#Mashtag Day 2: Malt Bill and ABV
The votes are in. They have been counted, double counted and many bribes have been turned down in the name of true democracy.
And #Mashtag Day 1 winner is........................Brown Ale. It was close.
Brown Ale 222 votes
IPA 218 votes
Stout 198 votes
Here is how MashTag Works:
Every day this week we will post a blog at 12 noon offering you 3 options for various elements of the brew. You cast your votes on twitter, on facebook or on our blog.
Monday - Beer Style - decided as Brown Ale.
Tuesday - Malt Bill & ABV
Wednesday - Hops & IBU
Thursday - Special Twist (barrel aged? Dry hopped? Belgian yeast? Addition of a pasturised mouse?)
Friday - Name
Votes need for the malt bill and ABV need to be cast by 1800 GMT. Simcoe will count the votes on his abacus and announce them the following day when we give you the next round of options. So today, you guys need to vote on the ABV and malt bill of the brown ale we are going to brew.
Today's choices are:
4.5% ABV Session Brown Ale
Malt Bill: Wheat, Oats, Amber Malt, Pale Malt, Caramalt
This would be a rock n' roll session interpretation of a brown ale. Using wheat and oats to amp up the body and give it a substantial mouth-feel that bellies it's modest ABV.
7.5% American Brown Ale
Malt Bill: Caramalt, Amber Malt, Roasted Barley, Pale Malt
An American classic. A toasty palate with some sweetness would provide the perfect base to do some serious damage with a heavy hop profile. Think of this as an Indian Brown Ale.
10% Imperial Brown Ale
Malt Bill: Brown Malt, Amber Malt, Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Roasted Barley
An imperial monster. 10% and boasting a giant malt bill. This huge beer would be brown ale amplified and the 10% base would provide a huge flavour canvas for the next stage.
Here is a quick overview of the important the malt bill plays in the brewing process to help you make up your mind on how to cast your all important vote.
Malt brings many things to a beer - flavour, colour, aroma and the sugar which ultimately creates the alcohol. When mixed with hot water the complex sugars in the malt are broken down and extracted into the liquid.
The amount of malt we use in relation to water, ultimately determines the ABV. More malt in relation to the water = more sugar in the solution = more fermentation = higher alcohol content.
Here we have some Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Caramalt, De-husked roasted Crystal Malt and Chocolate Malt.
After the mash has converted the starch to sugars and drawn colour, flavour and aroma from the malt we gently add hot water (a process called sparging) to help flush out all this goodness and transfer the sweet solution to our kettle for boiling (more on the boiling process tomorrow).
Get voting scamps!
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