Crisp Organic Extra Pale Malt

[whatstyleguidelines]

I recently got a 55 lb sack of Crisp Organic Extra Pale Malt from a local brewery. I got a great deal, especially considering I didn't pay for shipping (I don't have a local homebrew store so that would be a necessity otherwise). However, I generally brew styles that use pilsner malt or English pale ale malt, and now I have a huge bag of what I think is the British equivalent of domestic 2 row. So my questions are:

1. Has anyone used this malt? What for?

2. Looking at just the color (1.5-2.2 L) and origin, do you think I'll have better results...
a. Using it in lagers in place of pils
b. Adding some amber or home toasted malt and brewing bitters/milds/stouts/etc
c. Make something hoppy or reliant on speciality malts, like I'd use 2 row
d. Just do whatever malt is malt, shut up and brew nerd

Just curious what everyone's take is. Excited to get brewing again, it's been a bit.

 

[Steveruch]

Use it for anything you want.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I have bought sacks of "organic" two row base malt from Valley Malt out in Hadley Massachusetts and found the kernels were significantly smaller than pretty much every malted barley I use - base malts and specialties - enough so that I had to narrow the gap on my mill to maintain my usual BHE.

I don't know if there's a direct relationship between "organic" and kernel size that would apply widely but worth checking the crush to avoid surprises...

Cheers!

 

[kevin58]

It is quite possible that even though it was malted in Britain that the barley came from the US or elsewhere. England has never been able to grow enough barley to keep up with beer productions so It has been a practice of English breweries for nearly 2 centuries to import barley but then malt it themselves (they didn't trust foreign maltsters).

 

[whatstyleguidelines]

fwiw, I have bought sacks of "organic" two row base malt from Valley Malt out in Hadley Massachusetts and found the kernels were significantly smaller than pretty much every malted barley I use - base malts and specialties - enough so that I had to narrow the gap on my mill to maintain my usual BHE.

I don't know if there's a direct relationship between "organic" and kernel size that would apply widely but worth checking the crush to avoid surprises...

Cheers!

Interesting, I'll definitely have to check. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[whatstyleguidelines]

It is quite possible that even though it was malted in Britain that the barley came from the US or elsewhere. England has never been able to grow enough barley to keep up with beer productions so It has been a practice of English breweries for nearly 2 centuries to import barley but then malt it themselves (they didn't trust foreign maltsters).

Interesting. I wonder if there are any significant differences in malting processes for a malt of that color in this point in time.

 

[Shenanigans]

Well looking at their website it says lager, blondes and pale ales.
https://crispmalt.com/malts/extra-pale-ale-malt/

They even include an English IPA recipe.
https://crispmalt.com/recipes/ipa/

They don't specify the maltster but in the Brew Dog DIY recipe book and app they use extra pale malt for several recipes. I think even for their flagship Punked IPA.
Maybe you can find something in there that inspires you?
https://www.brewdog.com/uk/diy-dog

I have used Muntons Extra Pale Maris Otter in several WCIPAs as I don't have 2-row here and they turned out good.
A bit different I know but with similar colour.
https://www.muntons.com/brewing_distilling/maris-otter/

 

[Miraculix]

That's a great malt. I'd use it interchangeably with pale malt and pilsner malt.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

It is quite possible that even though it was malted in Britain that the barley came from the US or elsewhere.

Pretty unlikely I would say.

England has never been able to grow enough barley to keep up with beer productions so It has been a practice of English breweries for nearly 2 centuries to import barley but then malt it themselves (they didn't trust foreign maltsters).

This is one of those things where you can read too much Ron Pattinson and put too much weight on the high points of the UK brewing industry which is much smaller now it is not supplying half the world in the way that it was. The UK has been a net barley exporter for some time now, and particularly for something like organic barley the maltsters would grow it under contract under close supervision to ensure the integrity of the organic certification.

I recently got a 55 lb sack of Crisp Organic Extra Pale Malt from a local brewery. I got a great deal, especially considering I didn't pay for shipping (I don't have a local homebrew store so that would be a necessity otherwise). However, I generally brew styles that use pilsner malt or English pale ale malt, and now I have a huge bag of what I think is the British equivalent of domestic 2 row.

The British equivalent of US 2 row is rejected by the maltsters and is sent for animal feed...

Extra pale is the British equivalent of pilsner malt, so use it as a substitute for that, whether lager or Belgians. It also gets used a lot in modern British styles with New World hops. Personally I think those styles still benefit from at least 50% pale, but there's plenty of commercial beers out there that are 100% extra pale.

You'll get away with it for British dark beers, I think you'd notice the difference in a classic bitter.

 

[whatstyleguidelines]

Pretty unlikely I would say.


This is one of those things where you can read too much Ron Pattinson and put too much weight on the high points of the UK brewing industry which is much smaller now it is not supplying half the world in the way that it was. The UK has been a net barley exporter for some time now, and particularly for something like organic barley the maltsters would grow it under contract under close supervision to ensure the integrity of the organic certification.


The British equivalent of US 2 row is rejected by the maltsters and is sent for animal feed...

Extra pale is the British equivalent of pilsner malt, so use it as a substitute for that, whether lager or Belgians. It also gets used a lot in modern British styles with New World hops. Personally I think those styles still benefit from at least 50% pale, but there's plenty of commercial beers out there that are 100% extra pale.

You'll get away with it for British dark beers, I think you'd notice the difference in a classic bitter.

A lot of great info here, thank you! I'll probably brew a pils and a Belgian blonde before the summer is over, then maybe try a dark mild.

 

[Shenanigans]

This thread has me asking myself what's the difference between Lager Malt and Extra Pale Ale Malt?
As I always thought Lager malt was the British equivalent of Pilsner malt.

 

[G_robertus]

This thread has me asking myself what's the difference between Lager Malt and Extra Pale Ale Malt?
As I always thought Lager malt was the British equivalent of Pilsner malt.

I always thought lager malt is the same as pale malt or 2-row as Americans call it, but you might be on to something. The Swaen makes lager malt, pilsner malt and pale ale malt. This list is also in order of colour from light to dark. Crisp lists Lager, Ale, Pale Ale and Extra Pale Ale malt. Lager seems closest to their German pilsner malt though after a quick scan. Simpson's has a similar listing.

 

[Shenanigans]

Just to confuse the situation even more. I order Lager malt from the Minch malster in Ireland sometimes and the shop calls it pilsner/lager malt.
https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/h...10kg-3-ebc-minch-p-3516.html?cPath=69_232_233

I have only used it in NEIPAs and new style WCIPAs due to it's low colour.
I'd rather keep my continental pilsner for traditional German & Belgian beers.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

This thread has me asking myself what's the difference between Lager Malt and Extra Pale Ale Malt?
As I always thought Lager malt was the British equivalent of Pilsner malt.

Don't sweat it, we're largely getting into the realm of what individual maltsters choose to use for branding.

 

[sibelman]

relationship between "organic" and kernel size

fwiw, the organic Great Western Premium Two Row malt I favor has nice plump kernels.