5 replies to this topic

[shaggaroo]

Picked up a 55 lb bag of this for $36 (friend knows a wholesaler, woot)... anyone use this? and yes I've checked for other threads but only see questions/comments about the Pils. Thanks!

[Big Nake]

I've used it a lot. One of my LHBSs packages grain up in 1- and 5-lb bags and their prepackaged Vienna is Avangard. I rarely use Vienna as the vast majority of a grist so maybe my input is not relevant but I do use Vienna as 10-30% of various grists and it's always been solid. The best way to determine how good it is would be to make a SMaSH with it and use a clean bittering hop only at the beginning of the boil (10 lbs of Avangard Vienna, 25-30 IBUs of Magnum or something similar and the lager yeast of your choice)... that would be a good experiment. The Munich and Pils are good as well. Cheers Shaggaroo.

[shaggaroo]

Cheers Ken! I might just have to make a SMaSH. Thanks for the advice.

[Big Nake]

Cheers Ken! I might just have to make a SMaSH. Thanks for the advice.

I have probably used it as an enhancement to whatever base malt I was using most of the time... in a Vienna Lager, in a Czech Lager, small amounts in a helles, in a Red Lager, a Blonde Ale, etc. These are the ways I typically use it but the SMaSH idea would tell you more about the malt. If I had a 55-lb sack of it, it would last me a very long time. That said, I always have some in the brewery. Cheers.

[gnef]

I just got a sack of the avangard  vienna as well, so this is quite timely. I also got the avangard munich and pils. it was cheaper than canda malting 2-row, and the pil had decent reviews (the pale did not, so I stayed away from the pale).

 

I'd be interested in your experience once you've given it a try! I probably won't get around to trying it for a while.

[Big Nake]

IIRC, Avangard is one of the (if not *THE*) biggest maltster in Germany. I was surprised to hear that but I suppose that BIGGEST doesn't necessarily mean BEST. I have made many, many lagers with their pilsner malt and while I wouldn't say that those beers were the best I have ever made, they were very, very solid beers. There was also some sort of nonsense about the Avangard kernels being slightly smaller than many other brands of malt... so much so that some people were complaining that their mills were acting up as a result. That info is a little foggy. Please report back on how it works in your system.