I suspect most CHAOSers are like me and unfamiliar with Muntons Propino malt being sold for $1/lb upstairs along with their Maris Otter malt. I asked the Muntons folks for more information and one of their UK guys, Fabian Clark, got back to me with this info:
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Propino is a Barley Variety such as Maris Ottter, Concerto, Planet or Venture. It is a two-row, spring barley with a high yield and good malting properties.
We have two malt styles made from 100% Propino Barley - Pale (2-2.4L) & Extra Pale(1.7 - 2L). Propino is a traditional English barley that provides high extracts while having fairly low protein levels.
This lets us make a highly modified malt that easily coverts during single infusion mashing. Due to the low level of Beta Glucan and moderate WK units, beers made from this variety have a slightly more malty body to them and cause less problems during runoff and filtration. Using stepped mashing or high temp slow sparging when infusion mashing, the wort will become more attenuable and present drier beer.
All in all it is a very forgiving malt that enables a brewer to shift his focus towards other parts of the brewery, without having to worry about the wort quality.
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So to help you put Propino in context, Pilsner malt is usually around 1.5 L, typical American 2-row malt is 1.8 L, and Maris Otter, Golden Promise and American Pale Malt is 3 L. Propino sits in the middle of that but closer to American 2-row, at around 2.2 L, so a little more kilned than Breiss' Brewers Malt for example but less than Maris Otter. If I were looking to brew a malty UK style, I would go with Maris Otter. American-style ales (pales, IPAs, stouts, porters, etc.) and UK styles that call for less malt complexity (Bitter for example) are good styles for Propino, perhaps.
I've not used it yet, I have a lot of American two-row from a group buy, but will be experimenting with it in APAs and IPAs, I think.
Thanks, Jim!! Sounds perfect for British golden ales...
I used 10 lbs of it in my London porter that I made for the upcoming stout and chili night and had a few tastes before I dosed the beer with chai.I thought it was great and tasted better than when I brewed the recipe with standard 2 row as the base.
Excellent information, Jim! Thanks for reaching out & getting that info. I'll definitely be using it for our club competition !