Tips for making a malt bomb?

[OldAtHeart]

Can anyone help a novice brewer by describing the techniques involved in brewing a rich malty ale? Fall is on its way (okay, that may be wishful thinking on my part) and I'd love a nice malt bomb on tap.

Super hoppy beers are easy enough... add more hops, right? But how does one get the most out of the malty flavors? Different types of malts? More of them? Mashing at specific temperatures? Will mashing in favor of unfermentable sugars get me more maltiness or just sweet? Some of the recipes I've found through the search feature seem to be very high gravity (1.100 OG? ). Is that necessary or just a common preference? I'd be perfectly happy with something that settled in around 5-6% ABV.

I'm brewing all grain, mashing in a 10gal round cooler tun and recently built a keggle for boils, so capacity is not an issue for a 5 gallon batch. Currently, my keezer is at full capacity with 3 kegs so I have no lagering capabilities at this time.

 

[tasq]

Water chemistry, mash temps and pH, and of course the right grains.

What style are you thinking about trying out?

 

[hoppymonkey]

Find a good german Alt or Faux octoberfest recipe on here. Both styles fit your description and capabilities.

 

[Germelli1]

Armoatic malt is all you need.

That stuff packs a punch and lend a VERY malty flavor to beers. I use the OktoberFAST ale recipe here modified to my liking. The recipe calls for a pound in a 5 gallon batch and the smell from my grain crusher as I ran it through was pure, malty awesomeness

 

[OldAtHeart]

Octoberfest Ale was exactly what I was thinking.


Tasq, what should I be shooting for in water chemistry and pH? I haven't really gotten into any of that yet, but it sounds like a good next step in my learning process.

 

[orangehero]

Yeast selection will be important also. Apparently maltiness increases with age.

Check out Biere de Garde for a malty French ale.

 

[Yooper]

My Dead Guy clone is a malt-bomb. If it's fermented at 60 degrees with pac-man yeast, it really does mimic a lager. (Rogue says it's a "maibock style ale", whatever that is!)

A key is to make it malty, without underattenuation. You want a clean malty flavor, not too much sweetness, so make sure the hops and malts are in balance with enough IBUs to balance the sweet malt.

 

[tasq]

Tasq, what should I be shooting for in water chemistry and pH? I haven't really gotten into any of that yet, but it sounds like a good next step in my learning process.

Start here... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewing-water-chemistry-primer-198460/

And then when you really want to dial things in here: http://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/

It will take some time to learn everything you need to know, so don't get frustrated. Once you get it, it is like riding a bike. There is a ton of info in the second link's spreadsheet.

Good luck!

 

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Can't believe no one has mentioned this yet: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f63/biermunchers-oktoberfast-ale-ag-39021/

Mash temp, grain selection, and yeast strain will make a lot more difference than water chemistry, IMO. Just use 5.2 if you're worried about pH

 

[prrriiide]

what should I be shooting for in water chemistry and pH? I haven't really gotten into any of that yet, but it sounds like a good next step in my learning process.

Maybe. Maybe not...

If your beers have tasted good thus far, your water is probably OK for brewing most styles. I've looked at my water chemistry, but all of my beers have been very good up to this point (bloodying my knuckles on wood...), including a fairly light Kolsch. So I've moved that down a ways on my list.

I'm thinking that learning the yeast and mash/ferm temps is probably what will get WAY more bang for your time buck than futzing with water chemistry. Again, that's IF you have been happy with your brewing water up to this point.

As to the question...+1 on the aromatic malt.

But also, I think of brewing like I think of cooking. I like to try to layer my recipes...add complexity to the flavor (not necessarily the recipe itself). I think hitting above the mid-range on the mash temp will get you part of the way there, as well as the ratios of grains. But the beauty of this hobby/obsession is that whatever you make will probably be drinkable while you tweak the next batch. Trial and error is your friend.

 

[philjohnwilliams]

Does aromatic malt need to be mashed or can it just be steeped?

 

[Yooper]

Does aromatic malt need to be mashed or can it just be steeped?

Mashed. But it can self-convert, so you can "steep" it in 150-158 degree water for 45 minutes at 1.5 quarts per pound of grain, and it'll be mashed.