Best general purpose malt

[chrisbjones202]

Hi all,
I've just used up the last of my base malt that I've bought in bits and looking to buy a 25kg sack of whole malt.

I brew a mix of UK & US hoppy pale ale but also make a heffe from time to time.

Can anyone reccomend a good base malt for all round use.


Cheers
Chris

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[Dennis King]

Crisps pale malt or Maris Otter are both good, better than other more expensive malts.

[keith1664]

I use Muntons as my home brew club is able to get it at trade prices. As for type I use their lager malt as it's a couple of quid cheaper than the Maris Otter and I don't think that in the type of beers I brew you'd be able to tell much difference other than the colour.

From the types of beer you say you brew I'd be tempted to do the same as with a hoppy beer I'm not convinced you'd taste the difference in malt, or a add bit of Munich if you wanted maltier.
Again with a heffe the yeast is the dominant flavour so a lager or Pilsner malt.

[Fil]

I used to be a faithful fawcetts MO buyer but got a sack of Crisps MO last time and i think I prefer it

[legion]

If i was to only keep one base malt, it would be a UK lager malt that provides a relatively blank canvas for adjusting with specialty malts for whatever to the target the beer I'm brewing. I wouldn't want to use marris in a heffe.

[alexlark]

Crisps MO.

[6470zzy]

Hi all,

Can anyone reccomend a good base malt for all round use.

For all round use I like Crisp Best Ale

Cheers

[Sadfield]

Muntons Maris Otter Blend (Maris Otter®/Propino 50:50) as I can get it from a local brewery for £15.

[Kev888]

For British styles, I favour a good pale ale malt from the cheapest of the decent brands at the time - for a while now that has been Crisps MO. But budget has become more pressing so these days it has become Crisp's un-named pale ale malt which is also very good.

However, mileage varies with circumstances, and you may want to do some very light styles and the odd wheat. If so, then compromising on a lager malt could be more versatile; you can add other grains for flavour and colour, but you can't reduce what is already there. That compromise is probably most noticeable if you do light coloured ales which normally rely on the base malt and not much else.

Of course, if you are striving for exact clones or closest authenticity, or worry greatly about colour, then its probably the wrong strategy. But if you just want nice beer in its own right then either would work, and it can save a lot of money buying by the sack.

[charliemartin]

Minch Malt Hook Head pale malt from the Homebrew Company is what I am using just now. Great efficiency and good flavour at a pretty reasonable price. I have tried various base malts over the last few years, but this is going to be my go to malt from now on.

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[Good Ed]

I have used various pale malt varieties, some by themselves and also in combination (something that was done in the past by breweries), I don't have a refined taste but this is what I have gleaned from various sources, either sown in the autumn or spring.

I mostly use Halcyon, Flagon, Optic and Propino.

Propino; spring; biscuit (Muntons pale malt)
Maris Otter; winter; slightly nutty, honey sweet
Golden Promise; spring; Scottish, sweet mellow wort
Halcyon; winter; less sweet than MO, biscuit, brighter & lighter than Pearl
Optic; spring; aromatic qualities, biscuity, malty
Pearl; winter; slightly bready, dry
Triumph; spring; used for mild malt here, for lager on the continent
Flagon; winter; traditional, biscuity, lighter than Pearl (Crisps pale malt)
Tipple; spring; complex and bready

[BigMouth]

I also make British or American pales mostly with the annual Christmas dark beer. Done the odd Belgian too. I always use Maris Otter as a base.

Being in Yorkshire I started with Fawcett, moved to Crisps and Simpsons and found both to be better imho as well as cheaper. Of course my processes probably improved during this time

Then a supply issue meant I ordered warminster and it's excellent. More £33 for 25kg rather than twenty something quid but worth it.
When I get my next sack it will be warminster MO from the home brew shop online.

[Meatymc]

I buy from a single source and don't even know 'the grower'. Plus don't have the storage so tend to by only what's needed for a couple of brews at a time.

I also tend to primarily do hoppy IPA's and APA's and did comparison tests last Summer using Golden Promise, Optic and Maris Otter - all with a touch of Munich, Crystal and Wheat (for clarity). Golden Promise was an unknown to me at that time.

From various previous brews I expected to like Maris Otter the most but it was actually Optic that came out tops - Golden Promise I liked the least. However, after 6 months in the bottle (stocks dwindling fast mind you) the Golden Promise has improved leaps and bounds and whilst the other 2 have also improved over time, I'd be happpy to use GP again but only if I can leave it to mature.

Problem is of course it's always 'each to their own' and everyone's tastes are different. I'd suggest trialing some of the base malts as others have suggested before committing to buying in bulk.