Malt
Peated malt
Whisky malt dried over peat. Powerful, and not a traditional Scottish brewing ingredient despite the common assumption.
BeerHQ notes this explicitly because the association between Scottish ale and peat is a modern invention borrowed from whisky. Historical Scottish brewing did not use peated malt.
What it does
Smoked malt. Dried over an open fire so that smoke phenols carry into the finished beer.
Dried over burning peat, as used in Scotch whisky production.
Specification
| Colour | 2–5°L |
|---|---|
| Grain | barley |
| Enzyme activity | moderate |
| Fermentability | high |
| Typical share of grist | 1–5% |
| Flavour | peat smoke, medicinal, iodine |
Overwhelmingly powerful in beer. Even 2–3% can dominate, and it is far easier to overdo than beechwood-smoked malt.