Spelt. At 20% of the grain bill, I get a nutty, sweetness from it. I also think it helps with head retention and lacing.
Funny, I recently read about this grain and have been itching to try it! I'm thinking a dark lager of sorts with 10% spelt, 5% chocolate spelt, and a 5% split of wheat/midnight wheat malt... Hmm... Munich/Pilsner base? I've always been a fan of Special B or 120C myself.... Not sure what my true favorite is yet. (I suppose Munich II (when its not considered a base malt ))
Personally I'm a big fan of spelt and flaked oats, but I always have unmalted grain as 20-30% of the grain bill, and the base malt is usually the lightest pilsner or two row I can find.
I don't think so. I think Victory would be a bit more toasty than spelt...if that makes sense. Still, I love Victory, and it could definitely work in a Saison, though I haven't ever tried it myself. I also like Triticale in a Saison, though I think its flavor characteristics are kind of hard to describe. Doughy? Bready? Earthy? I'm not doing it justice at all.
Due to the high ambient temps in Ca still, I've been brewing with voss kveik, but would like to try more saison-like grain bills to use with it. Right now I'm thinking 95% 2row, 5% victory, and cascade hops. It will probably ride the line between blonde and a farmhouse style ale. I'll be getting some pilsner malt and white wheat with my next LHBS order and can attempt to be more authentic
Den Blonde Bonden ale: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1040297/den-blonde-bonden-ale
@Megary Would a combination of victory and honey malt come closer to Spelt than just Victory? (Just curious)
This is only my opinion so take it for whatever you think it’s worth... I think a combo of Honey and Victory would be farther away from Spelt than Victory alone. I think of the sweetness of Spelt not like that of C-malts or Honey malt but more like what you might get from fresh bread. Not sugary sweet...but more of a bready, malty sweetness. Man that sounds ridiculous, but I don’t know how else to describe it. I think a mix of Vienna and Rye might be a better guess, but that isn’t right either. I get my Spelt from a craft malt house in PA and it has a reserved parking place in my malt cabinet. But I certainly can’t say that what I taste from the Spelt I get will be the same as another malt house’s Spelt. I definitely think Spelt is worth a try and I can see using it in American Pales, Wheat beers, definitely Saisons or Farmhouse ales. I wouldn’t be shy with using it either. I’ve found 20-25% as my sweet spot. I hate to be on an island here. I would love to hear from others who also often use Spelt.
For a traditional Saison I'm at about 15% pearled spelt and 5% rye. The rest pilsner. For a Saison where I'm adding a flavour late, like fruit or a dry hop, I'm 100% pilsner. I've got even less idea of the flavour contribution of the spelt than Megary, especially with that bit of earthiness from the rye. I changed to it instead of raw wheat as it's easy to get at the local nut shop and do prefer it to the raw wheat.
I have never tried Spelt myself - which is why I asked the question. The answer you gave is very descriptive and thus, I am glad I asked. It makes more excited to use it! Thanks Megary! (BTW - is your BF name pronounce Meg-ary or Me-gary? - or neither? lol)
I'm doing some last minute rethinking of my recipe (dangerous, I know, but I do it every time :/) Would adding 1/4 - 1/2 of a fresh lemon to the mash lower the pH too much? I would like some subtle lemon flavor, and I'm not sure 1 tbsp of lemon juice will carry it through, even in a 1.5 gallon batch. I don't want to enter the realm of sours, just a light lemon freshness to complement the tartness of the voss. And/or some lemon zest in the last 5 minutes of the boil?
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=35202.0 Check this out. Too bad the jerk that started that thread didn't follow through with checking his mash pH. Maybe he will next time, but knowing him, I doubt it. Interesting anyhow.
