Malts, Grains & Fermentables Compendium
The foundation of every grain bill. Explore degrees Lovibond (°L), specific gravity extract potential (PPG), enzymatic diastatic power (°Lintner), and maximum grist percentages for essential base malts, crystal grains, dark roasts, and body-building adjuncts.
American 2-Row Pale Malt
Clean, sweet cereal grain, delicate biscuit, and neutral maltiness.
The ubiquitous workhorse base malt of North American craft brewing. Plump 2-row spring barley with high enzymatic diastatic power (140°L) capable of converting large proportions of specialty malts and unmalted adjuncts.
German Pilsner Malt (Weyermann)
Delicate honey-dusted straw, fresh white bread, and soft cracker sweetness.
Crafted from premium 2-row German spring barley, this pale malt creates the pale golden hue and clean, crisp malt sweetness required for world-class continental European lagers and Belgian ales.
Crisp Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt
Deep nutty biscuit, warm rustic bread crust, and rich golden grain depth.
The premier heritage winter barley variety grown in Norfolk, England since 1965. Revered by craft brewers worldwide for its extraordinary bready, nutty character and reliable run-off in the lauter tun.
Munich Malt (10°L)
Warm toasted bread crust, rich melanoidin sweetness, and hazelnut.
Kilned at higher temperatures to promote Maillard reactions, Munich malt provides copper color, mouthfeel fullness, and classic German bread-crust malt complexity. Retains enough enzymatic power to self-convert.
Vienna Malt
Golden grain, light toasted hazelnut, and soft biscuit sweetness.
Kilned slightly higher than Pilsner malt to yield a bright golden-orange hue and aromatic biscuit warmth without the heavy sweetness of crystal malts. Highly versatile in continental styles.
White Wheat Malt
Soft, doughy white bread, floury sweetness, and crisp tartness.
Huskless malted wheat packed with high protein and glucans. Imparts a luxurious, silky mouthfeel, lasting cloudiness in hazy ales, and remarkably dense, rocky foam head retention.
Caramel / Crystal 20L
Mild clover honey, sweet malt sugar, and light golden syrup.
Steward of light golden-amber color and gentle unfermentable body. Adds clean sweetness without the heavier raisin or toffee notes of darker caramel malts.
Caramel / Crystal 60L
Pronounced toffee, buttery caramel, toasted marshmallow, and rich amber warmth.
The classic intermediate crystal malt. Delivers the quintessential amber color, foam stability, and sweet toffee character that balances high-IBU American and British ales.
Caramel / Crystal 120L
Dark raisin, dried plum, burnt sugar, and rich dark molasses.
Deeply roasted crystal malt with rich complex unfermentable sugars. Provides deep reddish-copper to brown hues and luxurious dried dark fruit complexity.
Dingemans Special B
Intense dark fruit, caramelized raisin, fig, plum, and subtle roasty brown sugar.
The darkest Belgian crystal malt, subjected to a unique double-drying process. It imparts the unmistakable dark fruit, raisin, and caramel complexity fundamental to Trappist abbey ales.
British Chocolate Malt
Dark baker's cocoa, bittersweet dark chocolate, and nutty roasted coffee bean.
Kilned slowly up to 420°F without scorching. Imparts rich dark chocolate aromatics and deep ruby-brown color without the harsh, acrid astringency of black patent malt.
Roasted Barley
Intense espresso roast, dry dark chocolate, pleasant grain bitterness, and crisp roasty snap.
Unmalted barley roasted at high temperatures. In small quantities (1.5-2.5%), it lends Irish Red Ales their iconic ruby hue and dry finish; in higher quantities (5-8%), it defines the opaque black color, espresso bite, and creamy tan head of classic stouts.
Black Patent Malt
Sharp charcoal, intense roast, smoky ash, and deep blackness.
The darkest malt produced, patented in 1817 by Daniel Wheeler. Roasted to the edge of combustion, it provides intense color and a dry, smoky roast character with zero residual sweetness.
Carapils / Dextrine Malt
Neutral grain sweetness, enhanced mouthfeel fullness, and zero color impact.
A proprietary glassy dextrine malt that contributes unfermentable dextrins without adding color or sweetness. Essential for increasing head retention, foam lacing, and perceived body in dry-attenuated beers.
Dingemans Biscuit Malt
Warm freshly baked sourdough bread, toasted salted crackers, and warm biscuit crust.
Lightly roasted specialty Belgian malt. Adds a pronounced toasted bread and cracker aroma and warm golden-brown tint, elevating malt-accented European and British ales.
Flaked Rolled Oats
Creamy, nutty oat sweetness, silky velvet mouthfeel, and permanent smooth haziness.
Pre-gelatinized rolled oats packed with beta-glucans and high molecular weight proteins. Mash directly with base malts to produce a velvety, cashmere texture and thick dense head.