Maris Otter is $2/lb and American 2 row is $1.25. I'd much rather not spend $30 as opposed to $19. MO is described as rich, nutty, bready. Isn't there specialty malts that could add that same flavor to a base of 2 row without all the extra cost? The same could be asked of Golden Promise, which is frikin $2.15 at my LHBS... I'm sure I will get responses from people who swear by these base grains, and I don't expect to get an exact copy of MO or GP, but can't specialty malts get us close?
You could try blending plain old 2-row with some Vienna or Munich. And/or possibly some victory/biscuit. Might get you in the ballpark. Maybe.
55lb for $81 shipped to your door ($1.47 per pound) from here (temporarily out of stock but will be back).... http://www.fiftypoundsack.com/products/Fawcett-Maris-Otter.html
Canada Malt Superior Pale is pretty good and cheap. It can't replace MO but if you use it and blend in about 20% of real Maris it will be close... like Hamburger Helper but better. Malterie Franco-Belges pale is good too but will also need a little bit of help from the real thing.
2 row and Victory malt seemed to be close when I was doing something like a porter or brown ale, never tried in a pale ale. If you have a mill, buy in bulk. I have ordered from fiftypound sack in the past and was happy.
I recently made a very nice American pale ale with 75% Great Western 2-row, 20% Gambrinus Munich, and 5% Thomas Fawcett Pale Crystal, with Fuggles and Ahtanum for bittering and Ahtanum in the whirlpool, fermented with WY 1968. I never tried it side by side with beer made from a nice English pale ale malt, but I think this sort of blending is a viable option. I'd also consider biscuit malt, amber malt, Special Roast, or Victory as a plausible complements to NA 2-row that lead to a more English-like malt character.
Thanks all! This is about what I was thinking for MO. I have never had ( that I know of) a 100% (or nearly 100%) Golden Promise beer. Does anyone know of a commercial one available in Louisville KY? What combos of grain do you think would emulate GP?
I can't think of anything that would emulate GP, to me it has a distinct sweetness along with a little bit of light toast. You could try a pils malt with a touch of light munich or maybe Victory, but I don't think it would come close to GP. Can't think of a commercial beer with GP.
Just made a 100% GP IPA for my niece's wedding...good, but nothing all that different from the 2 row/Munich thang. I've got 2 sacks of Castle Pils and Munich that will also get the test shortly at 50/50
Are you saying you plan on doing 50/50 Pils and Munich with the idea it will be close to GP? I can't imagine it being close, but I have never tried. Which brand of GP did you use? What color Munich are you planning on using? Have you done this before? So many questions
JW Lees or Thomas Hardy's Harvest ale are both 100% MO (low color), but are boiled for 4 hours. Also, North Coast Old Stock ale is 100% Marris Otter. Founder's Mosaic Promise is 100% golden promise and 100% mosaic hops. Instead of trying to emulate marris otter, why don't you just suck it up and buy enough for a single recipe? Trying to replicate something before ever using it is not the greatest idea because you have no idea what it will taste like when you brew a beer with it. I get that you don't want to spend the money, but $10 is really nothing compared with what you have probably spent getting into this hobby.
No, not specifically trying to approximate GP with the 50 Belgian Munich and Pils. But, I have noticed that 2 quality base malts (with 1 being higher kilned) will make a much improved grist over regular domestic 2 row (Duh). I've used just about every continental Munich there is and they all seem to work really well (6.5, 9, 10, 15, and 20 L.) and compare favorably with the UK ones I've tried (Simpsons and Faucett MO, GP). I brew a lot of dryish IPAs... so I want a good malt backbone without any carmelly sweetness. Many folks say the GP is sweeter than other base malts, but I have not found that to be true in my limited experience. The breadiness is what I am normally looking for without any/much biscuit. I plan on making 3) or 4) 10 gal batches of IPA with the Castle Pils and Munich (15 L)...starting at 50/50, then 75/25 and adjusting from there. Got both for $72 a sack delivered from Williams with a PET growler and SS carb cap.
OK, that makes a lot more sense. I have heard good things about Castle Pils so I am not surprised you get good results combining it with Munich. I was hoping that you had a winning formula that combined 2-row and some Munich to make any "fancy" malt
Any well-modified Pils should be a close match for reg domestic 2 row I would think. As for a "winning formula"...I let you know how it turns out (the Belgian Pils and Belgian Munich together). So far, my favorite grist for an American IPA is ~70% GW Pale ALE malt, ~25% Continental Munich, and ~5% UK C-55 Cheers
