Are malts mostly interchangeable if the lovibond is the same?

[BrewBarrymore]

I was just wondering if malt usage is mostly interchangeable by color.

For instance, would I be able to make a recipe that uses malts from Weyermann and instead use equal lovibond malts that are produced by Briess and come pretty close to the same flavor?

I know it's not as simple as this, but is this pretty much how malt substitution charts work?

 

[ong]

Well, no. 65 SRM brown malt is going to be very different from 65 SRM crystal. 2 SRM malted rye will be very different from 2 SRM pilsner malt. Even within categories, Golden Promise and Optic and Maris Otter will have roughly the same color but different flavor combinations. But 2.5 SRM pale 2-row malted barley from two different vendors will be similar, sure. Just not across categories.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Not even close. Even in the same class of malt, it varies widely by maltster. This is particularly apparent in crystal and roasted malts.

I'd throw any substitution chart out the window. As well as any clone recipe without a maltster included for any given grain.

 

[dmtaylor]

Totally different flavors. Every brand is totally different. You need to taste them side by side to understand the differences.

 

[Dland]

I was just wondering if malt usage is mostly interchangeable by color.

For instance, would I be able to make a recipe that uses malts from Weyermann and instead use equal lovibond malts that are produced by Briess and come pretty close to the same flavor?

I know it's not as simple as this, but is this pretty much how malt substitution charts work?

In the instance of the two brands you listed, I have used Briess pilsner and Weyerman pilsner as a base malt in the otherwise same lager recipe, and they both came out good, but there was a subtle flavor difference.

 

[sixhotdogneck]

I was just wondering if malt usage is mostly interchangeable by color.

For instance, would I be able to make a recipe that uses malts from Weyermann and instead use equal lovibond malts that are produced by Briess and come pretty close to the same flavor?

I know it's not as simple as this, but is this pretty much how malt substitution charts work?

Unfortunately malt substitutions are based not only on Lovibond but also on the malting process.

70L Brown Malt vs 70L Crystal Malt are produced through different processes. The kilning profiles are different as are the stage at when the kilning starts. For example, crystal Malt is "mashed in kernel" and kilning starts at a higher moisture content than brown malt.

Malt types can be used as a substitution basis fairly reliably (along with Lovibond) but there are exceptions as the malting and kilning processes are different even within the various type/classes:

Base Malts (Pilsner, Pale, Vienna, Munich)
Crystal Malts
Roast Malts (some are roasted after malting, some are roasted before malting, some are roasted with husks vs w.o. husks, etc...)

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I was just wondering if malt usage is mostly interchangeable by color.

For instance, would I be able to make a recipe that uses malts from Weyermann and instead use equal lovibond malts that are produced by Briess and come pretty close to the same flavor?

I know it's not as simple as this, but is this pretty much how malt substitution charts work?

One of the simplest ways to get an understanding of the differences in similar malts is to chew on a couple of kernels of each.

As others have noted, there are a number of different malting processes that will also affect the flavor of the malt.

Briess, at their Brewing With Briess blog, has a number of articles that may be of interest. Here's one to get you started:
http://blog.brewingwithbriess.com/kilned-versus-roasted-same-color-different-outcome/.

Other malters may have similar information for their malts.

 

[Qhrumphf]

There's a formal process out now that involves a consistent manner of hot steeping grains. An oversimplification is a home congress mash. But great for getting a good sensory impression beyond just chewing. Just instead of a tens of thousands of dollars machine, it's stuff around the house (coffee grinder, thermos, etc). The Briess guys (among others) have presented this method at NHC at least once or twice.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

For more on sensory analysis for malts, this is probably a good starting point: http://blog.brewingwithbriess.com/asbc-approves-two-methods-developed-by-briess-technical-team/. The blog makes good use of category tags so give http://blog.brewingwithbriess.com/tag/malt-sensory/ a try.

Chewing on a couple of grains at my LHBS works well for me.

 

[madscientist451]

Quick answer: No

Slightly longer answer: Different malt houses use slightly different processes AND different areas of the world grow different varieties of Barley AND even if you gave the exact same barley to two different maltsters, and asked them to make a basic Pale Malt, the flavor would probably still be different.

 

[hawkbox]

So I'd get whatever you can get your hands on for 2-row or Pilsner and not stress about the brand of it.

Cause I have zero control over the brand of malt i get here.