I recently made a California Common, using a variation on a recipe I have used several times before. The previous brews have been excellent, but this one was outstanding. It has gotten rave reviews from everyone who has had it, and several people have called it the best beer they have ever tasted. Now I am trying to figure out why it came out so good. I used the same hop schedule, same yeast, same fermentation temperature, etc. I did make some changes to the malt, and the answer must be there, but I made several changes. I had used generic 2-row base malt previously, but this time I used expensive local craft malt: Admiral Pils from Admiral Maltings (http://admiralmaltings.com/). I also changed the specialty malts a bit because I had some odds and ends lying around. The overall amount of specialty malts was the same, but the recent one came out a bit darker. They had essentially the same OG and FG, within a point or two. Here is the final comparison:
Previous beer
Recent beer
10 lbs 2-row
10 lbs Admiral Pils
1 lb C60
12 oz C60+ 4 oz Caramel Aromatic
1 lb Munich
12 oz Munich Dark + 4 oz Munich Light
So the question is: did I just hit a perfect sweet spot with the balance of specialty malts, or did the base malt make a huge difference? I know that the only way to really tell is to brew it again while changing only the base malt or only the specialty malts, but that could be many months away. My guess at the moment is that the difference is due to the base malt, but my wallet is hoping that it is not.
That’s part of the difficulty of changing many variables at the same time.
I mean if this is the best beer you’ve ever brewed, why would you change anything the next time you brew it? I would keep everything the same.
As for your uncertainty about the contribution of the base malt - the best way to see if you vastly prefer that over your generic 2 row is to brew the same exact recipe twice, only varying the base malt and then comparing the 2 beers, preferably using a beer with a lowish level of hops and specialty malts - maybe a simple pale ale or blonde ale.
Any variation you make in a recipe, albeit minor, will change the outcome. My suggestion is to repeat the recent brew to see if you can duplicate it. If you can, the minor variations Made the difference. If you cannot duplicate it, than the difference might be in the water?? Maybe??
I may well brew it exactly the same to see if it is equally good. The problem with that is the price of the malt. Admiral Pils is $25 for 10 lbs, others are $10 - $12.
Maybe you can get a bulk buy deal on the Admiral Pils. Or maybe you can split a bigger bag with a fellow brewer. 10# is only one more batch, and it sure sounds like you will be brewing this one again and again.
“It’s the best beer I have ever made…but why?” When we can answer that question and achieve consistent repeatability, that’s when we’ve become good brewers. That’s the quest for me anyway.
There is a distinct color and lovibond difference between Munich malts. Dark Munich is different than Munich Dark. That could explain some differences I would think, but further experimentation would be needed.
This is my quest, too. Which is the primary reason I’ll be brewing the same recipe with the same ingredients (except for the aroma and flavor hops) over the next four (or more?) brews this Summer. I began brewing the same recipe three brews ago but I’ve changed base malts. So I’ve decided to stick with the same malts for at least the next three to see if my process is consistently repeatable over those four beers.
But there are distinct flavor and aroma differences between different colored Munich malts from the same maltster, and between the same color product from different maltsters.
That part I don’t disagree with, but the difference in lovibond isn’t stark like say Briess or other American Dark Munich which is more akin to melanoiden. The way I read his post suggested a major difference. I’ve used Best and Weyermann lines of Munichs and while they aren’t completely interchangeable they aren’t worlds apart.
IDK. Pilsner with 5% Munich I vs. 5% Munich II shows more noticeable differences in flavor and aroma than in color, IME.
But then, personally, I don’t like going either route. I’ve learned that I prefer to just use a base malt kilned to just north of 2L, to get the desired extra melanoidins. The lightest (simplest) melanoidins being the subtlest – so you need base-malt quantities to make an impact – but also the most pleasant; the darker (more complex) the melanoidins, tending toward N-heterocyclic products, the less stable and desirable.
A bit of a digression, but it brings me back to the OP: I find that base malt makes an enormous difference/impact, and attention to it is more rewarding than trying to correct for deficiencies there by adding specialty malts. In short, I feel for poor Richard and his wallet. :( But I’m inclined to think that the Admiral malt was the key.
That said, it might be worth your effort, Richard, to try some other base malts, available online or otherwise, which may be more affordable but still a level above the usual commodity brewer’s malts. There’s a malt revolution going on, not just with new craft producers, but the old companies are offering new, more craft focused lines also.
Yes, I knew it was unscientific when I planned the brew because I changed too many variables and the Munich malts were from different maltsters and, even though the total weight was the same, I knew that adding some light and some dark would bring different character. My previous brew of this style was a year before this one, so it was long gone and comparison is a challenge in that case. Sorry Denny, I can’t send you a bottle of each. The new brew had more flavor, with a complex, almost buttery richness that took me by surprise. My sister said “This beer tastes like food”.
The more I think about it, the more I am inclined to believe that the base malt is the key. I am now looking at a 3-4 month hiatus in my brewing, which will put me more into stout season than summer beer season. I will spend that time planning my recipes and choosing my malts, and trying too convince my wife that the craft malt is worth the extra expense. I am hoping that one or two more outstanding beers will prove the case and she will agree without forcing me to give up something else in exchange. I guess I should brew one of her favorites to help emphasize the point. Fortunately for the timing, she likes dark beers.
