When I want to add some intense maltiness, I often reach for the high-kilned malts in the 18-30 Lovibond range. Sometimes I use aromatic and sometimes I use melanoidin. Best and Castle have light and dark melanoidin malts. Gambrinus has honey malt and a 30 lovibond Munich dark. Several maltsters are now producing Abbey malt, just slightly lighter than ‘traditional’ aromatic, but with better diastatic power. There are a lot of malts to choose from…
When you build your recipe, how do you decide between using aromatic versus melanoidin malt?
What flavor differences do you detect between the two malts?
I seem to prefer Aromatic over Melanoidin. To me and what I have used it in Melanoidin seems richer, maltier and does what it claims to do IMO. I have used it in German Lagers and Amber colored Ales. Aromatic Malt to me seems slightly toasty and seems to have less malty rich punch. Aromatic seems to blend well with malts like MO, Biscuit and lighter crystal malts…at least that has been my experience with beers I have used it in. Melanoidin seems to be a heavier underlying character…kind of reminds me of a dark Caramunich. Aromatic also seems to be well… more “aromatic”. I think my perspception of it is influenced by other malts in the beers I have used it in. I havent used them by themselves much to say for sure.
I dont know if I would agree they are fully interchangable or the same product…they seem different enough to me.
I like both. The analogy has been used here that Aromatic is a more intense Vienna malt where Melanoidan is a more intense Munich and that seems pretty accurate to me. I tend to use Aromatic in Belgian styles and Melanoidan (sometimes) in German beers.
I prefer Aromatic because it seems to have more subtle qualities it imparts (as compared to melanoidin) and seems more forgiving in terms of percent usage. I find that melanoidin can become too prominent at a lower usage rate than expected. HOWEVER, I have a really nice german pilsner that used 2% melanoidin and I would do it exactly the same again
Maybe it’s more me then. I find melanoidan richer and more Munich-like, and aromatic more toasty and Vienna like. Not a giant difference between the two IMO.
Come to think of it I’ve only ever heard it referred to as “Super Munich” in Gordon Strong’s BDSA PowerPoint so it definitely isn’t an ubiquitous term.
I will tend to use aromatic more often in my recipes vs. melanoiden. If I go this route I will have no problem adding anywhere between 1/2-1# of aromatic, but melanoiden additions tend to be more 4-6 oz for me (5gallon batch). That is just my preferences regarding the flavor addition of these malts though.
So, a question, I’ve got an Oct Fest and. Pilsner that I really like but they’re both missing a bit of something. Opinions on adding one or the other to either of these beers. Your all descriptions might give me what I’m looking for, thoughts?
