Crisp Maris Otter

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Bruinpilot

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I have made a couple of darker beers where the base grain is crisp maris otter. I love the taste of this stuff raw. I was wondering if anyone knows a recipe for 100% maris otter, or one that really emphasizes its delicious flavor. Thanks.


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sure 100% maris otter and the hop of your choice.

You could use a english variety for a classic English pale ale
or one of the nobles, would be very nice.

Also citrusy american hops like amarillo or centennial would add a nice note.

Smash beers rule.
 
Thanks guys! I had no idea what a smash beer was until you guys mentioned it and I looked it up. It is right down my alley. In all my cooking I like simple straightforward and uncomplicated flavors. This is going to be my next brew, probably a maris otter with just either fuggles or Golding cross. Any recommendations on yeast or should I just go with some kind of English ale yeast on this one? Thanks again. I just finished a batch today and now I am excited to do my first smash!


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A strain like 1968ESB would be really good if you want to promote some of that Otter sweetness. EKG is a good traditional choice for this beer.
 
Yes. I like the hint of toasty sweetness in the maris otter. I will give that strain a try!


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Just about any hop will do, find one you prefer.

I did my MO with amarillo on friday night. Just a dash of flaked wheat but basically a SmaSh.
 
Try Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire Ale Yeast. Ferment it in the low range and you'll have clean, slightly fruity aromas that fits Maris Otter perfectly! And it produces very tiny bubbles when you bottle condition your brew, so you pour a pint that feels like draft beer. It's a favorite of mine for English Pale Ales using MO.
 
I was reading about the West Yorkshire on wyeast's website. It is lower attenuating and looks quite interesting. I have been thinking about trying it, but now that I know someone has guinea pigged it, and it was good, I will try it for sure. Did you ferment around 63? I have an Irish ale right now at 62.


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Calichusetts, I am just curious, why does the flaked wheat do to the flavor? I love wheat, this is why I ask.


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Calichusetts, I am just curious, why does the flaked wheat do to the flavor? I love wheat, this is why I ask.


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Just for some foamy head. It does virtually nothing in small amount in terms of flavor. Certainly not with anything hoppy. I usually use carapils and flaked wheat for body and head but I mashed a bit higher and didn't think I needed the carapils.
 
Do smash beers typically have a problem with not having a foamy head? I like the concept of making maris otter smash, but I don't want to miss out on having some head to my brew!


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Do smash beers typically have a problem with not having a foamy head? I like the concept of making maris otter smash, but I don't want to miss out on having some head to my brew!


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It will have some head, but not a lot. It was kind of minimal on the ones I've made. If you want better head, add a little wheat malt or carapils. It technically won't be a SMaSH anymore, but that addition should give you what you want.
 
Some of my most recent batches have used MO. I love it. It really brings a nice malt backbone with a little nutty background. I brewed an amber with it that I'm trying to refine on the next batch, but it has a lot of promise. Great malt.
 
Thanks for the awesome info. Maris otter smash here I come!


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My Optic/simcoe smash i'm drinking has decent head. I get lacing and everything. Might do some pics.
 
Concerning Wyeast 1469, I made an experiment this winter and started fermentation around 70 for a day, lowered the temp at about 55 for 5 days and finished it at 68 for another 2 weeks, then, cold-crashed for 2 days before bottling. I know I should'nt have dropped it this low but it produced a super clean and drinkable taste, I could'nt stop drinking it!
 
Do smash beers typically have a problem with not having a foamy head? I like the concept of making maris otter smash, but I don't want to miss out on having some head to my brew!

You don't have to add grist ingredients to promote foam. A short mash rest at 122F/50C will help a lot. No more than 15 minutes. 10 is generally sufficient.

Mash thickly - no more than 1 qt per lb of grain - and use boiling water to raise the temperature to 158F/50C for 30 minutes or so.

You're liberating more foam-enhancing stuff with the lower rest, and you're improving body and mouthfeel with the higher rest.

It is also advantageous to keep the mash pH at 5.4 or lower, if you can. If you aren't equipped for that, don't worry about it. ;)

Mash out >170F and sparge as normal.

Maris Otter is a wonderful malt and makes great beer without extra ingredients. I like an EKG/MO/S-04 SMaSH. :D

Cheers,

Bob
 
Try Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire Ale Yeast.
+1000. This is my go-to yeast for English pale ale/bitter. Also awesome in a stout. The esters are just beautiful and the yeast drops like a rock when it's finished.

Just last weekend, I racked a low gravity bitter into a keg and then racked wort for my 2014 imperial stout onto the yeast cake.
 
You've got to be careful not to ferment the 1469 higher than the recommended temperature as it produces odd flavors. I ruined a batch of ordinary bitter by accident because of that.
 
I have made a Maris Otter lawnmower beer over and over again because it's so awesome. It's just 9 lb of Maris Otter, mashed at 149, and 25 or so IBU at 60 mins. with whatever leftover hops you have lying around. Ferment with a clean ale yeast and bam! You have a perfect summertime sipper that really lets the Maris Otter flavor shine. Even at 1.040 and such a low mash temp, it's really, really, flavorful.
 
I'm stoked to try it. I'll do some pics and then maybe the next batch add some carapils so we can have a comparison. Now I just have to get a brew day scheduled!


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I have made a Maris Otter lawnmower beer over and over again because it's so awesome. It's just 9 lb of Maris Otter, mashed at 149, and 25 or so IBU at 60 mins. with whatever leftover hops you have lying around. Ferment with a clean ale yeast and bam! You have a perfect summertime sipper that really lets the Maris Otter flavor shine. Even at 1.040 and such a low mash temp, it's really, really, flavorful.


Great! What Yeast do you normally use?
 
I've done it with 1272 most often but I'm pretty sure I used US-05 somewhere along the way. I have a variation on the same recipe carbing right now where I used 1007 and I think that's going to be really good.
 
There's a recipe in the recipes section for a "St. Austell Tribute" Tribute. 7lb. MO & 2 lb. Munich. Lots of hops. Been meaning to try it.
 
This beer came out the most delicious ever. I will never make anything else!! I may do a sour version for a friend though. I wonder how it will come out sour?


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