Article

50 Years of Maris Otter

In most cases, when choosing a base pale malt for our homebrews we do not consider the barley variety from which it was made. This applies to commercial brewers as much as to homebrewers. It is the quality of the malt that counts not its provenance. In fact, most barley varieties suitable for malting have quite short lives, often a matter of just a few years. An exception to this is Maris Otter barley, which has continued to be grown and malted since its introduction to farmers in 1966. Further, the malt made from this barley is always sold as “Maris Otter” malt, and not just malt, and it is a malt highly prized by many craft brewers, both in North America and Europe.

I’ll get to why it is so prized in a moment, but first some background. The barley was first bred by Dr. GDH Bell’s group at the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge, England in 1965 and released to farmers in 1966. Because of its high yield compared to other barleys Maris Otter soon became popular with growers. Because it was bred specifically to yield malt suited to cask-conditioned ales, which were the main type of beer then brewed in England, Maris Otter malt also became very popular with the brewers and remained so until the 1980s. By that time other barley varieties emerged that provided better crop yields, which bigger brewers started to prefer for malting.

Maris Otter didn’t disappear entirely, however, because of the popularity of the malt with smaller family brewers and the new brewers who were then coming onto the stage as the craft brewing revolution began in England. But farmers are more concerned with yield per acre of barley than with the flavor of the beer made from it, and the amount of Maris Otter grown fell to almost 15,000 tons, just a fraction of that grown in its heyday. It seems that around that time that some of the Maris Otter barley was being grown on unsuitable soils, and perhaps by some less than suitable farmers, so that the corresponding malt available to brewers was not all of a consistent quality.

But, the cavalry came charging in, in the shape of two farming companies who formed a consortium with the Plant Breeding Institute in 1991-1992 and set about making sure that all the samples of the barley were of top quality. They also instituted a system whereby farmers were directly contracted with brewers so that they were sure of selling the barley for malting and could charge a premium for Maris Otter. This ensured the continued growing of the variety since the independent brewers were happy to pay a premium to obtain the quality of malt they wanted. Later, in 2002, the government introduced a sliding scale of beer duty so that smaller breweries paid significantly less duty than the larger ones. This was an important development since the beer duty in Britain is much steeper than that in the US, and it led to rapid growth in the number of small breweries and growth in the demand for distinctive ingredients. Around this time the Plant Breeding Institute was privatized and became part of Monsanto, so the two farming companies H. Banham Ltd. and Robin Appel Ltd. bought sole rights to the variety and continued to improve it. In fact, Banham’s maintain a four-acre field in the eastern county of Norfolk as a seed bed for the variety. A small part of the field (30 m2, a little over 30 square yards) is regularly inspected and each ear of barley is checked manually to make sure it is perfect. If an ear is
not perfect it is discarded, while the good ones are used to reseed the “mother” field. It is expected that within 3-5 years most of the Maris Otter grown in Britain will have come from those 30 m².

Production of Maris Otter barley is expected to be around 50,000 tons this year, and its future looks good in England and a variety of export markets, including of course North America. However, just to put things into perspective, less than 10% of the beer produced in England uses Maris Otter malt. But it is produced by several maltsters, notably, Simpson’s, Crisp, Muntons, Fawcett, and Tuckers. Some of it is produced by the traditional floor malting method, where a thin layer of the steeped grain is spread on a floor and turned by hand as it germinates, as opposed to the more modern methods where germination is carried out in a rotating drum. Further, Muntons also produce a Maris Otter malt extract syrup, so extract brewers need not feel left out from using it.

Finally, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Maris Otter, Banham’s put on a September beer festival in Norwich, Norfolk, which included beers from 50 brewers (6 of them from outside of England), each brewed with Maris Otter malt. If only I could have been there!

Specifications
Maris Otter is a winter barley, which means it is sown in the autumn and harvested somewhere around July in England. The grains are thin husked, which means they take up water readily in steeping and are easily malted. They also hydrate quickly in mashing which makes the process simple with good recovery of extract. Maris Otter malt is also low in nitrogen, which is one property that makes it very suitable for brewing cask-conditioned ales. These ales are not filtered, since they have to undergo a secondary fermentation in the cask from which they will be served. As a result, the higher the nitrogen level in the malt the greater the risk that the resulting beer will throw a protein-based haze when cooled.

Typical specifications are:
Color* 2.0-4.5 °L
Nitrogen 9-10%
Extract 81.5%**

*Note that Crisp also offers an Extra Pale version at 1.5-1.9 °L
** This is of the same order as 2-row pale malts in general, so at BYO’s nominal 65% yield, this would mean 1.024 SG for 1 lb. in 1 gallon of wort.

