We have provided information about malts in general, and Paddock Wood malts in particular, to help you select the best malts for your hand crafted beer.

We have also provided suggested mash schedules for each type of malt. It is useful to select your malt based on the style of beer, and your mash schedule based on your main base malt.

Malt Descriptions

Pale Malt

Pale base malt is produced from two-row barley in Britain, and usually from six-row barley in North America. The British malt is low in nitrogen and well-modified, and relatively low in protein. The curing temperatures can be as high as 95°C in the final stages, which means it is usually darker than Pale lager (Pilsen) malt.

The British pale malts have relatively low enzyme content in comparison with their Aemrican 6-row counterparts. The American pale malts can easily convert 50% non-malt adjuncts such as rice or corn, while the British malts should only be used with adjuncts making 15% or less of the total grain bill.

Simple one-step infusion mashes in a combined mash-lauter tun is all that is needed with most Pale ale malts.

Pilsen Malt

Pilsen base malt is produced from low protein European barley (often Alexis). Pilsen malt is less modified than Pale Malt, although Pilsen or lager malts from America and Britain can often be handled much like Pale Malt. Curing temperatures for Pilsen malt peak at 81°C resulting in a very pale malt.

This malt should be step mashed or decoction mashed to get the full potential and flavour.

Vienna Malt

Vienna and Munich malts are produced with barley of normal to slightly higher protein content. The steeping and germination process aims for a high cytolysis and proteolysis. This provides high amounts of degraded carbohydrates (sugars) and proteins (amino acids) which assist the consequent reaction which forms coloring substances during kilning. Curing temperature is 90-100°C, which emphasizes the Maillard reaction of sugars with amino acids. High amounts of melanoidines result from this procedure.

The most significant property of Vienna malt is a marked malty to nutty aroma. The endosperm is friable and slightly yellowish to light brown. Coloring power is not strong. To reach dark colours a high share of these malts needs to be added. The high withering temperatures result in lower amyloltic activities as compared to pale malts. Saccharification time is longer, final attenuation will decrease.

Vienna and Munich malt is traditionally used for beers with a marked malty character and dark colour. Bavarian Märzen Beers often feature Vienna malt. Percentage of total grist is 50% or even higher. The dark colour of those beers, however, is reached by addition of roasted or dark caramel malt.

Munich Malt

Similar to a Vienna Malt, but much darker. Typically used in dark beer such as Dunkels and Doppelbocks. The final kilning reaches a high temperature which imparts the deeper colour. This also limits enzyme power, but it will still convert itself. Adjuncts may be difficult, but are not typically used with this malt anyway.

Acid Malt

Acid malt contains added acids gained from natural lactic acid fermentation. It was developed to replace the acid rest which lasts from 12-24 hours typically. The control of such a rest requires great skill and attention on the part of the brewer. German purity laws did not allow for the addition of chemicals to the beer, so acid or sour malt was created. Before drying the natural lactic acids are developed on the green malt.

Acid malt does not look much different from Pilsen malt. The lactic acids on the outside of the grains give the malt a slightly sour taste. In the mash the sour malt reduces the pH value and thereby raises the extract yield and the release of protein substances and the concomitant low-molecular polyphenols. The lowering of the mash pH value also increases the activity of the sour phosphatases. In this way the stronger-swelling substances make their way into the wort and the pH reduction during fermentation is reduced.

Acid malt is used to reduce the mash pH value and to enhance the head on the beer.

Peated Malt

Peated malt has been smoked over a peat (sphagnum moss) fire and has a smokey phenolic flavours that are desirable in some beers. Most often used in dark beers such as Porters and Scottish ales, although true Scottish ales have no peated character.

Wheat Malt

Wheat malt is often used in non-wheat beers at about 5% of the grist to promote head retention. It has low colour values and is relatively high in enzymes. Used at higher concentrations, wheat’s higher protein and fat content as well as its lack of a husk require special precautions. Use wheat with at least 1/3 of the mash being two-row barley. Rice Hulls are also a good idea (in fact you can make 100% wheat beer with the help of rice hulls).

Key to Specifications

To select the best base malt, you might want to start by knowing the Colour (SRM or Lovibond value) that the malt will produce.

The Grind Difference % number is also very useful to know because it can shape the appropriate mash schedule. A number between 1.8% and 2.2% indicates a “steely” malt that requires a protein rest. A number between 0.5% and 1.0% indicates a malt suitable for single stage infusion mashing.

The others numbers to consider are Protein level and Diastatic Power:

Protein levels higher than 10.8 increase the odds of the beer forming a protein haze. This haze is not important in dark beers such as stout, but ruins the appearance of pale beer such a lager. Protein haze also reduces shelf-life stability as it is a ready food supply for bacteria. Protein is also inversely proportioned with starches, so higher protein levels mean lower fermentable levels and a general decrease in maltiness. Another way of looking at this is that the more protein the grain has the less starch it has. Brewers want starch because that is what will be converted to maltose and various sugars for the yeast and beer flavour. Every 0.6% increase in protein produces a 1.0% drop in extraction efficiency. This relation of protein and starch is the basis of the Tuborg Value cited below. Most malts grown in North America are naturally high in protein (some 6-row barley run to 14%) with most 2-row barley making 11.5 to 12%. The addition of corn or rice to the mash lowers the protein levels and thus avoids protein haze issues.

Unfortunately corn or rice require enzymes to convert their starches. This is where the Diastatic Power (DP) becomes useful to know. A DP of 45 which is typical of Ale malts, has enough power to convert its own material, but doesn’t really have the power to do much more work. British ale typically uses just Pale ale malt for a base (or a little flaked maize) and so does not need greater enzymatic power. A DP of 65 is typical of lager malts, and this has the power to convert small amounts of adjuncts, usually up to 10-20% of the grist. A DP of 110 to 130 is high and can convert lots of adjuncts. A DP of 150-160 is very high indeed. If these malts are used by themselves they tend to produce thin bodied beer. North American malts tend to fall into this group, and are well suited to American style beer such as that made by Molson and Labatt. The typical commercial style has little malt character because not only does the base malt have less malt flavour than a British Ale malt, but the adjuncts, which are used to lower the protein levels, further water-down the maltiness.

Comparative Malt Specifications

Maris Otter: Colour 2.2 to 2.6 SRM; Protein 9.7%; Diastatic value 45; Tuborg value +13; mash schedule B (see below)

German Pilsner: Colour 1.7 SRM; Protein 10.5 to 11%; Diastatic value 60; Tuborg value 0 to +5; mash schedule A

Rahr malt: Colour 1.5-1.9 SRM; Protein 11-12%; Diastatic value 110-130; Tuborg alue 0 to -10; Mash schedule C

German Vienna malt: Colour 3.8 to 4.2 SRM; Protein 10.2 to 11%; Diastatic value 60; Tuborg value 0 to +8; Mash schedule A

Mash Schedules

Note: virtually all malts now available are fully modified and are used in single step mash schedules around the world commercially.

Type A: 65C (30 minutes) then 70C for (30 minutes); A brief rest at 55C is possible but not needed.

Type B: these malts are traditionally used in single infusion mashes at 67/68C (154F).  Never allow these malts to rest between 45 &55C as the low and medium weight protein degradation will damage head retention and foam qualities.  If you can infuse hot water quickly, a brief infusion at 40C can increase yield by as much as 15%, according to G. Fix.

Type C:   rest at 55C (15 minutes), then 60C (30 minutes), then 70C (30 minutes). This schedule aims to reduce the higher weight proteins, while leaving low weight proteins. It offers the greatest extract potential for North American 2-row malts.