Are malts the next big focus?

I hope not.

 

I would endorse that movement with all of my heart and soul.

 

It might not happen in America, but here many breweries do name the malts.The beer I've been drinking this evening from Thwaites (a large, regional brewery), uses Munich and Maris Otter malts. Anyway, aren't malts even more important than hops (which are just a flavouring)?

 

Why?

 

Very few US breweries do their own malting*, so it is safe to say that the vast percentage of malt in the US is shipped from the maltster to the brewer. And, while there were once malt houses in many regions of the country, its pretty much concentrated in the mid-west these days (the main barley growing region). The new wave of " micromaltsters' " production is still pretty insignificant as a percentage of barley malt used in the US, I'd guess. And, of course, some malt is even imported.

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* Coors and AB both have malthouses at their flagship breweries and AB also owns malting operations in MN and ID, but both companies also buy malt from malt companies since they use more than they can make.

 

Well, Mikkeller being the bellweather that he is (or at least seems to be) when it comes to specialty series, like his Single Hop series, Yeast series, Spontan series, and French Oak series (the only one I got a full set of). I wouldn't be surprised if he came up with one. This can be a pretty broad arena though, but I have quite the limited knowledge when it comes to malts.

Also, didn't you all know that Wheat is the New Hops!?

 

Know your Malts!

 

remember that the vast majority of beer drinkers are not even slightly aware of the naming of malts. Halcyon, Marris Otter, Crystal 60, chocolate, Carafoam and so on... it just as important as detailing the concentration of ions in the water. the name of the malt means nothing unless you are a brewer. even as a brewer I am not sure knowing the grain bill would matter.

a lot more people seem to be excited when Fuggles or Cascade are mentioned.

then again, I like information so I wouldn't be opposed.
Cheers.

 

It's pretty common out here in WA and OR for the malt bill to be listed alongside the hop profile.

 

Seconded.

 

I've always enjoyed reading the names of malts on bottles; Southern Tier does it I believe. However I'm a bit skeptical that malts would be able to approach the breadth of flavors that has been achieved with hops in recent years, but perhaps I'm wrong.

 

By no means do I consider myself any kind of "hop head". With that said, malt-forward beers such as brown ales and ESBs, just don't do much for me. I've had my share and I've had ESBs in London and they're just not my style. Even some ipas I find as too malty. I guess if this were to happen then I'd be fine with everyone else drinking them and leaving the other stuff for me

Side note: I do love stouts so I'm not totally against malt-forward styles, just referring to the brown ales and ESBs the OP brought up. If there are some beers in those two styles I should try that might change my mind, I'm open to suggestions!

 

If scenarios like Great Lakes Brewing taking their doppelbock out of their seasonal rotation to slot in another DIPA are any indication, then no.

Which annoys me as someone for whom every hop-forward beer tastes literally identical, with that taste titled "Rancid Perfume", and who finds no few beers touted as malty to taste hop-forward as all heck. But apparently, I'm in a rather extreme minority. I'd like to discover all the complexities and breadths and depths of flavor other people describe in IPAs, but it is not to be when even SN Vienna Lager is a veritable hop bomb for my tastebuds.

If malts were to catch on for a popularity cycle, I'd be all for it.

 

Well, the part I've underlined sounds a lot better than hoping more are not produced just because you don't like them.

As to a recommendation, Fuller's ESB is a good place to start, but if you are looking for IPA-style hoppiness, you won't find that in most ESBs. There are a few American ESBs that do overhop the style. You probably can't get it in NH, but Surly's Bitter Brewer is a very nicely done hoppy bitter. Too bad it is seasonal.

 

No, for two reasons.

1). The vast majority of brewers in the US don't have the skill to get many malts to truly shine. There's some, Sierra Nevada comes to mind. Troegs is another.

2). Many malt flavors are more subtle than those used in imperial stouts. They are acquired tastes, and your average beer geek won't go nuts over them like they do hops.

 

In many (most?) of the great brewing cultures, it already is.

 

The next one? I doubt it. I'm seeing sours and farmhouse styles catching up with super-hopped IPAs right now and I think those will be the next big thing. (I mean this from a broader perspective. I'm aware that some BAs are really crazy about these beers.)

Eventually I hope malts become a bigger deal, but the flavors imparted are more subtle and I wouldn't expect it to take off as the big flavor that everyone is crazy about. I do like seeing more breweries naming the malts that they used, especially as a homebrewer because that gives me more ideas for brewing. I don't get the argument that malt varieties are different from hops in this regard. Besides a few big names like Citra I don't think your average craft beer drinker has any idea what hop varieties are either.

 

Good question but I think the answer is going to be different depending where you are from, judging by your location I recon it is a safe bet you are primarily concerned with the US brew market (and why not it is where you are from after all)...
Now this is just my opinion but judging from the US beers I have had (and I mean the good ones not the macros) they tend to be very hop forward and it is hard for me to picture a sea change to malt forwards in the US and judging by the BA reviews from the US on here which tend to all rave about heavy hops I think my assumption that the US market has a long ways to drift before we see more Ales and other malty styles is a pretty safe bet.

But Like I say this is only my opinion of the US market and as I'm not American who really gives a damn what my opinion is...

The above post also makes a good point on the region factor. UK brewing is more malt aware and our brew style is more subdued and balanced than heavy hop beers... So is one better than the other... ?

HELL NO!!! It is a matter of taste and personally I like most beer styles

 

They should be.