Malt Variety Guide
32 malts and adjuncts across 6 categories. What each grain tastes like, what beers it builds, and brewer specs underneath.
Hops get most of the attention, but malt is what gives beer its body, color, sweetness, and underlying character. Pale 2-Row makes American IPA, Pilsner malt makes pilsner, and the difference between Vienna lager and Munich dunkel comes down to a few percentage points of kilned malt. This guide is built drinker-first: every page leads with what you'll taste, then layers in color, max use, and diastatic power for brewers further down.
Find a malt by flavor
Tap a slice on the wheel — or pick from the categories below — to filter the malt list to varieties matching that flavor profile. Tap again to clear.
Base malts
The foundation of every grain bill. Light, high-extract, providing most of the fermentable sugars and a clean malt character.
Kilned malts
Vienna, Munich, and their cousins — base malts taken further in the kiln for richer toasty, bready, and caramel-edged character.
Crystal & caramel malts
Stewed in the husk before kilning to crystallize the sugars. Provides body, sweetness, color, and toffee/caramel character.
Roasted malts
Chocolate, black, and roasted barley. Heavily kilned for color and bitter coffee/cocoa notes. Used in small amounts.
Specialty & smoked malts
Smoked malts, acidulated, dextrin malts, and other functional or distinctive ingredients.
Adjunct grains
Wheat, oats, rye, corn, and rice. Non-barley grains that add specific functional and flavor contributions.