Brown Malt - 500g

Brown Malt is a unique specialty malt with a rich history in traditional British brewing, particularly for darker beer styles like porters. Its flavor and impact are distinctive, making it a key ingredient in certain classic recipes. Here are its primary characteristics and how it influences beer:

Key Characteristics of Brown Malt

1. Toasty and Nutty Flavors:

   • Brown malt imparts strong toasted and nutty flavors to beer. It adds a layer of complexity with a dry, biscuit-like character, reminiscent of baked bread crust or lightly roasted nuts.

2. Subtle Coffee and Chocolate Notes:

   • While not as intense as chocolate or black malts, brown malt can contribute light coffee and subtle chocolate flavors, offering a more balanced roasted character. This makes it suitable for darker beer styles where roast flavors need to be present but not overpowering.

3. Drying Effect:

   • Brown malt tends to impart a dry finish to beer, which balances out sweetness from other malts or adjuncts. This is especially useful in robust beer styles like porters, where a drier finish is desirable.

4. Moderate Color Contribution:

   • With a typical color range of 100-150 EBC (or 65-100°L), brown malt gives beer a deep amber to brown hue, without pushing it into black territory like darker roasted malts do. It can add a rich, dark color to beers, enhancing their visual appeal, especially for styles like brown ales and porters.

5. Historical Importance:

   • Brown malt was historically a key ingredient in 18th and 19th century British porters, before the widespread use of black patent malt. It’s less commonly used as a base malt today but is still prized for its ability to create traditional porter flavors.

6. Moderate Enzyme Activity:

   • Unlike lighter malts (such as pale malt), brown malt has been kilned at higher temperatures, which reduces its enzyme activity. Therefore, it lacks significant diastatic power (ability to convert starch into fermentable sugars). As a result, it is usually used in conjunction with base malts like pale malt to ensure proper mash conversion.

Beer Styles That Use Brown Malt

• Porters: One of the most classic uses for brown malt, it contributes to the dry, roasted character and depth of flavor in traditional porters. The slightly burnt and toasty notes provide balance to the residual sweetness of the style.
• Brown Ales: Brown malt enhances the nutty, toasty, and biscuity flavors in brown ales, adding more complexity and richness to the malt profile.
• Stouts: While less common than in porters, brown malt can be used in stouts to add more moderate roasted flavors, without the intense bitterness or sharpness of darker malts.
• Mild Ales: In mild ales, brown malt can provide a subtle roasted and toasty background, giving the beer more body and flavor without being too heavy.

Usage in Brewing

• Proportion in the Grain Bill: Brown malt is typically used in smaller quantities, around 5-15% of the grain bill, depending on the style and the level of toasty, roasted character desired. For historical porters, it might be used in larger amounts.
• Complementary Malts: It pairs well with other specialty malts like chocolate malt, caramel/crystal malts, and pale malts, contributing depth and complexity to darker beers without overpowering the malt base.

In summary, Brown Malt adds distinctive toasty, nutty, and biscuity flavors with hints of coffee and chocolate. Its moderate color contribution and drying effect make it ideal for traditional British styles like porters and brown ales, providing richness and balance to the final product.