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THE OTHER GRAINS

Barley isn’t the only grain used in beer, and some others are malted, too. Here are the other common brewing grains and how they are used.

WHEAT

Easily the most common after barley, wheat is used to give beers more body and a subtle sweetness. You can tell it’s there by its lighter aroma and signature haze. It’s so obvious in beer that it has come to define most of the ones it is used in, such as Wits, Weissbiers and Berlinerweisses. It’s also often used in East Coast IPAs and low ABV hoppy beers to give them more body.

RYE

Imagine eating a slice of rye bread. That’s what this grain does to beer on a much more subtle level. It can also add a savoury, earthy twang to it (or a fiery spiciness if you used it with crystal rye), which makes it a devilishly difficult grain to balance out. But Rye IPAs can be fantastic things in the hands of a good brewer.

OATS

Use of this hearty grain all but died out in brewing until a few years ago when the oatmeal stout made a comeback. Flavour-wise it’s hard to detect, but it can make for an exceptionally smooth mouthfeel.

HOW TO CONSTRUCT A MALT BILL

So we know the science part of the malt, but the art is in balancing all the varying, and often conflicting, characteristics. On top of that, you’ll have the drinker’s expectations that come from whatever style you decide to write on the label.

The first thing a brewer decides (after the style, of course) is what strength he wants the beer. This correlates to how much base malt you put in compared to how much water. There are lots of other factors, but that is the basic sum: more malt equals more booze. Sometimes when a brewer makes a really strong beer, they have to use all kinds of tricks to fit the malt in the mash tun (once I saw a brewer prop his sparge arm up with bricks to stop it skimming the mash).

The visuals come next. People drink first with their eyes (not literally, that would be agony), so you need it to look delicious. If it’s a stout, then you want it black as the night. If it’s an IPA, then you want it to glow amber like a golden chalice. Brewers have to think about mouthfeel, too. Lagers need to be light and zingy, so they can jump off the palate, while a weissbier needs to feel like velvet from the moment it hits your lips.

All the while, you need to focus on the most important thing: the flavour. It’s what we’re all here for, and your intention has to be spot on. If I’m drinking a black IPA, I want to taste the toast and liquorice as well as the grapefruit and resin. If it’s an American red, then I want crystal sweetness, but it should never be cloying.

Making a malt bill is a balancing act. It’s a part of the recipe a brewer rarely gets right first time because coming at the start of the process means everything you do afterwards will have an impact. And at no point is that more clear than during the mash.