Difference between the different maltsters...

[Rezzin]

I've never really payed attention to where my grains were coming from. Briess, Weyermann, Great Western, Hugh Baird's, etc... as long as I had the right grains for whatever recipe I was using, I was fine with it.

How much of a difference is there between the different maltsters? I recall on othermessage boards when the question was asked, some would swear by a certain maltster for their grains. Does it really make that much of a difference? If so, who/what is your favorite?

[backyard brewer]

Yes and no.

I think it makes a difference if you're really trying to nail a style and want to cover every little aspect. For example, I think Great Western malt is just fine although some people snub their nose at it; I'm not sure why. If you're brewing an American anything, that's the malt to use.

As a rule of thumb, if I'm really trying to nail a German beer, use German malt, a English beer, English maltster or English malt at the very least. Belgian, Belgian etc..

I have found that German Munich malt does have a distinct difference than American Munich. I have also found that English caramel malts are distinctly different that American crystal malts. For example, I brewed an English mild that called for carastan. I used American C15 since I had it and it was a good beer. I brewed it again a year later and used the Carastan.... What a difference. There was a noticably different flavor although I didn't really think there would be.

Anyway, my take is that you use the appropriate malt and not worry about the maltster. As it happens, that usually means using a maltster from the country the beer was originally produced.

With that level of commitment to my response, I should run for President.