JZ's Barleywine grain choices

[hogwash]

Hey there,

I'm planning to do Jamil's Old Monster from BCS in January and I just listened to the BN American Barleywine podcast from 2007. In the show he suggests quite strongly to use Maris Otter for the base malt for this style, as if he wouldn't use anything else but then the recipe in the book calls for American 2-row. What gives?

Everything I've seen on here regarding that recipe is positive and I'm sure it will turn out great with either malt but I'm just curious if anyone has an argument for one over the other or just an explanation of JZ's discrepancy.

P.S. I do realize that the recipes on the shows are not necessarily the same as in the book.

 

[bmick]

Marris Otter will give you a more biscuity, malty backbone for a big beer like this. I did a barleywine with this as the base and it turned out great, well worth the extra few bucks to use MO over 2 row.

 

[Brewpastor]

Maris Otter has great character. So does Golden Promise (which I often prefer). They add a stronger, breeder malt character to recipes. You can use American Pale and get great results and in a big american barley wine you should have enough going on that the MO back bone won't ding the beer too much. I think it is personal choice. With a BW I tend to go all out because I expect the beer to be around for a while. The Maris Otter is going to cost more, but In a "vintage" scenario I believe it is worth it. If you are just making quick brew for multiple glasses, go with the american. Canadian malts are another alternative.

JZ's recipe is a solid one and you should be pleased with the results.

To get a sense of MO vs Golden Promise vs domestic 2-row, brew a light pale ale recipe with each.