Various base malts

[AJ]

American 2-row vs. German Pilsner vs. Belgian Pilsner vs. British 2-row etc. etc. I'm having a hard time tasting obvious difference between these in my beers (pale ale). Are the differences so minute (like WLP001 vs. SAF56) that it really doesn't matter most of the time? Or is my palate not "looking" for the right things?

I'm tempted to do a small batch side-by-side comparison.

Opinions?

[Speyedr]

I think that if you make the SAME single malt pale ale using different malts and all other variables are pretty much the same you should notice a distinct difference.
You may not notice much of a difference between brands of the same malt, like 2 brands of American 2 row, but if you make one with Dingman's Pale Malt and another with Dingman's Pils, they will be different.
However, if you're adding specialty grains like Crystal or Munich, etc. to create complexity they may be overpowering the subtle differences on your pallete. I amy not be able to tell the difference, but a BJCP Master Judge could.

IMHO, L8R, TLF, TLA, IMSOGLADWEREUSINGACRONYMS...

[Bugeater]

I always keep two base malts around, a british 2-row (currently Crisp MO) and a german pilsner (currently Weyermann Pils). I use whichever one is closest to what is specified for the style.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[jamilz]

There is a HUGE difference between pilsner malt and US 2 row. Try brewing two batches close together (in time) and smell/taste them side by side. I would think pretty much everyone would be able to tell the difference side by side. When there is a month between batches, they may seem the same, but it shouldn't even be close.

The same goes for English pale versus the others.

A more subtle difference would be between one type of continental pils and another. That would be a little more tricky, but in side by side tests, there is going to be a difference.

I keep three base malts on hand. Crisp MO, Durst Pils, and Durst Munich. For me, if I didn't have one, I could not exchange another in its place.