Floor-malted grain - any impact on actual taste or aroma?

[eltomek]

Hi,
Can you confirm that the taste of the floor-malted beer differs from one based on modern malt? The article https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/yq2r7ePj7z/ says:

The entire floor malting process, therefore, leaves the malt slightly “under-modified” by modern standards, but it gives the malt a very rich, aromatic flavor that is far more intense than is usually achieved by today’s time-efficient, industrial malting procedures.

Is that really the case or rather kinda homebrewing voodoo?

 

[Keith81]

I can't confirm that it's due to being floor malted or just being from different maltsters but I have tried both Baird's Maris Otter and Warminster Floor Malted Maris Otter and to my tastebuds there is a difference between the two. I prefer the Warminster.

 

[bierhaus15]

Yes, there is usually a difference in flavor, BUT, it is important to note the flavor is not always for the better! It is not uncommon for floor malted barley to feature a grassy-vegetal, or even musty character, when compared to box or drum malted barley. That flavor can make it into the beer, along with the beneficial flavors floor malting provides. There is also greater variability in floor malted barley, some batches can be wonderful and others downright terrible. This is especially true with UK varieties like Maris Otter; which people seem to think means high quality barley, when in fact the overall quality of the Maris harvests has largely been poorer than what is being achieved with varieties like Propino.

If one plans on spending the extra $$ on floor malted UK or German barley, I highly suggest performing some side by side malt steep tests (via Breiss/ASBC method) before making a habit of only brewing with that malt/variety.