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| Malts
Malts are higher in alcohol (5.5% to 8%). Malt beers are rich, with full flavor and are heavier and sweeter than other beers. Their color ranges from deep gold to amber to fire light red. Vienna and Munich: These are not the same, but we want to emphasize their difference from specialty malts. They are just a bit darker than pale and pilsner malts, and they are used as base malts in some styles. They have a malty richness and bit of sweetness. Munich adds a reddish color and a nutty/toasty flavor to lighter beers. Crystal: Crystal ranges from quite light to very dark. It's malted through a special process where un-dried malt is heated to mashing temperature and allowed to mash in the husk. The sugar inside crystallizes, giving the malt its name. Crystal malts vary greatly from producer to producer and across the color spectrum. They add body to beer, nuttiness and often a bit of caramel. Amber/biscuit: Popular with British and Belgian brewers, adding color, maltiness and a bit of baked biscuit. Nutty flavor without nutty aroma. Dextrin/carapils: Similar to crystal but dried at a lower temperature to prevent color development. Used in lighter beers, particularly pilsners, to add body to beer without adding color. Chocolate: Also roasted, very dark, and not actually chocolate tasting. Often found in darker British ales, but really important in German doppelbocks and dark lagers. Black patent: Pale malt roasted until it is black, producing an intense roasty flavor, often bitter. Debitterized versions are available and smoother. Roasted: Obviously not the only barely that is roasted. Roasted barley is not malted, and the flavor it adds is drier and less pungnent than chocolate and black patent. Key ingredient in dry (and many imperial) stouts. Brown: A traditional British malt, once essential in brewing porter. Not as dark as chocolate malt or as intense, adds a smoky character and dry biscuit flavor. |
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