[ankalagon]

Hi, dears:

I am trying to brew a English Bitter and I am finding a lot of recipes with the Maris Otter Malt.
Ok, in my country (Spain) we can't buy that kind of Malt, only in Belgium or UK.

The question is... ¿is the Maris Otter Malt really special or it is like a Pale Malt?
Anybody who I know can answer me. 

I hope you can do it.

best!

[phillamb168]

Ankalagon, Hop & Grape in the UK will ship to Spain. A 25 kg sack of Marris Otter will cost 38 eur and shipping will cost 45 eur, total 83 eur, but that will last you for a long, long time.

http://hopandgrape.co.uk/public/detailv1.asp?itemcode=AAA20183137

[ankalagon]

Yes, Phillamp, thank you for your answer.
I know I can buy in another countries (today, thank to Internet, you can buy everything from your home!), but believe me it is very expensive if you compare this prices with the local malts.

So, I'd like to know if it is really special malt of his characteristics are similar to (regular) Pale Malt...

[majorvices]

Maris Otter is just a cultivar of malt grown ina  certain region of England. The maltsters are the ones who really make the difference. Traditional Floor Malted Maris Otter like "crisp" or "Thomas Fawcett" have more biscuit like character to my tastes and definitely have an "English" characteristic you won;t get from regular ol' pale malt. The difference will be especially notable on low gravity bitters.

That said, you can make a fine ale without MO, just don;t expect it to taste quite as authentic.

[phillamb168]

Oops, I didn't see the real question.

Personally I don't think I'd notice a difference in higher gravity beers, but yeah, anything below, say, 4,5% is going to showcase malt subtleties.

[ankalagon]

Maris Otter is just a cultivar of malt grown ina  certain region of England. The maltsters are the ones who really make the difference. Traditional Floor Malted Maris Otter like "crisp" or "Thomas Fawcett" have more biscuit like character to my tastes and definitely have an "English" characteristic you won;t get from regular ol' pale malt. The difference will be especially notable on low gravity bitters.

That said, you can make a fine ale without MO, just don;t expect it to taste quite as authentic.

This answer is enough. Definitelly, I must get Maris Otter malt for my English Bitter.

Thank you very much,