Brewers’ Comments on Maris Otter
Modern maltsters, whether North American or British, have greatly improved their techniques over the years and produce high quality 2-row pale malts whatever side of the Atlantic they are on and from whatever barley variety they see fit to use. As a result, their products are generally distinguished by their own brand names, rather than by that of the barley used. So what is it that makes Maris Otter malt so different? Why do so many craft brewers insist on using it even though it may carry a premium price over other 2-row pale malts? What does Maris Otter have that other malts don’t have?

The managing director of Woodforde’s Brewery in Norfolk has gone on record as saying that “Maris Otter is the Rolls Royce of brewing barley(s).” In fact, Woodforde’s have used Maris Otter malt ever since their first brew was produced in 1981. James Buchanan of Thornbridge Brewery in Derbyshire, England quotes the malt as giving “a superior wort, and a great taste to our beers.” Both of these breweries have won many medals in a variety of beer exhibitions and festivals. They also happen to produce some of my favorite English beers, such as Wherry and Jaipur IPA.

In 2006 the Brewing Research Institute in Surrey, England, carried out flavor-profiling on malts from eight different barley varieties, and repeated the test in 2007. Each time the results were the same and Maris Otter came out on top according to a blind tasting panel, who quoted it as being, “very clean, crisp, with biscuit and grain notes.” Maris Otter malt has been described by others as giving beers with a rich, nutty and toasty flavor. Out of the last 14 Outright Champion Beers of Britain as judged at the 2014 Great British Beer Festival, no less than nine were brewed with Maris Otter malt.

The malt is used by many North American craft breweries too. Barley Brown’s out of Oregon cite one of their all-time favorite malts as being Crisp Floor Malted Maris Otter. Interestingly, Jim Matt of Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio says that they use it mainly in their darker beers and that it works well for robust porter, English mild, imperial stout and American brown ales. Jim says that compared to North American pale ale malts Maris Otter yields a more dextrinous wort and has slightly more favorable lautering characteristics. Heather McReynolds, Brewing Manager at Sixpoint Brewery in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn, New York said that when she wants to brew a malt-forward, grainy beer Maris Otter is her go to malt. Others using Maris Otter malt include Newburyport Brewing in Newbury, Massachusetts; Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora, Colorado; Mispillion River Brewing in Milford, Delaware; and Santiam Brewing in Salem, Oregon. There are probably many more using it, but I’ll stop there as you have probably gotten the point by now.

But, I would be remiss if I didn’t give you both sides of the story, because not everyone thinks that Maris Otter is the coolest malt. David Crease, a longtime friend of mine and one-time brewer at Woodforde’s is skeptical about the supposed special flavors of beers brewed with this malt, and feels that these were being talked up by marketers rather than brewers. He did however point out that many “early” English craft brewers were using simple, unsophisticated brewing equipment so that their mashing conditions were variable and not always optimized. He went on to say that Maris Otter malt is very forgiving and will give a good yield of extract under a variety of conditions, and so was favored by these brewers, many of whom have remained loyal to it even when they came to work with more efficient brewing equipment. Indeed, many of the more traditional independent English brewers may have continued to favor Maris Otter malt simply because they just did not want to change anything in their process.

Of course, flavor is subjective, and what one brewer sees in his beer may not be seen by another brewer simply because the beers themselves are different — remember there are so many different aspects of beer flavor, such as those from specialty malts, bitterness, hop character, yeast-contributed flavors and so on, which can obscure base malt flavor. Craft brewers may well consider that the use of an heirloom variety of malt adds a cachet to their beers in an age when many people are moving away from factory-grown, pretty but tasteless fruit and vegetables in favor of more tasty traditional organically grown varieties. I do not know whether the floor-malted version of Maris Otter malt confers any superior flavors on beer made from it, as opposed to the drum-malted versions.

But I think that it is more to the point to consider using Maris Otter malt because of its good brewing characteristics, which so many pro brewers are in agreement on. That is important in homebrewing, in my opinion, since many of us do not have as precise a control over mashing temperatures as do the professional brewers. Perhaps on that ground Maris Otter malt is a logical choice for homebrewers, particularly those turning to a full mash (all-grain) procedure for the first time. Of course, this does not apply to you if you are strictly an extract brewer, since the mashing has already been done for you. In that case you would use an extract of this malt mainly for flavor purposes, although, after all, there is a good argument for using a traditional malt to brew traditional English-style ales. As I’ll discuss in a moment, the choice of whether you should use Maris Otter or not will very much depend upon the style of beer you want to brew. But before we get to that, let’s discuss some of my personal observations on brewing beer with Maris Otter malt.

