difference b/w brewers malt and pilsner malt?

[hilljack13]

I have some brewers malt (5 lb) on hand from a kit that I plan to use in a different recipe. I am adding some pilsner malt (4 lb) as well. I had thought about some pale malt but decided to use it in a different recipe. Is there going to be much difference in the brewers and pils? I can't seem to find any good definitive charts that show anything.

 

[fluketamer]

from the briess website:​

Pilsen Malt​

Clean, sweet, delicate malty
Product Details
Exceptionally light-colored base malt that produces a very light colored, clean, crisp wort, and allows the full flavor of specialty malts to shine through. It can be used as a base malt for all beer styles, and is an excellent choice for lagers.
1.5
SRM
4.5%
Moisture
81%
Yield on
grind
Usage Levels / Beer Styles

Up to 100% of the base malt of any beer style needing delicate, malt flavor Brewers Malt​ Clean, sweet, mild malty Product Details A great base malt for all beer styles. It is produced exclusively from high-quality 2-Row North American malting barley grown in premium U.S. barley growing regions. 2.1 SRM 4.2% Moisture 81% Yield on grind Usage Levels / Beer Styles Up to 100% of the base malt of any beer i have used them interchangeably sometimes and its hard to notice the difference for me at least.

 

[hilljack13]

i have used them interchangeably sometimes and its hard to notice the difference for me at least.

I was planning on adding some honey and biscuit malt and ferment with US05. I wonder if I should look more toward a lager style?

 

[bike2brew]

I have routinely been adding Pilsen malt in my IPAs for a year or so and pleased with the results. Generally around 20% of the grain bill with either Munich or Vienna and 6 lbs of 2 row as the base malt. Hoppy brewing!

 

[Broothru]

from the briess website:​

Pilsen Malt​

Clean, sweet, delicate malty
Product Details
Exceptionally light-colored base malt that produces a very light colored, clean, crisp wort, and allows the full flavor of specialty malts to shine through. It can be used as a base malt for all beer styles, and is an excellent choice for lagers.
1.5
SRM
4.5%
Moisture
81%
Yield on
grind
Usage Levels / Beer Styles

Up to 100% of the base malt of any beer style needing delicate, malt flavor Brewers Malt​ Clean, sweet, mild malty Product Details A great base malt for all beer styles. It is produced exclusively from high-quality 2-Row North American malting barley grown in premium U.S. barley growing regions. 2.1 SRM 4.2% Moisture 81% Yield on grind Usage Levels / Beer Styles Up to 100% of the base malt of any beer i have used them interchangeably sometimes and its hard to notice the difference for me at least.

Brewer’s malt often has a higher diastatic power (I.e., better conversion of starches).

 

[bike2brew]

That's why I still have it @60% in my IPA

 

[kevin58]

Look for one of the recent Beersmith podcasts about malts. There is very little difference between pilsner malt and pale malt. To be precise the quote was: "For all intents and purposes pilsner and pale malt are the same thing".

 

[day_trippr]

Well...one can find significant color differences between malts sold as "pilsner" and those sold as "pale". If I want a light color beer I definitely don't use "pale". So, to me, they're definitely not "the same thing"...

Cheers!

 

[Bramling Cross]

Well...one can find significant color differences between malts sold as "pilsner" and those sold as "pale". If I want a light color beer I definitely don't use "pale". So, to me, they're definitely not "the same thing"...

Cheers!

I couldn't agree more!

A lot has changed over the past twenty years, so there's every chance I'm wrong but the malt labeled as either 2-row or brewer's malt used to be the most lightly kilned and subsequently lightest flavored domestic malt available. It was designed for making macro lager. Pilsner malt, whether domestic or Continental is a whole different kettle of fish and is more flavorful. I bought a sack of Montana Select 2-row a few years ago thinking that I would get back into brewing WC IPAs. Ultimately, I didn't and that sack has been languishing in one of my Vittles Vaults because (while it's an excellent malt) it's just not very flavorful for the bulk of what I brew.

That said, if you're going to use a bunch of specialty malts and couple handfuls of hops, it probably makes no difference. But there used to be a difference.

 

[hilljack13]

Appreciate the replies. Seems for this I'll have a nice light colored beer. It won't be a lager but it will be beer!

 

[hungupdown]

Appreciate the replies. Seems for this I'll have a nice light colored beer. It won't be a lager but it will be beer!

exBEERiment | Grain Comparison: Pale Malt vs. Pilsner Malt In German Pils. Was unable to detect any taste difference, in blind tastings.

That was done during pandemic, so there was only one taster. But their other Malt comparisons that I've read, inc Vienna vs Munich+pils malts in a Vienna Lager, never found any statistically significant tasting differences either.

 

[mashdar]

exBEERiment | Grain Comparison: Pale Malt vs. Pilsner Malt In German Pils. Was unable to detect any taste difference, in blind tastings.

That was done during pandemic, so there was only one taster. But their other Malt comparisons that I've read, inc Vienna vs Munich+pils malts in a Vienna Lager, never found any statistically significant tasting differences either.

Which means they found evidence of nothing, and no conclusions can be drawn.

It's very tempting to say that lack of evidence is evidence of lacking, but it isn't so.

 

[AmarikinBrew]

If the taster had "COVID" his taste buds would be dulled!