More Maltiness in your Beer

By Jim Elingson, from the Internet  

Here is an article by Jim Elingson that I am reprinting from the Homebrew Digest. It is a response to someone’s question on how to get more maltiness in their beers. —ed. 

Here’s what I do. YMMV [Your Mileage May Vary]. 

 I don’t add my specialty grains until late in the mash. They don’t need to be mashed, and letting the alpha and beta enzymes hack away at them for 60 minutes seems to reduce their flavor contribution. I add them at mash-out. You may need to use 10-25% more of the specialties to get the same color contribution. If I’m making porter/stout, I’ll use enough black grain at dough-in to get the pH into the correct range without using gypsum. Also, wheat malt and roasted barley should be mashed to avoid haze problems. Adding the specialty grains at mash-out was suggested by Bob Jones. 

 I do a decoction. You mention Pilsner Urquell (PU) as having a great malt aroma. PU is made with a triple decoction!  I’ve been doing a 2 step mash with my ales, doughing-in at 145?F or so, holding for 15 minutes, pulling a 1/3 decoction, heating to 158?F, holding for 15, then boiling for 15-60. Adding this back puts the mash at 158?F or so. I rest there for 15-30 minutes. I then add my specialty grains and enough 190-212 degree sparge water to warm the mash to 165-170?F mash out. Using decoctions to enhance flavor has been suggested by Jim Busch and others. 

 Pilsners also have noticeable amounts of dimethyl sulfide (DMS). It’s a fine line between having enough DMS so your brain says “Malt” and having too much so your brain says cooked/canned corn. DMS is produced whenever the wort is hot. It’s driven off by a vigorous boil. You might try steeping your brew for 15-60 minutes after flame-out.  
 My impression is that homebrewers are too anal about quick chilling. I believe PU uses open shallow vat cooling. Other commercial breweries use this traditional method of cooling. This method is much slower than immersion or counterflow and seems to be an invitation for Hot Side Aeration. It’s not uncommon for commercial brewers to allow the hot wort to settle for 15-60 minutes after knock-out before they begin counter-flow chilling. 

 Choose a yeast with a maltier flavor profile. Chico Ale (1056?) is my LEAST favorite yeast, because it’s TOO CLEAN. No malt, mineral, wood, etc. It’s the lager yeast of ale yeasts. SN wants all that lovely Cascade aroma and flavor to come through. They don’t want the yeast, or the malt, to get in the way. Rick Larson and I made 10 gallons of Pinatubo Porter. We fermented in carboys, London Ale in one and 1056 in the other. The LA version scored 7 points higher in the club competition (1st vs. third place). Comments referred to the LA version having better balance because it had more malt character. I have less experience with lagers, but choose yeasts that are described as malty over the ones described as clean. 

 Many on the net believe that the Belgian, British and German malts are much maltier than the domestics. They’re also more expensive. OTOH [On The Other Hand], Belgian specialty grains can be had for about the same price as domestics and are certainly worth the effort. DeWolf Cosyn (DWC) makes an “aromatic malt” and it is. Try a pound of that in your next brew. Since I’ve switched to DWC specialties, my beers have had “killer head”. It’s thick and it lasts, even with domestic 2-row as a base. 

 Another way to add to the malt character is to use more specialty grains. If John Isenhour stamps MORE MALT on your AHA score sheet, he’s not asking you to make a bigger (stronger) beer. He’s talking about malt character and flavor. Many styles benefit from the addition of a pound of carapils. You may also consider substituting more of a lighter specialty malt for less of a darker one. 3 pounds of British Crystal OR 1/4 pound of chocolate malt will give you about the same color contribution, but the flavors would be quite different. Likewise 2 pounds CaraVienne vs. 1/2 pound of CaraMunich. 

 Serve your beer warmer. My perception is that the sweeter, maltier notes in the flavor profile come through much better at warmer temperatures. Homebrew at 32F is usually very bitter. That same beer served at 45-55F will taste maltier/ sweeter. 

 So in summary, you can enhance the malt flavor in your brews by: 
1. Adding the specialty grains at mash-out. 
2. Decoction mashing. 
3. Choosing a maltier yeast. 
4. Using better malt, with more and better specialties (imported). 
5. 5-60 minutes of steeping after mashing. 
6. Serving your beers at the proper temperature. 

Cheers, 
Jim