Malt differences

[POAS]

I have been trying to understand the differences in malts and I'm not sure that I know exactly what they are. I know that there are differences in how they are malted, i.e. temperature, times, etc. etc. and that there are differences in types of barley, i.e. 2-row and 6-row. But are there also variations in the barleys themselves? In other words, are there different varieties of 2-row malts for instance (just like there are different varieties of oranges or apples)? Would an american 2-row barley be as different from a Pilsner (which I guess is also a type of 2-row barley) as say a Golden Delicious and a Macintosh?

Is there a good reference where this information may be found? I have a really old copy of Papazian ('84) and it's not much help and a little research on the web wasn't either.

 

[MalFet]

There are a lot of different categories, which can be confusing. The list here might get you started: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Malt

 

[two_one_seven]

Yes there are differences. English 2 row, Canadian 2 row, and american 2 row all impart different flavors to a beer. The way I think of it is like grapes. You can grow the same grape in different places and the wine will taste different. The soil, rainfall, and sunshine are different everywhere and that imparts a particular flavor to the malt. Roasting a malting techniques affect this as well. No sure on references but I imagine someone will know more about that.

 

[POAS]

That's exactly the type of thing I'm looking for. A Merlot grape grown in CA will produce a different wine than a Merlot grown in France. But there is a greater difference between a wine from a Merlot grape and a wine from a Cabernet grape. Are there these types of varieties in barleys?

 

[MalFet]

That's exactly the type of thing I'm looking for. A Merlot grape grown in CA will produce a different wine than a Merlot grown in France. But there is a greater difference between a wine from a Merlot grape and a wine from a Cabernet grape. Are there these types of varieties in barleys?

The major classification is 2-row versus 6-row.

Beneath that, you also have regional variations. Maris Otter is a British strain, Golden Promise is scottish. American 2-row is different from German 2-row is different from Belgian 2-row.

Beneath that, you get difference from the way the grain is malted and, even more nuanced, differences between different maltsters.

 

[POAS]

Thanks. That makes sense and is basically what I suspected, but I just could not find a definitive reference.

It would be great if someone made a chart of this. It's probably out there somewhere already...

 

[POAS]

OK. I did some better research and looked up barley varieties and found an excellent article on this topic that satisfied my curiosity:

http://***********/stories/wizard/a...r-types-and-strains-of-barley-used-in-brewing

Good reading for any one interested.