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Munich vs Aromatic vs Honey malt

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  • Munich vs Aromatic vs Honey malt

    I do this every year or so. I want to "malt up" my amber. It's already mashed high, I use CaCl and don't want to use c pils. How would you best design an amber using Melanoidin, aromatic, honey malt or standard Munich. What's the big differance between these malts in terms of "malty" flavor? Thanks

  • #2
    I have found that mashing in higher sometimes isn't the answer. I feel like if your going after a big malt kick high mash temps are throwing good money after bad, as you produce less fermentables all the while you have to add more malt to get your abv. The brew tends to get cloying sweet and you fight heavy color development.

    I have found however that using British Marris style vs. a generic pale for a base, a good dose of caramel malt 60L (if you go darker it can pick up a "raisin" flavor) and a bit Briess's victory malt really kicks it in. I mash it in the 150F range with about 3% dextrin malt. Now without a water chemistry discussion I make no guarantees, lol. A good neutral clean yeast strain also helps to let the malt shine.

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    • #3
      Bonlander Munich

      I'm a fan of Bonlander Munich malt from Briess. We use it in a few beers and it definitely makes a difference. More malty. Would probabl be great in an Amber.


      Mike Killelea
      Legend Brewing Company
      Richmond, Virginia

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      • #4
        Thanks.OK lets talk H2O Chemistry as well.

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        • #5
          I use a lot of Gambrinus Honey malt, it gives a nice malty sweetness that is more munich like than crystal malts. Melanoidan is like a super munich and is good in small amounts but can get quite bready and biscuity if you use too much. For an Amber you could blend them all. Caramunich might be nice as well. Depends what kind of malt flavor you want? Toasty and bready, concentrate on munich, melanoidan and honey malt. Caramel sweetness go for some crystal malts or caramunichs in the 40-70L range. Yeast has a big impact as well. I use WLP001 and while it is nice and clean it does seem to be hop focused and it really attenuates out. I like a fruitier or breadier yeast for an Amber.
          Big Willey
          "You are what you is." FZ

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          • #6
            Melanoidin can get a little sharp as well as being toasty if you use too much. It's a malt that needs to be used sparingly but can have very good effect.

            For an amber my choice (also having never used aromatic or honey malt as till now they haven't been readily available down under) would definitely be munich (weyermann munich I) at around 10% for starters. It's nice and soft with some lovely bread crust flavours.

            Oh and I don't believe mashing high does anything to increase maltiness. It increases body, not malt character. Same goes for carapils.

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            • #7
              Munich, definitely.
              If you want additional sweetness, you can use honey malt, but for a deep and rich malt character without excessive sweetness the Munich will probably give you exactly what you're after.
              I often use it at 20% for exactly that purpose.

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              • #8
                My Oktoberfest is 25 % Vienna and 25 % Munich. Malty as hell. It's interesting that high mash temps are mentioned as not a good way to increase malt character. I suppose I am confusing dextrin sweetness with malty flavor. I always felt high mash temp = more malt flavor. This is apparently not true. What are your thoughts on that? I use 1056 but will be changibg to WL002 soon. Good choice I thinj to alter malt flavor. Thanks for all the input.

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                • #9
                  My way of thinking is taste a bag of fieldose / maltodextrin. That's usually corn or wheat derived dextrin and it doesn't taste like anything much, so I don't see that dextrins from malted barley would be very different.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by jjs
                    It's interesting that high mash temps are mentioned as not a good way to increase malt character. I suppose I am confusing dextrin sweetness with malty flavor. I always felt high mash temp = more malt flavor. This is apparently not true. What are your thoughts on that?
                    Think high mashing temp as to increase body (mouth feel), not maltiness (flavor).

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by jarviw
                      Think high mashing temp as to increase body (mouth feel), not maltiness (flavor).
                      Seconded. I think there's a tendency to associate dextrins with maltiness because more dextrins are often present in high-kilned and caramel malts, which of course have a more malty flavour. But the flavour is more a function of kilning/roasting, not dextrins per se.

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                      • #12
                        How about something simple....
                        Like a longer boil. Extra 1/2 hour or two.

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                        • #13
                          A longer boil should give you more malliard reactions, which will indeed increase sweet, malty character. You could pull a portion of the wort (~20%) and boil it like crazy for about 90 minutes, which would create a LOT of malliard products. It will provide a sweet toffee-like character to the beer, and is sometimes what is done for Scotch Wee Heavy.
                          -Lyle C. Brown
                          Brewer
                          Camelot Brewing Co.

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                          • #14
                            Never considered that about the boil. That's exactly what I do with my wee heavy. Runn off a small portion and boil the hell out of it. sweet = malt. Daaa
                            Don't I feel like the F A H. Thanks for all the input.

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                            • #15
                              Sweet = sweet
                              malty = malty.

                              Sweet doesn't mean it's malty. It's a great misconception that took me a while to understand. I love sweet malty beers, but some people love malty beers (that aren't sweet). If sweet is what you are looking for then that is the way to go, but if malt flavor is what you are looking for then it doesn't necessarily have to be sweet to get that flavor profile. I'll second using Maris Otter and some 60L and munich. maybe bump up the base malt a bit to get more malt flavor and increase the sweetness a tad.

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