Tips and Comments on Brewing with Maris Otter Malt
My first tip for using Maris Otter applies if you mill your own malt (which you probably should do if you buy it by the sackful). Maris Otter malt is a plump and thin-skinned grain, and because of the latter it can easily be over-ground with the risk of getting a slow run-off of wort, or even a stuck mash. Try opening the gap between rollers just a bit so as to make sure you just crack the grain and leave the husks intact. Try a small handful first and if it looks like fine flour, ease the gap open a little more.

My second tip is that this malt hydrates very rapidly. That’s a good thing for professional brewers who use systems where the grain and mash water are thoroughly mixed on their way into the mash tun. Many homebrewers will take a simpler approach of adding the malt to the water which is already in the mash tun, and then mixing the two together. This procedure works very well with North American base pale malts, but Maris Otter malt hydrates so quickly that the mixture forms balls in which only the outside is hydrated while the inside is still dry malt. That means you must mix the mash very carefully to ensure that you break up all the balls, or else you will lose a substantial amount of extract. Because of this rapid hydration the malt starch gelatinizes very quickly and the mash can become thick and hard to mix. If this is a problem for you try going for a thinner mash. Normally, the ratio of water to malt is around 11⁄4 to 11⁄2 quarts of water per lb. of grain, so if you go to 11⁄2-2 quarts water per lb. of grain you will find the mash more manageable. Just remember that with a higher water/malt ratio you will need to have the water at a slightly lower temperature than usual, in order to hit your target mashing temperature.

The third tip is that though this malt is forgiving, you should not be careless in using it. In other words, take care with weights of malt, volumes, and temperatures of mash water in order to make sure you mash at the temperature you want. Remember that one brewer who finds he gets a more dextrinous wort at higher mashing temperatures than with other base pale malts. What that means is that if you are careless in your mashing this malt may still
give you good extract, but the resulting beer may not turn out the way you wanted.

Finally, as I mentioned already, do not just use Maris Otter malt to brew any old beer. Think about the style you want to brew and try to imagine how the beer would taste for any particular recipe. Then, would any of the other ingredients overshadow the Maris Otter flavor attributes? If so, then you are probably better off using another base malt. The qualities of this malt are likely to be wasted in any kind of sour or smoked beer. An even more obvious example of an unsuitable beer would be a West Coast IPA, whose flavor is all about hop bitterness, character and aroma. If the recipe calls for substantial proportions of specialty malts that give heavy caramel or nutty, toasty, bready flavors, such as Special B, or Briess Victory® then a standard base pale malt might be more suitable. But it is of course ideal if you are making a cask-conditioned English Bitter. Likewise, it will go well in lower gravity English mild and brown ales, pale ale, and especially ESB. You could make an IPA with this malt, if it were relatively light on hop character; in that case you would want to avoid the strong citrus type hops and should go for something more muted like Goldings. Maris Otter malt is well suited to brewing brown porter, old and harvest ales and the like and certainly to barleywines where the accent is very much on the base malt. It might also go well in strong, dark beers such as imperial stouts, providing that these are not overloaded with high-roasted malts. It doesn’t generally suit pale lagers, because of its relatively high color; I haven’t tried it that way but I have wondered whether it might even be a good base for a doppelbock, or is it heretical to say that?

Robin Appel, one of the saviors of Maris Otter, cited a quote about this malt: “The most revered, the most celebrated, the most famous barley in the world.” However you decide to incorporate it in your own homebrews, Maris Otter is an interesting malt, and one that every brewer should work with as the occasion and the beer demands. I certainly have and will do so again. In fact, I think it may be time I brewed another bitter, or an ESB, or . . .

Related links:
• Try homebrewing your own Bass Pale Ale, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, Newcastle Brown Ale, Young’s Special London Ale, and Fuller’s London Porter: https://byo.com/story595

Backhand BarleyWine

(3 gallons/11.5 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.108 FG = 1.035
IBU = 74 SRM = 8 ABV = 10.8%

Ingredients
13 lbs. (5.9 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
9 AAU East Kent Goldings pellet hops (60 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU First Gold pellet hops (0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) or White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) yeast
1⁄2 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Four to five days before brewing make 2 x 1 qt. (1-L) yeast starters. When they are well fermenting split them between two more 2 x 1 qt. (1-L) containers of wort, to make 4 qts. (8 L) of yeast starter. Use only the yeast deposits from these, not the liquid, in pitching.Mash in with 3.75 gallons (14.2 L) water to stabilize the mash temperature at 152 ºF (67 ºC). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Sparge with an estimated 3 gallons (11.4 L) of 175 ºF (79 ºC) water in order to collect about 4.25 gallons (16 L) of wort in your brew kettle with a pre-boil gravity of 1.077.

