No love for malt

Who is complaining about malt, brofessor?

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you're talking about the common "too malty" comment people use to describe IPA's?

 

I only complain when IPAs taste overly malty, because the focus should be on the hops. Yes, I realize and appreciate that malt is the necessary canvas for the hops, but sometimes it's too sweet and distracting. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I'm super picky about the malt in an IPA. I don't like cloying beer.

 

When you say "too sweet" can you provide examples of specific flavors you're thinking of?

 

Or specific beers? Like Hopslam or Enjoy By.

 

Yea it depends on the beer. People don't generally say stouts are too malty. In fact, some stouts can be considered by some to be too hoppy. It's just that IPA's are probably the most popular style in America, along with a saturated market of IPA's (some of which are completely unbalanced) so it can be perceived as a common complaint.

 

For me, at least, it's any hoppy beer that uses too much crystal malt in their recipe. How much is too much? Great question. If it's showing up on my palate, that's too much. IMO, malt in hop forward beers should be there just enough to prevent the beer from being hop juice. Any more and the drinkability of the beer suffers.

 

Definitely. Never overheard anyone saying, "You know what? This doppelbock is WAY too malty for me."

 

Southern Tier IPA is a good example. I like some of their other IPAs, but I don't care much for their flagship IPA anymore. Tastes excessively like crystal malt. Sugary sweet caramel/toffee flavor, and sticky residual sweetness.

 

I like malt and the style of malting can lead to the perception of a signature as much as can the favored hops or combination of hops. I just had a malt in a beer that was crisp. crisp dry malt. Round too. For malt the idea that it can sag or sink into the finish is one of the reasons I think that the overuse of hops developed. I can't quite explain it any better but if your malt is crisp and round , it does finish. it does not last too long after the swallow and does not carry a lot of extra sugar. The amount of fullness depends on the style of malting and the malts used. The first time I heard of complaining about malt was due to the AAL. In other words "where is my malt in this beer?" The use of the corn adjunct can lighten the body such that the style might be questioned. Please see genesee bock beer. People seem to ask "does this one use corn? " The other time I have heard complaints about the malt is in the sub style session IPA. At first many people complained that it tasted like hop juice with no real malt body. I felt this was true but now I am seeing much more attention being paid to the perception of body caused by malt in beer. That perception can lead to the judicious use of hops in many styles.

Conversely you will find all kinds of malt sonnets in praise of beers with thick malts that give the illusion of milkshake in high abv beers like stouts.

 

Welcome to the BA site, BeerBelly99. We're happy to have you here.

Can you expand on what you mean by your question other than the literal? I hear complaints about beers being too hoppy, but I don't think I've ever heard the opposite. Did your question come off the way you meant it to be? I'm perplexed.

 

I don't get it, either. Sort of like saying you don't like wine for being too "grapey", rum for tasting like "molasses", etc. There should be a balance (although this depends on style, individual, occasion), and I would think malt takes center stage. A lot of folk obsess over hops, but not too many over, say, water source!

 

If malt isn’t getting any love it’s probably style related (I don’t believe it is the case as the words malty backbone appear often around here) IPAs and adjunct stouts are all the rage.

New question tho, why does gypsum not get the respect it deserves. It’s what makes those hoppy beers shine. Gypsum needs more play not just drywall.

 

I'll cautiously agree with the OP. Even IPAs need a malt backbone and most fall on the "too little" vs "too much" malt side of things.

 

I know it's weird but i've seen many people complain about an ipa being too malty and i feel the same way. I'm on the west coast and grew up on west coast ipa. First time I had a malty midwest IPA I hated it and continue not to drink them. I like almost all styles of beer but always pass on a malty IPA. It might be geographical but not quiet sure.

 

Malt is the silent partner

 

There are some IPAs that I will retreat in the direction of to find a little more malt.

DFH 90 is an example for me.

Celebration may be my absolute favorite expression of IPA and harmony with malt.

 

I've read compliments aboot Doppelbocks being too malty. The nerve.

 

Meant to say complaints.