Malt
Vienna malt
A lightly kilned speciality malt giving toast and golden colour — the defining malt of Vienna lager.
What it does
Kilned speciality malt. Base-style malt kilned harder for colour and toasty, bready or biscuity flavour, usually with reduced enzyme activity.
Kilned between pale ale and Munich malt, developing toast without significant caramelisation.
Specification
| Colour | 3–6°L |
|---|---|
| Grain | barley |
| Enzyme activity | self converting |
| Fermentability | moderate |
| Typical share of grist | 5–100% |
| Flavour | light toast, bread, gentle sweetness |
Substitutes
- Munich malt — Darker and more intense; use less.
- Pale ale malt — Paler and cleaner.
Used in
- Festbier
The golden, stronger lager actually served at modern Oktoberfest — malt-forward and smooth, but pale rather than amber.
- Vienna lager
An amber lager built on gently kilned Vienna malt: toasty and lightly sweet, but finishing clean and dry.
- Märzen
A rich amber lager brewed in March for autumn drinking, with deep toasty malt and a clean, firm finish.
- International amber lager
A light, commercially-produced amber lager, most familiar in its Mexican form, with gentle caramel over a crisp body.
- Bock
A strong, dark, malt-dominated lager with deep bread-crust and toasty character and only enough hop to keep it from being sweet.
- Helles Bock
A pale, strong lager with the body of a bock but a brighter, more hop-balanced character — traditionally a spring beer.
- Belgian pale ale
An everyday Belgian ale, toasty and biscuity, with restrained yeast character compared with the stronger Belgian styles.
- Bière de Garde
A malty, rounded French farmhouse ale brewed for keeping — richer and less peppery than its Belgian saison cousin.
- Flanders red ale
A deep red sour ale matured for years in oak foeders, balancing sharp acidity against dark fruit and a vinous depth.
- Rauchbier
A Märzen-based lager brewed with beechwood-smoked malt — intensely smoky, often compared to bacon, over a clean malt base.