Base malts are the foundation of every beer recipe and contribute most of a beer’s fermentable sugars.

Without base malts, beers would be pale, lacking body and mouthfeel, and have minimal flavor.

While adjuncts and specialty malts can add complexity and depth of character, the base malt provides the necessary sugars to support fermentation and give beer its color, body, and sweetness.

The Role Of Base Malt In Brewing Beer

In the brewing process, Malt is the primary source of fermentable sugars. Malt also provides the majority of the beer’s extract, color, flavor, and mouthfeel.

These characteristics come from different aspects of the malt kernel, including the husk, protein matrix, endosperm, and germ.

The husk makes up most of a malt kernel and provides a protective barrier for the other parts of the grain.

The protein matrix is a network of proteins that helps with head retention in beer.

The endosperm is the most significant part of the malt kernel and mainly consists of starches converted to sugar during mashing.

The germ is the smallest part of the malt kernel and is responsible for germination.

It is important to note that all malts contribute color to your beer, but the degree of modification determines how much paint is imparted.

Highly modified malts will produce lighter-colored beers, while less modified malts will have darker beers.

The modification level is determined by how long the Malt is exposed to heat during the kilning process.

Maltsters produce different kinds of Malt for brewers to use in their recipes. The type of Malt you use will depend on the style of beer you’re brewing and your personal preferences.

For example, if you’re brewing a light lager, you’ll want to use a pale malt like Pilsner or Vienna. If you’re brewing a darker beer like a stout or porter, you’ll want to use darker malts like chocolate malt or roasted barley. 

There Are 2 Main Types of Malt

1. Base Malts

Base malts make up most of the grist (malt bill) in most beer recipes.

2. Specialty Malts

Specialty malts are used in smaller quantities to add color, flavor, and sweetness to the beer.

What Are Base Malts?

Base malts are kilned at lower temperatures than specialty malts, which means they have less color and flavor imparted from the kilning process.

Further, they have a higher level of enzymatic activity, making it possible to mash them without separately adding enzymes. 

Base malts typically contribute 70-80% of the gravity points in a recipe (gravity points are a measure of how much extract is dissolved in water). 

Most Common Base Malts Used In Brewing

• Pale Malt 
• Pilsner Malt 
• Vienna Malt 
• Munich Malt 
• Maris Otter Malt 
• 2-Row Malt 
• 6-Row Malt 
• Wheat Malt 

Each of these base malts has unique characteristics that contribute to the final flavor and mouthfeel of the beer.

For example, Pale Malt has minimal color and provides a clean base for other flavors to shine through, while Munich malt adds rich flavor complexity and a deep amber color to beer.

Wheat malt contributes refreshing wheat aromatics and low levels of haze-causing proteins, while 2-row Malt provides high extract yields with low husk tannins. 

Why Are Base Malts So Important?

Base malts provide breweries with various colors, flavors, gravities, and fermentability to choose from when formulating their recipes.

They also contribute fermentable sugars, which are necessary for yeast to produce alcohol during fermentation.

Without base malts, beer would be missing body, depth, color, and alcoholic strength. 

5 Benefits Of Using Malt Extract In Beer Brewing

Making beer from all-grain beers is a practice known as all-grain brewing. The “mashing” or “the mash” procedure removes the fermentable sugars from the beer malt extract so that yeast can ferment them into alcohol and produce the finished beer. It involves soaking the malted grains in water at a given temperature for a specified period.

The liquid malt extract obtained from a mash creates malt extracts, which are then dehydrated into a thick syrup or dry powder. Making beer from liquid malt extract provides many advantages for amateur extract brewers of all skill levels, even though all grain brewers may give you more control over the components.

1. Extract Saves Time

Using malt extract allows for the entire all-grain mashing process to be skipped. An extract brew day can be conducted in as little as two to three hours. It’s a viable solution for folks who want to brew after a work day or sneak in a quick batch before the weekend.

2. Extract Saves Space

It is possible to conduct the entire malt extract brew day. In one pot, you can very likely get away with using the two to 5-gallon pot you already have in your kitchen. Extract beer recipes typically yield 5 gallons of beer and can be made using only two to three gallons of liquid in the boil.

3. Extract Means Efficiency

Liquid and dry malt extract provide a predictable amount of fermentable sugars when added to a specific amount of water. Gravity measures the number of sugars extracted during the mash and will ultimately affect the alcohol content and overall profile of the finished beer. If you’ve measured gravity comes in too low, add a little bit of malt extract until you reach the target.

4. Extract Means Consistency

Malt extract takes out the mash efficiency variable and makes hitting a target gravity a piece of cake. Now, to replicate a recipe you made, all you need to worry about are variables in the boil and during fermentation and conditioning. Eliminating variables is one of the best ways to achieve repeatability.

5. Extract Encourages New Homebrewers

Extract brewing is one of the best ways to introduce people to how to brew beer at home. It makes homebrewing easier to grasp and understand, and it’s one of the cheapest and newb-friendly ways to encourage people to take up the hobby. The effectiveness of extract homebrewing should not be looked down on by those who brew with grains.

Conclusion

Base malts are essential to brewing flavorful and well-rounded beers. The type of base malt you use will have a direct impact on the final flavor, color, and alcohol content of your beer. Be sure to experiment with different types of base malts to find the perfect one for your next batch!