# Grain For Pale Ales



## TasChris (13/6/06)

Hi all, 
just a simple question on the selection of base malt for IPA,APA or Special Bitters.
should I use just JWM Traditional Ale Malt or a mix of JWM Trad ale and JWM Export Pilsner Malt, ( was thinking 50:50 to keep colour and flavour a bit lighter). I have both these grains in supply.
Any thoughts ?
Cheers
Chris


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## Airgead (13/6/06)

TasChris said:


> Hi all,
> just a simple question on the selection of base malt for IPA,APA or Special Bitters.
> should I use just JWM Traditional Ale Malt or a mix of JWM Trad ale and JWM Export Pilsner Malt, ( was thinking 50:50 to keep colour and flavour a bit lighter). I have both these grains in supply.
> Any thoughts ?
> ...



Chris

My pale is made from just JW Ale with a touch of wheat (powells) and crystal (JW). Comes out very nice indeed. Pale golden I think is the best description og the colour. I suspect the 50/50 pils/ale blend would end up lighter but at the expense of some of the malt flavour. 

Cheers
Dave


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## Doc (13/6/06)

My Pale Ales all use JW Trad as the base. Love that base malt. 
Have done them using Pils as the base, but the colour and slight attributable flavour change meant it was a once only experiment.
Going 50:50 isn't a bad option if you are running low on Trad Ale. 

Beers,
Doc


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## TasChris (13/6/06)

Thanks Airgead and Doc for your replies, will only use JW Trad as my base malt.
Thanks Heaps


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## tangent (13/6/06)

sometimes if you mash too hot, the beers can come out a bit too sweet, underattenuated and rich. you could be forgiven for thinking that it's the malt, but if you mash a bit cooler it seems to balance out the sweet/malt and the yeast can eat more sugars. I try to mash most of my beers at ~63-64C instead of my old 66-68C.


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## Kai (13/6/06)

If you have a higher OG on your beers you have room to use more pils too, I think.


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## jayse (13/6/06)

I use them both 50/50 as a base for many pale ales with excellent results, it all depends on the pale ale your trying to make. If its a bitter then i'll use all ale malt but for APA up around 1.050 then half pils works very well indeed. For american pale pale up around 1.056 then the export pils by itself works well, saying that all trad ale works great aswell, as does 50/50 of each. So either way brew up a couple different batches and see what you think.

The ale malt is quite robust and can have a very slight toasted biscuity character, mixing it with some pils malt brings out some more delicate pale grain soft rounded character.

Experiment away and be sure your idea of 50/50 is a very good one in my experience and opinion. 

Cheers
Jayse


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## colinw (13/6/06)

jayse said:


> I use them both 50/50 as a base for many pale ales with excellent results, it all depends on the pale ale your trying to make. If its a bitter then i'll use all ale malt but for APA up around 1.050 then half pils works very well indeed. For american pale pale up around 1.056 then the export pils by itself works well, saying that all trad ale works great aswell, as does 50/50 of each. So either way brew up a couple different batches and see what you think.
> 
> The ale malt is quite robust and can have a very slight toasted biscuity character, mixing it with some pils malt brings out some more delicate pale grain soft rounded character.
> 
> ...


Put me down as a fan of 50/50 Trad Ale & Export Pils as well.

Many of my ales are made with the 50/50 mix, plus a bit of medium crystal and 1% chocolate malt just to darken things up a little bit.

I find all trad. ale malt can be a little overpowering, as it has quite a toasty vienna malt like flavour.


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## bindi (13/6/06)

tangent said:


> sometimes if you mash too hot, the beers can come out a bit too sweet, underattenuated and rich. you could be forgiven for thinking that it's the malt, but if you mash a bit cooler it seems to balance out the sweet/malt and the yeast can eat more sugars. I try to mash most of my beers at ~63-64C instead of my old 66-68C.






colinw said:


> jayse said:
> 
> 
> > I use them both 50/50 as a base for many pale ales with excellent results, it all depends on the pale ale your trying to make. If its a bitter then i'll use all ale malt but for APA up around 1.050 then half pils works very well indeed. For american pale pale up around 1.056 then the export pils by itself works well, saying that all trad ale works great aswell, as does 50/50 of each. So either way brew up a couple different batches and see what you think.
> ...



Mashed a 50/50 APA today except for a little carra malt and wheat, now in a cube [no chill] waiting for the AAA [which is mostly ale malt] to come out of the frementing fridge.
Yeah I'am a fan.  And mashed a little cooler as per Tangents post, the way I did it in the past, well it was not that long ago.


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## Stoodoo (13/6/06)

I've been brewing a few aipa's letely and have used the JW traditional ale as the base malt, but also liked the addition of some caramalt and crystal malt to the recipe. In my last batch I even threw in a bit of carared, and it's been my best brew to date. Ingredient breakup was 5.5kg JW trad Ale malt, 250gm caramalt and 250 gm of carared. Chinook, Goldings, cascade and amarillo hops were used in this batch. I think it's all about experimenting, and finding out which is the best mix for your tongue and brain.

Cheers


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## tangent (13/6/06)

i find anything that i put pilsner malt into dissapears from the keg too quickly
just go mental and drink 6 pints instead of a couple
almost too easy drinking. not enough meat and gravy from the pale malt
50:50 is a great way to go but it'll dissapear really quickly



> I think it's all about experimenting, and finding out which is the best mix for your tongue and brain.


 couldn't agree more stoodoo!

edit - gotta add: Pale Ale is a fairly broad term. I'm sure a BJCP person could help out here....
If you're adding invert sugar like a CPA clone and thinning out your brew, you'd probably want to hang on to a bit more pale malt.
If you want more of a piratey ahrrrrr malty pale, than pale malt be where ye treesure lies.
I'd almost be happy with only weyermann pilsner & galaxy for almost all of my beers.


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## bindi (13/6/06)

tangent said:


> i find anything that i put pilsner malt into dissapears from the keg too quickly
> just go mental and drink 6 pints instead of a couple
> almost too easy drinking. not enough meat and gravy from the pale malt
> 50:50 is a great way to go but it'll dissapear really quickly
> ...


 
AH <_< That's why that keg was empty in less then a week with two others on tap near full, I don't eat meat and have never liked gravy


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## sosman (13/6/06)

I go the other way, ale malt plus around 20% munich for my APA.


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## bindi (13/6/06)

sosman said:


> I go the other way, ale malt plus around 20% munich for my APA.



Good point <_< drinking one I did that way as I type and loving it, mind you I am a sl%t when it comes to beer, well good beer.  I can count on one hand how many APA I have done, if I want to make a yanky ale I go for an AAA, don't know why  .
That's why we are Craft/Home brewers...Brew and learn.


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