Most common used based grain to buy?

[Julohan]

I like ESb a lot. I think I may buy a in bulk marris otter. What would be the best barley to buy for for most styles of beer as a base in bulk?

 

[FishinDave07]

MO and 2-row, although it depends on what you brew.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I usually buy Maris Otter and Pils malt in bulk and that covers my bases pretty well. But I make a fair amount of German and Belgian beers so Pils works for me. Like Dave said, depends what you brew. What else do you like to brew besides UK ales?

 

[Brew-boy]

I keep in stock Maris Otter, Domestic 2 row and a Pilsner Malt. These 3 base malt allow me to brew just about anything.

 

[flyangler18]

Maris Otter and Pils are always in ready supply in my brewery, based on the styles that I regularly brew.

If you take the approach of many commercial breweries, domestic 2-row is the base malt of choice. Consider it the plain unseasoned chicken breast of malts, a blank canvas. Boring and uninteresting on its own - but a firm foundation for just about any style imaginable. Supporting flavor and character added through specialty and character malts builds on that foundation.

 

[zac]

I stock a lot of 2-row, and MO, but always keep a sack of pils, vienna & munich around.

I brew all over the board, so I also stock over 30 varities of hops.

 

[conpewter]

I brew a lot of American styles and some British so I always have plain 2-row on hand (Canadian malting) and this last time I picked up a bag of Maris Otter as well for the beers with a maltier backbone.

 

[dasein668]

I keep Optic Pale, Light Munich, and continental Pils in stock (55lb sacks). I do brew many American-style ales, which some people may prefer a domestic 2-row for, but I like the toastier flavor of a British pale ale malt even in those styles.

 

[JKoravos]

If you're brewing mostly US/UK style ales, definitely US 2-row and Maris Otter.

 

[claphamsa]

I keep around (or try to) MO 2 Row and golden promise. Dont brew enough Pilsner like things to make it worth it....
I also try to keep around wheat and munich

 

[Tonedef131]

Always have Pilsner malt, I use more of that than all the other malts combined. But I will occasionally buy a bag of 2-row or MO, thinking I should start keeping some bulk munich and wheat malt around since buying it by the pound is getting pricey.

 

[Pharkan]

My brewing buddy and I keep at least a sack of each of wheat and pilsner, and two sacks of Maris Otter. We get MO even cheaper than any other pale malt, so we basically use it for everything, including american pale ales.

 

[zac]

I wish I could get MO chaper than 2-row...

 

[Julohan]

Is pale ale just another name for us 2 row? Is MO, US 2-row, and Pilsner good to get all at once. Or should I just get MO then choose between the latter 2? I am about to leave a message to get a quote for tomorrow.

 

[zac]

Is pale ale just another name for us 2 row? Is MO, US 2-row, and Pilsner good to get all at once. Or should I just get MO then choose between the latter 2? I am about to leave a message to get a quote for tomorrow.

Yes. pale malt=2-row.

I stock all 3, and wouldnt want to give any of them up.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Is pale ale just another name for us 2 row? Is MO, US 2-row, and Pilsner good to get all at once. Or should I just get MO then choose between the latter 2? I am about to leave a message to get a quote for tomorrow.

Pale Ale is kilned higher than US 2-row.

For me, it depends on what I plan on brewing for the next couple of months. I usually alternate between MO and Pils (buying the next sack when the 'first' one gets down to about 20#) and brewing more beers that use that type of grain. So I'll brew heavy on the German/Belgians when I have a lot of Pils and then heavy on the Pale Ales/Stouts/Bitters when I have a lot of MO. I try to make sure I heed the FIFO (first in, first out) rule to at least some degree.

 

[Julohan]

Now I am confused from the two previous posts. I am looking on North Country Malt. I see Pale Ale Malt, the then from a Canadian company 2 row pale ale malt. I don't see anything for just US 2 row.

 

[sonetlumiere85]

Pale/pale ale malt and 2-row malt are very similar. It all depends on the maltster, but usually the technical difference is the degrees Lovibond. For example, Rahr has a US 2-row malt with a 1.7 - 2.0 degree Lovibond, as well as a pale ale malt with a 3.0 - 4.0 degree Lovibond. Otherwise these two malts are essentially "technically" identical. This is part of why many people recommend eating a handful of grain, because it's a good way to get a sense for the flavor difference.

Different products from different maltsters will yield different results, but usually the flavor differences are subtle.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

2-row and 6-row are just two different 'general' varieties of barley. 6-row is higher in protein and diastatic power and is used by the big commercial breweries because they use so much corn/rice. The base grain most homebrewers use is 2-row barley malt (but it could be Pils, Pale Ale, Kolsch, Mild, Amber, Brown...they're all 2-row varieties).

When you see 'Rahr US 2-row' then that is their basic domestic 2-row barley malt. Rahr 'Pale Ale malt' is the same thing but kilned at a higher temp. Crisp (UK) sells their own Maris Otter (which is a 2-row winter variety) but also have a Pale Malt that is also made from Maris Otter.

Many of the North American specialty/color grains are 6-row while much of the Euro specialty grains are 2-row. Even Breiss' Munich 10L and 20L are 6-row...but the Breiss Bonlander Munich and Aromatic are 2-row.

 

[Julohan]

Just bought marris otter and pale ale. Shipping was ridiculous. My dad lives in Chicago. Travels a lot for business, so next time I need more I will have him pick it up for me.