2-Row versus 6-Row

[surferjoe13]

I have a recipe that calls for using 6-row. Our LHBS does not sell 6-row. Can I just use 2-row instead? If so, what changes do I make to the amount of grain I use and to the mashing technique?

Any comments would be appreciated.

[slothrob]

Chances are you only need 2-row with no other changes.

Perhaps if the recipe had a high percent of unmalted adjuncts, like rice or corn, you might want to use 6-row, but modern 2-row malts have very high enzyme levels, making 6-row less important. You can also use a less kilned malt like Pilsner Malt as a source of higher enzyme activity.

If you want to take an extra precaution or two, you can mash for longer, perhaps 90 minutes and/or check for complete conversion.