COCKTAIL PALE MALT

[Gurgeh]

Cocktail is a very high yielding premium spring malting barley. Produces excellent extracts from the mash tun.
Maximum Percentage 100% E.B.C. 4.5

Anyone have any experience yet?

[oblivious]

Is it available for the homebrewer?

[Grahame]

Hop & Grape have it listed on their new autumn newsletter, certainly sounds interesting!

G.

[maxashton]

Bloody £3.10 a kilo!

[Stonechat]

Bloody £3.10 a kilo!

That's £77.50 for a 25kg sack

[steve_flack]

Is there a small gold ingot at the bottom?

[fivetide]

I noticed this at H&G. What the heck makes it worth that much cash?

[steve_flack]

I would hope that the price is lower for a full sack. If not that makes it a lot more expensive than even the specialist German/Belgian malts that have to be imported.

[maxashton]

Seriously.

I read somewhere that it is a trial crop only, but that still doesn't justify the high cost. It has to be some kind of marketing ploy. High price during trial period, then drop the price to garner more interest.

I don't care how efficient extraction is with this product, it shouldn't be this sort of money. Rant rant rave rant.

[Gurgeh]

re that 2nd link:

Code: Select all

Goldings Hops 100grm

traditional and very popular English aroma hop. Developed in 1790. Soft, earthy, vaguely farm-like aroma.

Aroma hop. Well suited for dry hopping

Alpha Acid 8.3% 

farmlike aroma! that's a good description for enticing the craft brewer!

I've never seen goldings at 8.3% before

[Bryggmester]

The local micro brewer went over to Cocktail malt from M.O. some time ago. He told me that results were fine and that he found it just as good. I have yet to try it as i have been doing little brewing during the summer, but I hope to be back into the swing of things shortly and will give it a try.

[delboy]

I'll hopefully be getting some 'quench' malt to play about with (i'll be home malting it), i'll report back if (a) the home malting works and (b) it makes a decent beer

[Bongo]

I saw this the other day online and wondered how it tastes but the price put me off,i found something more expensive too,Peat smoked malt at £4.30 a Kilo,I hear it's crushed between the thighs of albino virgins.

[bloodoaf]

My local micro sold me a sack of this last year and I asked why they were using it instead of marris otter. I was told that they use whatever is best at the time and it has no noticeable affect on the finished beer. By "best at the time" they were referring to the yield not the flavour as "all the pale malt does is provide the sugars" as the brewer put it. I was a little sceptical but after a few brews with it I can only agree with them. I could not detect any difference from marris otter or unique flavours or properties even in a 100% pale malt summer ale. Use with confidence but don't pay a premium.

[Stonechat]

My local micro sold me a sack of this last year and I asked why they were using it instead of marris otter. I was told that they use whatever is best at the time and it has no noticeable affect on the finished beer. By "best at the time" they were referring to the yield not the flavour as "all the pale malt does is provide the sugars" as the brewer put it. I was a little sceptical but after a few brews with it I can only agree with them. I could not detect any difference from marris otter or unique flavours or properties even in a 100% pale malt summer ale. Use with confidence but don't pay a premium.

My view is different to yours bloodoaf, in that I think Maris Otter has a better flavour. I must admit the only other varieties I've tried have been Perle(or was it Pearl?) and Lager Malt and Mild Ale Malt. Didn't like Perle at all and was pleased to get to the end of the sack. The other two were bought to use in making Brewer's Gold and the milds from GW.

What reinforced my view was the experiment carried out by Ray Ashworth at Saturday's CBA meeting in Colchester. What he did was mash small quantities of Mars Otter, Perle and an Optic/Cocktail mixture and put them in thermos flasks. The 15 of us present were asked to judge the unlabled flasks by tasting and/or eating the gruel. The two criteria we voted on were flavour/aroma and from the sweetness judge the likely extract.
1. for flavour was Maris Otter
1. for sweetness was the Optic/Cocktail mixture and the Perle came last both times.

I agree with your comment regarding a finished beer that may have other malts/adjuncts, hops and yeast all adding their bit of magic, but as the pale malt used is apart from water the largest constituent of the brew it's best to use the one you like.