Maris Otter vs. American 2 Row Pale for IPA

[sgillespie]

IFor the past week, I've been set on using American 2-Row pale malt as my base, but then tonight I've started to consider switching to Maris Otter. If I do that, should I change my quantities? :

Jamil Zainasheff likes to use 50/50 mix of American and British Pale in his APAs according to his show. I'm personally intrigued by Maris Otter in American hoppy ales. I'll probably try that next time

 

[JonK331]

Jamil Zainasheff likes to use 50/50 mix of American and British Pale in his APAs according to his show. I'm personally intrigued by Maris Otter in American hoppy ales. I'll probably try that next time

I've tried 60/40 MO and Rahr several times with great results, no reason to not combine base malts.

 

[philrose]

what rahr malt are you talking about, the plain 2row base or the pale ale malt?

 

[iijakii]

I was reading that some professional breweries will use 2-row and just add in a bit of victory to make a psuedo Maris Otter. Looks like you had the right idea too

 

[FlemingsFinest]

hey phil, how did it taste? any possibility of a few pics?

 

[Cookiedds]

I pretty much universally use Maris as the base malt for all my IPAs (and most other beers). I use a lot of late addition hops, sometimes all hops added in the last 30 minutes of the boil and get a big hop flavor and aroma profile with a deeper, more complex malt backbone which balances it out very nicely. What you ought to do is brew two batches with the exact same recipe except one with 2-row and the other with Maris Otter, see which you prefer and what each contributes to the profile of the beer.

 

[philrose]

hey phil, how did it taste? any possibility of a few pics?

you got it man, its just starting to carb up. I cant help but pull a few pints a day

Heres the finished product, on gas for five days with the slow and steady force carb method. I expect the co2 to get even more refined and creamy if the keg can possibly last through the holidays with the FIL.

Aroma dominates. Granted, this is a fresh (1 month old) example with a significant dryhop. Hop aroma starts the pint, fresh, bright, citrus "meat" (more than zest) leads to smells of a sweet herbal tea. As the beer sits the dryhop aroma starts to pair with a slightly musty sensation in the nose.

Appearance consists of light amber core with golden highlights where light can strike the edges of the glass. Foam stand is pronounced with off-white to light tan large bubbles. These bubbles seem underdeveloped and lead to a fleeting retention of the head. Dry hop hazyness persists through the experience, low to no yeast in suspension.

Flavor highlight is the hop flavor as is foiled by an apparent crystal sweetness. Smooth up front with bitterness that flows across the back of the tongue. Hidden in the bitterness is a tangyness that seems to be the combination of specialty grain and flavorful late hop additions. Wee bit of fruityness is dominated by smooth bitterness paired with marmalade toast. Aftertaste puts the citrus zest into the equation.

Mouthfeel is slicker and fuller than expected. Slight coating of the pallet fades during the swallow. Tingly after the sip fades as carbonation and something bitter departs from the tongue leaving the briefest of astringency. No alcohol warming on the palate or throat.

Overall, a hop forward beer with clear ale characteristics. Hops do dominate flavor at first but are foiled by a diverse malt background. Its not enough to call this beer balanced, it drinks on the hoppy end, but does allow a distinction against the hop bombs of our time. Lastly, easy to drink in quantity. Looking at the lineup of spent glassware, this is my fourth pint in two hours.


I think there might be some minor tweaks here and there, but it seems prudent to wait until another batch is out of the fermenter to discuss them.

GREAT JOB ON THE RECIPE FF! I look forward to your impressions of the beer.

 

[FlemingsFinest]

Awesome. Thanks for the time spent making this a really full update, much appreciated. Next weds is my brew day for this baby. Can't wait.

 

[FlemingsFinest]

Brewed this last Wednesday, sitting in the fermenter now. Dry hops will be added in a few days and then bottling in the near future! Had some issues with hitting my mash temp as I was using a new system and i'm also new to all grain, so it will be interesting to see how this effects the beer. Overall, can't wait to taste and brew again to get the techniques down better.

 

[FlemingsFinest]

Just tasted it for the first time yesterday! Mine came out more copper/golden than your's did Phil. I accredit this to the fact that this was my first AG batch, and my mash wasn't as smoothe as it should it have been. Practice makes perfect, and I have to get my techniques/equipment dialed in to improve color extractiong/efficiency. However, I was able to pull great flavor. I liked the hop additions alot. I am going to brew it a couple more times for practice before I change the recipe at all.

 

[philrose]

Shrugs, every brewers process is a little different?

Mine did come out darker than anticipated, maybe I mis measured some of the specialty grains?