would make and drink. I also like to keep a few lbs of vienna and munich in my stores .

 

[Soulshine2]

I ended up going with Great Western NW Pale Ale High Color. We will see how it turns out. I spent $100 on grain and bottle caps but I got every thinkable style covered for the next year or so. Cara everything, wheat, pils, munich, flaked barley and rice, belgo aromatic, gamb honey, etc etc.

Sticker shock at the counter lol

Last trip I made up north ...and I always stop in the LHBS when I go...I dropped $144 on not one , not 2 ,but 3 entire recipes worth of grains ,dug through their (less than 1 lb/$1 per bag)orphan grain bin for anything Breiss ,Rahr or Weyermann, including a couple .94 lb bags of DARK malts. and a couple small equipment items.
Wife wasnt even slightly upset, actually more elated than I was.

 

[jrgtr42]

I use plain ol' 2-row pale as the base for most of my brews.
I do have a pale ale I've been playing with for a while that I;ve dialed in with Pils, and a bit of crystal 10 to keep things interesting.

 

[Soulshine2]

yep, if you keep a decent amount of 2 row pale or pilsner on hand , and a handful of common "character malts" you can brew something. Same with hops. I keep a small amount of my favs on hand, Hallertauer mostly . When I order a recipe I order extra amounts of grains , just to throw some kind of Frankenstein together later on. Pretty much how my Roll Tide Red Old ale came about...basically a "leftover" grain bill.