Bring the wort to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, adding the first hop addition at the beginning of the boil. Turn off the heat, add the second addition of hops and let stand for 30 minutes before chilling. Rack from the trub, cool rapidly to 70–75 ºF (21–24 ºC), and pitch the yeast; it is preferable to oxygenate the wort after pitching.

Let the beer ferment in the primary for 7–10 days, then rack to a secondary fermenter. The beer may be slow to clarify, so allow 2–3 weeks in the secondary before bottling or kegging as usual. Mature the beer for at least two months before drinking.

Backhand BarleyWine

(3 gallons/11.5 L, extract only)
OG = 1.108 FG = 1.035
IBU = 74 SRM = 8 ABV = 10.8%

Ingredients
9 lbs. (4.1 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
9 AAU East Kent Goldings pellet hops (60 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU First Gold pellet hops (0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) or White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) yeast
1⁄2 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Four to five days before brewing make 2 x 1 qt. (1 L) yeast starters. When they are well fermenting split them between two more 2 x 1 qt. (1 L) containers of wort, to make 4 qts. (8 L) of yeast starter. Use only the yeast deposits from these, not the liquid, in pitching.

Take 2 gallons (7.5 L) of warm water and dissolve about half of the extract in it, stirring well to ensure good mixing. Top up to 3 gallons (11.5 L) and bring to a boil, adding the first batch of hops, and boil for 50 minutes. Turn off the heat and carefully stir in the rest of the malt extract and resume boil for a further 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the second batch of hops and let stand for 30 minutes. Rack from the trub, cool to 70–75 ºF (21–24 ºC), and pitch the yeast; it is preferable to oxygenate the wort after pitching.

Let the beer ferment in the primary for 7–10 days, then rack to a secondary fermenter. The beer may be slow to clarify, so allow 2–3 weeks in the secondary before bottling or kegging as usual. Mature the beer for at least two months before drinking.

Putney Special Bitter

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.056 FG = 1.014
IBU = 38 SRM = 6 ABV = 5.5%

Ingredients
11 lbs. (5 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
5 oz. (140 g) crystal malt (40 ºL)
8 AAU Target pellet hops (90 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 8% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU East Kent Goldings pellet hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1968 (London ESB Ale) or White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming, unless cask-conditioning*)

Step by Step
Mash the grains at 153–155 ºF (67–68 ºC) with 14 qts. (13 L) water for 60 minutes. Run off and sparge to collect 6 gallons (23 L) wort. Bring the wort to a boil, add the Target hops, and boil for 90 minutes. Turn off heat, add the Goldings hops and let the wort rest for 30 minutes. Rack off from the trub, cool to 65–70 ºF (18–21 ºC) and pitch the yeast, preferably as a previously-prepared 1-qt. (1-L) starter. Ferment 5–7 days, then rack to secondary for 7–10 days and bottle or keg as usual.

*This recipe makes a good cask-conditioned beer. To cask condition, rack from secondary to cask after 3–5 days, prime with 2 oz. (57 g) corn sugar, bung down and wait for the beer to come into condition and clarify (2–5 days). If you wish, you can dry hop at the cask stage with, say, 1–2 oz. (30–60 g) East Kent Goldings pellet hops, in a sanitized muslin bag.

Putney Special Bitter

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.056 FG = 1.014
IBU = 38 SRM = 6 ABV = 5.5%

Ingredients
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
5 oz. (140 g) crystal malt (40 ºL)
8 AAU Target pellet hops (90 min.) (1 oz./28 g, at 8% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU East Kent Goldings pellet hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1968 (London ESB Ale) or White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming, unless cask-conditioning*)

Step by Step
Steep the grains in a brew kettle as the water warms. Remove the grains when the temperature hits 170 ºF (77 ºC) then add the malt extract. Bring the wort to a boil, add the Target hops, and boil for 90 minutes. Turn off heat, add the Goldings hops and let the wort rest for 30 minutes. Rack off from the trub, cool to 65–70 ºF (18-21 ºC) and pitch the yeast, preferably as a previously-prepared 1 qt. (1 L) starter. Ferment 5–7 days, then rack to secondary for 7–10 days and bottle or keg as usual.

