Substitute for Maris Otter LME?

[albino314]

I love this recipe for a Best Bitter: https://www.homebrewersassociation....ipe-of-the-week-im-not-bitter-im-thirsty-esb/

It calls for English LME, so I've used Munton's Maris Otter with great results.

But at my LHBS those cans of Muntons are 2X the cost of bulk light LME. Is there anything I can do to keep the great malty flavor of the Maris Otter with a cheaper LME? I'm thinking that I could add more specialty malts, but which and how much?

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Gnomebrewer]

You could try some amber/victory/biscuit malt with the LME. Maybe start with 5%.

Edit: Or start doing partial mashes and use some Maris otter grain. It's not that different to steeping specialty malts.

 

[albino314]

Thanks! That's what I was looking for: I haven't used victory or biscuit before.

 

[RM-MN]

You could try some amber/victory/biscuit malt with the LME. Maybe start with 5%.

Edit: Or start doing partial mashes and use some Maris otter grain. It's not that different to steeping specialty malts.

This is the best answer if you are capable of heating water to 157 degrees F. At that temp, your Maris Otter grain will be able to convert and keep the malty flavor you desire. Mashing and steeping vary in that steeping can be done over a much wider range of temperature. Mashing, the act of converting starches to sugars, requires a more rigid temperature control. If you try to mash at too low temperatures, conversion doesn't happen, too high and you destroy the enzymes that do the conversion. Your temperature range will be about 145 to 160 to get conversion.

Once you do a partial mash, you are sooo close to doing all grain via BIAB. Try the partial mash once, then try a larger amount of the base grain. :rockin:

 

[albino314]

This is the best answer if you are capable of heating water to 157 degrees F.

Thanks. I've tried partial mash before, but couldn't maintain the temperature. I just found a thread suggesting to put the kettle in a warm oven. I think I'll try that.

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks. I've tried partial mash before, but couldn't maintain the temperature. I just found a thread suggesting to put the kettle in a warm oven. I think I'll try that.

That can work well. The other option is to create the conditions where maintaining the mash temps isn't necessary. Milling the grains very fine and using a nylon or polyester mesh bag to hold them creates the condition where conversion happens so quickly that the temperature drop in an hour is of no consequence. I've used iodine to test for the presence of starch and found with fine milling the conversion is done within 5 minutes. You still need more time to steep the flavor out of any other grains like Crystal but the temperature for that is not critical.