Brown Malt
The traditional malt of historical London porter.
What it tastes like
Brown malt is what original 18th-century London porter was made from — kilned over open wood fire to a deep brown, with toasted, biscuit, and faintly smoky character. Modern industrial malting can't replicate the original; Crisp Malt makes a heritage version that gets close. Used at 5-15% in historical porter recreations.
Best in these styles
For brewers — technical profile
Color (Lovibond)
60–70 °L
Color (EBC)
120–145
Max Use
15% of grain bill
Diastatic Power
Very low
Where to source
Maltsters that produce or distribute this grain:
History
Brown malt was the dominant English malt in the 18th century. The development of pale malt and the introduction of black patent malt in the 19th century pushed brown malt out of widespread use.
Other kilned malts
Aromatic Malt
Concentrated Munich character at higher color.
rich bread crustdeep maltsubtle caramel
Biscuit / Victory Malt
Toasted-bread character without crystallized sweetness.
toasted breadcrackerbiscuit
Honey Malt
Honeyed sweetness without crystallization.
honeyrich maltsubtle nut
Munich Malt
The malt that makes Märzen taste like Märzen.
bread crusttoastcaramel hint