What's your main base malt?

[mosto]

Just wondering what most people prefer to use as their base malt. Do people generally use the same base for most beers, or do they change to suit individual styles? I'm 3 brews in to my AG brewing adventure and started off with a 12.5kg bag of Joe White Ale Malt, which I've now pretty much used up. Thinking of getting a 25kg bag of Maris Otter to try next, which should do me for 5-6 brews. I'll probably brew 3 versions of my house ale, which is an Aussie-style Pale Ale. For the other couple, thinking an ESB, an IPA and possibly a Porter if there's enough grain left. I will probably include some small of amounts of Carapils and/or Caramunich to make up the grain bills for each of these beers.

 

[manticle]

I change for style.

 

[Diesel80]

Marris Otter is excellent. I use this mainly.

Works well with US and UK hops, plays nice with most crystals and makes lots of nice ale type receipes.

I have recently started playing with Pils malt and brewing some more sessionable beers.

These two i generally have on hand, but then again it suits the beers i like to make. This is the main consideration with HB'ing.

Cheers,
D80

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Generally in Brissie, most were based around Bairds Perle Ale Malt, with obvious changes for styles not needing an ale malt.

But I generally brewed Pale Ales in their various guises.

Now, I've got a sack of Bairds Pale Ale (unopened), with half a sack of JW Ale and some JW Pils, and the latter two have been pretty solid.

I'll probably save the Bairds for next autumn/winter's beers, when I really want a deeper maltiness, and keep knocking out lighter coloured beers with Pils, Wheat and topped up with a little Ale malt.

 

[syl]

You need to change for style, and then people have their favourite brands/locales for each style.

A lot of people prefer to get the malt from the region it originated etc. I personally the the Joe White aussie stuff is great, not aussie owned any more. Is it still all aussie product? I assume so...

 

[rehab]

I am still playing around. I have used a fair amount of GP and didn't mind it. I use a bit of malteurope nz malt and gladfields malt due to the price but may give weyerman pils a shot next for a particular pale ale recipe I have seen and then Marris after that as I have been yet to use it.

 

[JDW81]

Like most, mine varies with style.

 

[hsb]

For bulk buying, I tend to get a bag of something British - Golden Promise, Marris Otter etc.. for IPAs, Bitters, Porters, APAs etc. and a bag of something Belgian/German for Belgian and German styles where paler malt is the get-go.

If buying base malt in bulk it's always going to be a bit of a compromise on those sorts of lines, unless you have masses of space and get through half/full bags regularly.

From what you describe above, you could quite happily get by with a big ole bag of Pale Malt, MO would be a fine choice.
I would hazard a guess that most people buy base malt on those sorts of lines - between 1 and 3 types - grouped into broad categories of styles that it'll work with. No hard and fast rules though.

I'm still getting through some Perle for now and tend to 'trick out' APAs with a bit of Munich for example.

 

[BeerNess]

I'm lucky my LHBS is Mark's in Newcastle, who does great prices and weigh/mill to each brew order so I can change depending on brew or style. If I had to pick one base malt for everything I'd have to say Marris Otter right now, but I have been thinking of trying Golden Promise to see what difference it will make... Would love to use a local Aus malt, but never been very happy with anything i've made with it, even my solid recipes.

 

[mosto]

For bulk buying, I tend to get a bag of something British - Golden Promise, Marris Otter etc.. for IPAs, Bitters, Porters, APAs etc. and a bag of something Belgian/German for Belgian and German styles where paler malt is the get-go.

If buying base malt in bulk it's always going to be a bit of a compromise on those sorts of lines, unless you have masses of space and get through half/full bags regularly.

From what you describe above, you could quite happily get by with a big ole bag of Pale Malt, MO would be a fine choice.
I would hazard a guess that most people buy base malt on those sorts of lines - between 1 and 3 types - grouped into broad categories of styles that it'll work with. No hard and fast rules though.

I'm still getting through some Perle for now and tend to 'trick out' APAs with a bit of Munich for example.

That's pretty much along the lines I was thinking. Before going AG, I was buying my extract and a bit os specialty grain online, but now I'll be buying 12.5kg/25kg of grain, shipping costs become an issue. My nearest hbs is about 100km away in Bathurst, so I want to settle on a 'general purpose' base malt and adjust to different styles with some spec malts. That way with a bit of planning, I will only have to go for a drive every couple of months to re-stock. I'll trial most of the main base malts, starting with Maris Otter, until I settle on something that suits my taste / brewing style.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

wey munich I.

 

[Tilt]

+1 choose to beer style - but it depends what you like brewing.
If its early on in your AG career then a pale, less distinctively flavoured malt (like Wey Pils) can be good. It lets you adjust grists to style (add malty flavour with a bit of Munich or Melanoidin) and provides a clean slate for learning what specialty grains bring to a beer.
I mix it up between MO, GP, Gladfields Pale and Wey Pils / Boh Pils nowadays.
Nothing substitutes for trying them all over time to find your own faves though!

 

[Black Devil Dog]

1. Wey pilsner.
2. Ale malt
3. Wheat malt.

 

[Lakey]

My choice always changes depending on what styles of beer I am making. I'm just about to buy 3 bags in a bulk buy, Barrett burston galaxy, barret burston wheat and weyermann Vienna malts. This I am thinking will let me brew a range of styles like pale ales, wheat, pils, kolsch, saisons, etc. In preparation for the hot weather.

 

[CONNOR BREWARE]

When the style allows for it I lean towards TF golden promise.

 

[benno1973]

TFGP for me too. I find it's good and malty for any ales I do, american or english. Wey Pils for most lagers.

 

[Bizier]

I generally have MO, Wey Pils and Wey Munich I on hand. Sometimes JW Trad as well, but give me the good stuff any day of the week.

 

[verysupple]

I change for style.

Although I'm relatively new to AG (10 AG brews so far), I'm with Manticle. Having said that, I love Maris Otter for pretty much any British ale and loved it even more in a SMaSH with either centennial or cascade (I called them "Transatlantic SMaSH hit" and "Transatlantic second album" for obvious and not lame reasons ). I then made "Best of Transatlantic" which was MO with 50:50 centennial and cascade for each addition.

Now that I think of it, MO seems to be my 'go to' base malt.

 

[givemeamash]

with goomba, my house beer is with perle

 

[vykuza]

I tend to get a bit over MO if I use it brew after brew (within/near style). Weyermann Pils is great if you know you're going to do lighter beers, and Weyermann Pale is the little black dress of malts to me - it works in many situations.