Malt
Black malt
The darkest roasted malt, used sparingly for colour and sharp burnt character.
What it does
Roasted malt or grain. Taken to high temperature in a roasting drum for coffee, chocolate and burnt character. No enzyme activity; used in small proportions.
Roasted to the highest temperature of any malt. Daniel Wheeler patented the drum-roasting process in 1817, which is why it is still called patent malt — the innovation made intense colour possible from a small proportion of the grist.
Specification
| Colour | 500–600°L |
|---|---|
| Grain | barley |
| Enzyme activity | none — needs a base malt to convert it. |
| Fermentability | low |
| Typical share of grist | 1–6% |
| Flavour | burnt, acrid roast, espresso, ash |
Sharply acrid in quantity. Most recipes stay below 5%.
Substitutes
- Carafa (dehusked roasted malt) — The dehusked version, much smoother for the same colour.
Used in
Evidence
What BeerHQ knows about this, and how. Every statement carries the state of the evidence behind it rather than being presented flatly as fact.
Daniel Wheeler patented a drum-roasting process for very dark malt in 1817, which allowed brewers to produce dark beer from a largely pale grist and materially changed how porter was made.
Backed by a source
Sources: Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse — print; Beer: The Story of the Pint — print