Common Grains used to Homebrew Beer

Commonly Used Grains

North American Grains

Pale Malted Barley

The basic malt for brewing beers from scratch. North American barley is medium to highly modified. It makes an excellent base malt. Best for both North American Lager and Ale styles. Available in 2 and 6 row.

Wheat Malt

Use to make wheat and weizen beers. Can be used in small amounts (3-6 %) to aid head retention in any beer. Should be combined with a high enzyme malt.

Vienna Malt

Vienna malt is kiln dried at a higher temperature than pale malt yet still retains sufficient enzyme power for use as 60 to 100% of total mash grist. Vienna is a rich, aromatic malt that will lend a deep color and full flavor to your finest Vienna or Marzen beers.

Munich Malt

A little darker than German Munich malt. An excellent choice for Dark and amber lagers, blend Munich with German Pils or Pale Malt at the rate of 10 to 60% of the total grist.

Carapils (Dextrin Malt)

Dextrins lend body, mouth fees and palate fullness to beers, as well as foam stability. Carapils must be mashed with pale malt, due to its lack of enzymes. Use 5 to 20% for these properties without adding color or having to mash at higher temperatures.

Light Crystal (Caramel Malt) 10 L

5 to 20% will lend body and mouth feel with a minimum of color, much like Carapils, but with a light crystal sweetness.

Pale Crystal (Caramel Malt) 40 L

As with all Crystal malts, the character of this malt is contributed by unfermentable crystallized sugars produced by a special process Called "stewing". Five to 20 % Pale Crystal will lend a balance of light caramel color, flavor, and body to Ales and Lagers.

Medium Crystal (Caramel Malt) 60 L

This Crystal malt is well suited to all beer recipes calling for crystal malt and is a good choice if you're not sure which variety to use. Five to 15% of 60 L Crystal malt will lend a well rounded caramel flavor, color and sweetness to your finest Ales.

Dark Crystal (Caramel Malt) 120 L

5 to 15% will lend a complex bitter/sweet caramel flavor and aroma to beers. Used in smaller quantities this malt will add color and slight sweetness to beers, while heavier concentrations are well suited to strong beers such as Barley Wines and Old Ales.

Victory Malt (Aroma & flavor malt) 25 L

A unique, lightly roasted malt that provides a warm "biscuity " character to Ales and Lagers. Use 5 to 15 % to add a fuller flavor and aroma to Ales, Porters and full flavored, dark Lagers where a bigger malt character is desired without crystal malt sweetness.

D/C Biscuit malt fits in here also. Biscuity/toasted flavors and aromas result from the use of this malt.

Chocolate Malt (Roasted, black malt)

Being the least roasted of the black malts, Chocolate malt will add a dark color and pleasant roast flavor. Small quantities lend a nutty flavor and deep, ruby red color while higher amounts lend a black color and smooth, roasted flavor. Use 3 to 12%.

Chocolate is an essential ingredient in Porters, along with Caramel malts. Used in smaller quantities in Brown ales, old ales and some Barley wines.

Roast Barley (Black, Unmalted Barley)

Use 10 to 12% to impart a distinct, roasted flavor to Stouts. Other dark beers also benefit from smaller quantities (2 - 6%).

Essential ingredient in Stouts. Small amounts are OK in Porters, provided they don't overpower the chocolate/caramel notes. Rarely used in any Belgian ales or German Lagers

Black Patent (Highly roasted black malt)

The darkest of all malts, use sparingly to add deep color and roast-charcoal flavor. Use no more than 1 to 3%.

Best used in trace amounts only, for color. Almost any contribution that Black Patent gives to beer can be obtained from using another malt with less harsh flavor impacts.

German Grains

German Pale Malt (2 Row, Pilsner Malt) 1.8 L

A quality German two row malt. Produces a smooth, grainy flavor. Use in your finest German Lagers and Alt Beers.

Weizen - (Wheat Malt) ~ L

German Wheat malt is the perfect ingredient for Weiss, Weizen and Berl iner Weiss beers. Blended in proportions of 20 to 70% with pale malts, weizen malt is the perfect companion for German wheat strains for a full flavored, classic wheat beer.

Wiener - (Vienna Malt) 3 L

German Vienna is high in diastatic power, meaning you can use it as 100% of the total grist for a fuller, deeper malt flavor and aroma.

Munchener (Munich Malt) 6 L

A true Munich variety that has undergone higher kilning than the pale malt. German Munich still retains sufficient enzymes for 100% of the grist, or it can be used at the rate of 20 to 75 % of the total malt content in Lagers for its full, malty flavor and aroma.

Crystal - (Med. Caramel) 50 L

Use 3 to 20% of German Caramel malt to add color, sweetness and body to European lagers Viennas and Marzen/Oktoberfest lagers.

British Grains

English Pale Malt (British, 2 Row)

Fully modified British malt, easily converted by a single temperature mash. Preferred by many brewers for full flavored ales. Pale Ale malt has undergone higher kilning than North American Pale Malt and is lower in diastatic power so keep adjuncts to 15 % or less.

English Crystal (Caramel Malt) 37 L

Also known as CaraStan, use 5 to 20% of our English Crystal to add color and a full, toffee/sweet flavor to Bitters, Pale Ales and Porters.

Chocolate Malt - ( Brown malt) 400 L

British Chocolate malt is ideal for British Porters and Brown or Mild Ales and even Stouts. It's a little darker than domestic Chocolate malt yet it has a slightly smoother character in the roast flavor and aroma profiles.

Belgian Grains

Belgian Pils (European 2-Row) 1.8 L

This is an excellent base malt for many styles, including full flavored Lagers, Belgian Ales and European Wheat beers.

Biscuit Malt - (Pale Roast) 23 L

Biscuit is a unique malt that’s lightly roasted, lending the subtle properties of black and chocolate malts. Used at the rate of 3 to 15 %, it is designed to improve the bread & biscuits , or toasted flavor and aroma characteristics to Lagers and Ales.

CaraVienne - (Lt. Caramel) 22 L

As with normal Crystal malts CaraVienne is non-enzymatic. It does, however, impart a rich, caramel-sweet aroma to the wort and promotes a fuller flavored beer at rates of 5 to 20 % of grist total.

CaraMunich - (Med. Caramel) 72 L

Use CaraMunich for a deeper color in Ales and Lagers, and in small amounts in Lagers. 5 to 15% will also lend a fuller flavor, contribute to foam stability, add unfermentable, caramelized sugars and contribute a rich malt aroma.

Excellent malt to use as a supplement to other caramel malts. I tend to use 7-10% caraVienna and 3% CaraMunich as a amber beer base which would include Munich and Pils malt.