"Undermodified?"

[sremed60]

I wasn't sure which category to post this in so "General Techniques" seemed as good as any.

I decided I want to brew a Belgian Tripel and experiment with multi-step mashing, (just for the fun of it). This morning I called two different local home brew stores in the area to see if they carried undermodified pilsner malt. Neither one of the guys I talked to had ever heard the term "undermodified" malt? Is "undermodified" the correct terminology? Is there another name for it?

 

[NTexBrewer]

Try asking for Floor Malted grains as in dried the old fashioned way which tends to produce an Undermodified malt.

There is a good chance that you may have to order this type of malt online.

 

[BrewDawg79]

Also may want to ask those guys if they know the Kolbach index on the malts they carry. From what I can remember Palmer talking about, anything below 36 is considered "undermodified". I was researching this recently before I tried my first decoction. Hope that helps.

 

[sremed60]

Thanks guys

 

[MVKTR2]

Also may want to ask those guys if they know the Kolbach index on the malts they carry.

Random homebrew shop employee response, 'Who's Kolbach and we don't have an index here'!

Jk, LHBS are great and usually staffed by very knowledgeable folks, but it did pop in my mind!

 

[dmtaylor]

Years ago I tried to find and purchase undermodified malt. After many hours of searching, discovered that it did not exist. I imagine it still might not exist. Maltsters have simply become a little too good at what they do in the 21st century!

 

[BrewDawg79]

Random homebrew shop employee response, 'Who's Kolbach and we don't have an index here'!

Jk, LHBS are great and usually staffed by very knowledgeable folks, but it did pop in my mind!

Ha. That's probably the response I would get in my LHBS unfortunately. For the more technical issues google is pretty handy. And to be honest, the book How to Brew still answers most of my questions.

 

[sremed60]

Ha. That's probably the response I would get in my LHBS unfortunately. For the more technical issues google is pretty handy. And to be honest, the book How to Brew still answers most of my questions.

I've only been into brewing for about a year but "finding answers" has definitely been the most time consuming part of it. There's SO MUCH involved it's almost impossible to find any one source and definitely not one person for answers. It's agriculture, it's science, it's chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, it's the food industry, it's electrical science, plumbing, metal fabrication, chemical engineering, and then on top of all that it's art and creativity. Googling suckers you in with the idea that it's a fast, easy, convenient way to find information - and then you waste hours trying to weed through all the misinformation that every Tom, Dick and Harry with a computer uploads to the www to gain fame and fortune and notoriety.

When I first got started in brewing I watched a "How to Brew" tutorial video on youtube uploaded by some guy who starts the video off saying, "This is the first batch I've ever brewed." Really? His first batch and he was willing to share his knowledge and experience to educate and help others?