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Maris otter in an American IPA?

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oldschool

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Well I'm going to be brewing a 1.070 IPA in the next month or so and all i have is about 6 lbs of cargill ida pils and 55lbs of maris otter. I've only used the Maris in my darker beers and can't really tell that much difference. So what do you guys think? Get some two row, use the MO, or combine the MO with the pils? thanks
 
Like i said i couldn't really tell the difference in my porters and stouts with the MO. So what is the difference in taste? I know i've read "richness that can't be duplicated" but what does that really mean?
 
I am pretty sure the winning American IPA recipe from last year's NHC used Maris Otter. In fact, I seem to recall that most of the winning recipes from last year's NHC used Maris Otter.
 
Like i said i couldn't really tell the difference in my porters and stouts with the MO. So what is the difference in taste? I know i've read "richness that can't be duplicated" but what does that really mean?

It is toastier in flavor since it has been kilned darker.

I like a really clean malt backbone in my IPAs, so I would go with a blend of the pils and MO. 100% MO would make a fine beer, but I think the toastiness gets in the way of the hop assault.
 
Like i said i couldn't really tell the difference in my porters and stouts with the MO. So what is the difference in taste? I know i've read "richness that can't be duplicated" but what does that really mean?

I think of it as a little 'breadier'. Maybe a bit smoother. Richer is a good descriptor, in the sense of a fuller body.
 
Like i said i couldn't really tell the difference in my porters and stouts with the MO. So what is the difference in taste? I know i've read "richness that can't be duplicated" but what does that really mean?

Brew a SMASH. Well, brew two. One with MO, one with 2-Row. Don't need to be full 5g batches, but they should be brewed within a couple days of each other so you can take aging out of the question.


Then do side by side tastings. :tank:
 
I'm after brewing 3 APA's using MO and one of them are being drank now.
IMO, a great beer. Don't notice much difference between MO and regular
prarie malt/2 row with the hop levels up like they are.
 
i'm just about to keg a black ipa i made with maris otter. og was 1.075. i'll know how it tastes flat tonight.
 
Mix them 50/50. Thats what I use as a base malt for most of my beers, wel actuall 50/50 of MO and american 2-row, gives it a lillte more "backbone"
 
Brew a SMASH. Well, brew two. One with MO, one with 2-Row. Don't need to be full 5g batches, but they should be brewed within a couple days of each other so you can take aging out of the question.


Then do side by side tastings. :tank:

I see why you're suggesting this as far as having a taste test but be careful with a Two-Row SMaSH. Highly fermentable and will dry way out. I've heard they can turn out not so good.

If you do it, use a really high attenuating yeast strain.
 
I see why you're suggesting this as far as having a taste test but be careful with a Two-Row SMaSH. Highly fermentable and will dry way out. I've heard they can turn out not so good.

If you do it, use a really high attenuating yeast strain.

Perhaps I am missing something here. I don't think that 2 row that extremely highly fermentable. There are a few commercial examples of 2row SMASH (Real Ale fireman's 4 for example) beers and they did not taste overly dry to me.

And if 2 row did dry out, wouldn't you want a less attenuating yeast to balance it?

Eric
 
Dryness has nothing to do with barley cultivar. Mash temp and yeast are the primary players that control how dry a beer is. MO will not necessarily give you a sweeter beer as domestic 2-row will not necessarily give you a drier beer.
 
I am assuming by the 1.070 that it will be an American IPA? If so, I would go with 2 row since MO isn't an American malt/kiln. I am a fan of keeping it regional.
 
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