Beer Making
As the name suggests, lager malts form the basis of lager beers. Pilsner and lager malts are kilned slightly cooler than pale malts, which gives them a more delicate flavour. Munich malt and Vienna malt are used for the darker lager styles indigenous to Bavaria.
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British Lager Malt
from £1.30More information
Lager Malt is kilned at a low temperature to ensure that the malt, and hence the lager, is a pale colour and also to preserve a high level of diastatic activity. On the continent the use of inferior quality 6 row barley meant that the lager malt produced was traditionally undermodified and this necessitated the use of the stepped or decoction mash to produce clear haze free beer.
Modern lager malts are now fully modified, and a straight infusion mash can be used safely. The high diastatic activity remains, which means that there are adequate enzymes in the malt to allow the use of a good proportion of unmalted grains in the mash.
Our Lager Malt, from Maris Otter barley variety, comes exclusively from Tuckers Maltings in Newton Abbot.
United Kingdom
Colour 3 EBC Maximum Percentage 100% -
Munich Malt
from £1.80More information
As the name suggests, this malt is used to brew the famous rich, sweet beers associated with Munich. It can, however, be used in small quantities to enhance the maltiness in other beer styles. Many Belgian ales contain this malt and even some of the more adventurous British breweries are experimenting with it. Munich Malt is kilned while the moisture content is still quite high (about 20%). The gradual raising of the temperature to around 1OO°C allows for some caramelisation.
Colour 15 - 25 EBC; Maximum percentage 100% (although rarely used at over 80%) -
Pilsner Malt
from £1.50More information
This malt is as used on the continent to produce their finest lager beers. This malt is kilned slowly at a temperature of 50oC to 60oC to dry it before it is toasted at 80oC. This produces malt with the palest colour and the highest enzyme activity possible. The inclusion of a small amount (3%-5%) of acid malt is highly recommended when brewing Pilsners.
Belgium or Germany
Colour 2.5 EBC Maximum Percentage 100% -
Vienna Malt
from £1.70More information
Vienna malt forms the basis for the famous Märzen and Oktoberfest beers, whose characteristics are a golden colour and full malt flavour. Caramelisation is not required for this malt so it is dried fairly cool before being roasted at around lO5°C.
Colour 6 - 8 EBC; Maximum percentage 100%
