I typically use 2-Row in my American brews and MO in my English. Been thinking lately of just using MO as my house base malt for everything.
If price wasn’t an issuse, would you use MO in all your brews?
If cost weren’t an option I’d maybe try it in more of my American Pale’s but I don’t think it’d work in the occasional Cream Ale, Classic American Pilsner or IPA I do, just can’t see it fitting the style I’m looking for as I’m pretty sure it’d be a bit “much”.
No, I prefer Rahr or Great Western 2-row as a base malt, don’t make English ales but maybe once every two years.
I prefer Rahr 2-row. And a pilsner malt for the lagers, not sure which one yet…checking out a few different maltsters.
I am still trying to figure out if there is a mixture of BRIESS 2 row and Marris Otter that would get me closer to Rahr or Great Western Flavor profiles. Anyone have a % opinion?
I use Maris Otter in English and other brews that need more of a biscuit malt flavor. IMO it offers a bit better complex malt flavor.
Buy a 50# sack of each. Find some people to split it with if need be. I read somewhere grain prices may be on the rise here with the drought this year so having a bunch of basemalt on hand probably wouldn’t hurt.
I would. I prefer MO, but right now I’ve got a 55 lb sack of 2-row - needless to say, I’m going to make beer out of it. I’ll tell you something else, I think I like Vienna malt about as well as MO as a base malt. I made an APA with all V-malt recently - awesome flavor and beautiful color.
Interesting poll. I’m doing two consecutive SMaSH’s just to determine my preference. Saturday I’ll be doing 12# Golden Promise, hopped with Golden Sonnet and eaten by US-05. Next Saturday I’ll be doing the same but with 2-Row. Why Golden Promise? Because of how it’s described to be a little maltier and sweeter. Typically I use 2-Row.
Hopefully this post will stick around for a while so I can share my experience.
Mike
I’ve used Maris for a wide variety of brews other than English styles (plenty of American pale ales, IPAs, as well as a few German styles), sometimes along with another base malt (like Munich) and often just Maris by itself. Whenever I can get a good deal on a sack of Maris, I jump on it and it becomes my predominant base malt for a while.
I use MO primarily. I can still buy direct from Midcountry Malt, and their warehouse is maybe 15 minutes from my house.
Last time I stocked up I got 25kg MO / 25 Kg German Pils / 25 kg Canadian 2-row.
Now I wish I had gotten 2 MO and not the 2-Row. Canadian grain prices have gone up so the diference is not what it used to be. I don’t brew as often anymore so everything I do would be bitters / stouts / or german Maerzen / Bock / Pils etc.
Now That I’m stuck with the 2-row I may have to cut some of the MO for my stouts to keep it around longer.
So in the end it really depends on what you like to brew
I always have a sack of each on hand.
Currently I have:
Rahr 2-Row ~ 80 Lbs on hand
Warminster Floor Malted Maris Otter ~ 35 Lbs on hand
[quote=“560sdl”]I am still trying to figure out if there is a mixture of BRIESS 2 row and Marris Otter that would get me closer to Rahr or Great Western Flavor profiles. Anyone have a % opinion? [end quote] * * I do an ipa that has a 50/50 split with MO and 2 row (rahr) AND it comes out great. I dont know what ratio you would need to achieve what your looking for but i would try a 70% 2 row mix and work my way down. It still will be better than Briess 2 row alone, at least in my very, very humble opinion. Cheers. ( edit for spacing).
I too go back and forth between Rahr 2-row and MO depending on the style I’m brewing. I could see myself using MO for most recipes if it were much cheaper. The exception being recipes where a light color is preferred.
I’ve acquired 20 pounds of Great Western Pale Ale malt–which is very inexpensive. I’ll be trying it in an American Pale ale sometime in the next couple months. I used to wonder if Deschutes uses MO in Mirror Pond, because of the solid, malty, biscuit backbone. Turns out they use GW Pale Ale malt.
I’ll agree Vienna makes a great, and inexpensive, base malt, it’s probably not a replacement for MO, though. I have heard that a 80%-20% mix of 2-row and Vienna is a decent sub for MO.
I actually haven’t cared for APA’s with MO as the base, it has almost too much malt character for the style as far as my palate is concerned. On the other hand I love best bitters and am not satisfied with 2-row in those. So I keep both on hand.
Actually I currently have sacks of light Munich, Vienna, MO, 2-row, pils and wheat malt on hand. So I have things fairly well covered. Check that, we just brewed 16gal of British mild and I’m out of MO, but just made an order. I’m going to try Warminster this time. I used Bairds last time and it was very tasty. My go-to MO is Fawcett.