*This recipe makes a good cask-conditioned beer. To cask condition, rack from secondary to cask after 3–5 days, prime with 2 oz. (57 g) corn sugar, bung down and wait for the beer to come into condition and
clarify (2–5 days). If you wish, you can dry hop at the cask stage with, say, 1–2 oz. (30–60 g) East Kent Goldings pellet hops, in a sanitized muslin bag.

Mellow Mild

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.038 FG = 1.010
IBU = 23 SRM = 12 ABV = 3.6%

Ingredients
7.1 lbs. (3.2 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
8 oz. (227 g) caramel malt (60 ºL)
2 oz. (57 g) black malt
6 AAU UK Fuggles pellet hops (60 min.) (1.5 oz./42 g at 4% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mash the grains at 153–155 ºF (67–68 ºC) with 10 qts. (9.1 L) water for 60 minutes. Run off and sparge to collect 5.5–6 gallons (21–23 L) wort. Bring to a boil, add the hops and boil for 60 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest for 20-30 minutes, rack off from the trub and cool to 65–70 ºF (18-21 ºC). Pitch the yeast, preferably as a previously-prepared 1- qt. (1-L) starter. Ferment 4–5 days, then rack to secondary for 3–5 days and bottle or keg as usual.

Mellow Mild

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.038 FG = 1.010
IBU = 23 SRM = 12 ABV = 3.6%

Ingredients
5 lb. (2.3 kg) Maris Otter malt extract syrup
8 oz. (227 g) caramel malt (60 ºL)
2 oz. (57 g) black malt
6 AAU UK Fuggles pellet hops (60 min.) (1.5 oz./42 g at 4% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Put the grains in a muslin bag and steep them in a brew kettle with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water at 150–160 ºF (66–71 ºC) for 30 minutes. Drain liquid into kettle, and rinse bag twice with 2 x 1 gallon (3.8 L) of hot water. Dissolve the extract in these runnings, top up to 5 gallons (19 L), and bring to a boil. Add the hops and boil for 60 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest for 20–30 minutes, rack off from the trub and cool to 65–70 ºF (18–21 ºC). Pitch the yeast, preferably as a previously-prepared 1 qt. (1 L) starter. Ferment for 4–5 days, then rack to secondary fermenter for 3–5 days and bottle or keg as usual.

Brass Band Porter

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.012
SRM = 41 IBU = 34 ABV = 4.8%

Ingredients
9 lbs. (4.1 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
0.5 lb. (227 g) British crystal malt (60 ºL)
0.5 lb. (227 g) Briess CaraBrown® malt (55 ºL)
4 oz. (113 g) Crisp chocolate malt (450 ºL)
9 AAU Willamette pellet hops (90 min.) (2.25 oz./64 g at 4% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast
2/3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mash the grains at 152-154 ºF (66.7-67.8 ºC) with 14 qts. (13 L) water for 60 minutes. Run off and sparge to collect 6 gallons (23 L) wort; bring to a boil, add the hops and boil for 90 minutes. Turn off heat and let the wort rest for 30 minutes. Rack off from the trub, cool to 65-70 ºF (18-21 ºC) and pitch the yeast, preferably as a previously-prepared 1 qt. (1 L) starter. Ferment 5-7 days, then rack to secondary for 7-10 days and bottle or keg as usual.

Brass Band Porter

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.012
SRM = 41 IBU = 34 ABV = 4.8%

Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
0.5 lb. (227 g) British crystal malt (60 ºL)
0.5 lb. (227 g) Briess Carabrown® malt (55 ºL)
4 oz. (113 g) Crisp chocolate malt (450 ºL)
9 AAU Willamette pellet hops (90 min.) (2.25 oz./64 g at 4% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast
2/3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place the crushed grains in a bag and hold at 152-154 ºF (66.7-67.8 ºC) in 3.2 qts. (3 L) water for 60 minutes. Rinse the grains with 2 qts. (2 L) hot water, then add the liquid malt extract and top off the kettle to 6 gallons (23 L) wort. Bring to a boil, add the hops and boil for 90 minutes. Turn off heat and let the wort rest for 30 minutes. Rack off from the trub, cool to 65-70 ºF (18-21 ºC) and pitch the yeast, preferably as a previously-prepared 1 qt. (1 L) starter. Ferment 5-7 days, then rack to secondary for 7-10 days and bottle or keg as usual.

Issue: November 2015