Pilsner Malt or LME?

[rodwha]

I did BIAB brewing some time back and made a nice hybrid jalapeño ale mashing 2-row and using Pilsner LME. It had an excellent light malt flavor that I lost when I moved to all grain using just 2-row.

I have issues getting ~6 gals to boil well and straddle two burners and place the tamale steamer plate as a lid propped by my brew spoon.

I've not had appreciable issues with DMS but have been concerned using Pilsner malt.

I've since moved to all 6-row, and it's nice, but I don't think it's quite as good, though it's been over a year.

It seems I had read that today's Pilsner malt is better refined or whatnot and may not have quite the issues with DMS as it did in the past, but can't seem to find anything that agrees with this.

So my choices are to continue using 6-row (I'm fairly happy), go back to a partial mash for this beer, reduce the volume so I won't need the lid (this goes fast here and is a favorite amongt us all so I don't really want to), or see if I can find another barley that's similar to Pilsner, which is what I thought 6-row sort of was as its used in cream ales.

What say you?

 

[eluterio]

There is nothing wrong with substituting pilsner Malt with pilsner dme or lme. DMS is a common topic when it comes to using pilsner malt but in my opinion its not as bad as one would think. If you boil for 90 mins most of the DMS precursors S-Methyl Methionine will reduce with the lengthy vigorous boil. There are now conversations, I believe Charles Bamforth has done a study on DMS and concluded if you have a vigorous boil you reduce the SMM that causes DMS in a 60 min boil. With all this said if you don't have the room use DME you will be fine and you want have to worry about DMS at all as it has been processed.

 

[rodwha]

Maybe I'll just try a 50/50 Pilsner/6-row brew and see what happens.

Can anyone tell me whether there is anything better than 6-row for a lager-like taste?

 

[eluterio]

Define lager taste? Each malt will give a different flavor and each maltser has a unique flavor. Some pilsner malt has more of an intense pilsner flavor ie weyermann vs best malz. I find that Best is softer.

 

[rodwha]

Briess Pilsner LME is what I've used. I'm not sure I could explain the taste, but have figured it to be more neutral I suppose.

I'd much prefer not to need to do a partial mash.

 

[eluterio]

go with what you like. Your going to be drinking it, if you enjoy it stick with it.