2-row vs marris otter?

[PleasantValleyHops]

Exactly what the title says. I got asac of mobc of having a big batch I did. My next brew I'm going to be doing is a maibac. If i sub mo for 2-row. What types of effects will this have. Our is it atleast close enough that no real bad effects will be a problem.
Thanks in advance

 

[m00ps]

In a malty beer like a maibock, I doubt you;d even really notice a difference

Maris Otter is just basically the English 2 row. It'll make a great ESB or something like that. Its got a slightly more bready/crackery character to it and more flavor than 2 row, but not by much in my experience. It'll work fine in a maibock

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Something I do in my homebrewing class is mash a small amount of different base malts in mason jars, then do a tasting. Although they mostly taste sweet, you can taste the differences. You can even chew on the grains and get a sense of some of the differences.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

BIB has a good point. When I worked at a homebrew shop I always encouraged customers to munch on the grain. You can gather a lot about the characteristics of each grain that way.

Subbing MO instead of 2-row will typically be just fine. Unless you are brewing a beer that you don't want to taste the malt at all, think hardcore west coast style IPA, it is a fine substitution. I think people shy away from it typically because MO has a higher cost/# than most 2row. I know that MO runs me about $1/# vs my 2row at around $0.75/#.

 

[edroberts]

Both are 2-row barley. MO tends to lend more biscuit overtones than regular american 2-row. I personally use MO for most of my beers because I prefer this characteristic.

Like sandyeggoxj noted, the only real reason to steer away from MO is if you were brewing a west coast IPA, where you want your malt hidden anyway.

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

Awesome glad to hear. I think ill go with that then. Might need to try the little mash in a maso. Jar to really educate myself more.