Malty beer recipe recommendation

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Eckythump

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Just bottled and tasted our first all-grain batch yesterday: we made beer! However, we both found it too bitter and hoppy for our tastes. It's definitely not bad, but it's got a hop punch that we weren't expecting.

For our next batch, we'd like a sweeter (maltier?) light beer (light as in color and taste, not ABV or calories). Any suggestions?
 
Sweet <> Malty. If you want sweet, add crystal malt. But I don't think you want that.

Malty is all about the base malt. Use Maris Otter, Pale Ale Malt or Munich Malt.

Also check your water chemistry. Definitely affects perceived bitterness / astringency if it's out of balance.
 
Sweet <> Malty. If you want sweet, add crystal malt. But I don't think you want that.

Malty is all about the base malt. Use Maris Otter, Pale Ale Malt or Munich Malt.

Also check your water chemistry. Definitely affects perceived bitterness / astringency if it's out of balance.

Ah, I see. I have been using crystal malt in most of my recipes, but never tasted it as "sweet". Since the color is always red'ish dark, I presume I can't taste the sweet due to the in-your-face hops.
 
Right...used properly (i.e., not too much), crystal won't come off as sweet. A lot of people want "more malty" and add more crystal instead of changing their base malt.
 
hmmm... I always thought of Maris Otter and Munich as speciailty grains not base grains. Guess I gotta think again. I here a massive rebrew coming in my near future :)
 
hmmm... I always thought of Maris Otter and Munich as speciailty grains not base grains. Guess I gotta think again. I here a massive rebrew coming in my near future :)

MO is a delicious malt as a base malt. You can also mash a little higher to make it a bit sweeter, but that may affect your finishing gravity and therefore make a lower ABV beer. Or use hops with lower alpha acids. Or some combination of all of those things :tank:
 
I just did a SMASH with Marris Otter and Cascade hops. Not too much of either one and it is pretty smoot all the way around. Medium body; medium malty after taste.:fro:
 
Look towards more Belgian Abbey styles, I prefer those myself and find them to be quite malty, and sweet.
 
Look towards more Belgian Abbey styles, I prefer those myself and find them to be quite malty, and sweet.

Again, I'd call you on the sweet = malty thing. Most Belgians are quite dry. But still very malty.

And amazingly delicious.
 
Okay, how about a Wee Heavy? Malty and a bit sweet. Maybe a lighter one, like Belhaven's.
 
Belgians tend to finish dry to be more digestible, though there are many styles that finish with a "sweet" taste. Westmalle is noted in beer magazines and such to be "sweet and dark". Belgian Stouts tend to divide between sweeter and drier.

The maltiness perceived in Belgians contributes a perceived sweetness to many palates. The ability to distinguish the difference comes with time and tasting. It is one of the entrancing things to me about Belgians is the dryness of them (I had a Golden Strong finish at 1.005), yet people tend to infer sweetness. Most that have drank it have commented on its sweet caramelly and almost honey flavor. Now I know it to be one of the "driest" I have brewed. However in order to effectively communicate with people, including newer brewers that may desire that "sweet" taste commonly mistaken. (although it is not mistaken, just a different word to convey an idea), many times I will say it.

I take this BGS and tell a girl it is very malty, she is unsure of the taste she may experience. I describe it as malty and sweet and all of a sudden it clicks in her head, and agrees to her palate.

Semantics are a bore.
 
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