Chocolate Malt: Rich Flavour and Deep Colour for Your Dark Brews

Chocolate Malt is a versatile specialty malt that adds rich, roasted flavours and a deep brown colour to your beer. Named for its distinct dark chocolate hue, this malt is essential for crafting stouts, porters, brown ales, and other darker beer styles. Chocolate Malt provides a complex mix of flavours, including hints of chocolate, coffee, and roasted nuts, making it a favourite among brewers looking to add depth and character to their beers.

How Chocolate Malt is Used

Chocolate Malt is typically used in moderate amounts to impart a deep brown colour and a complex, roasted flavour profile. It is a key ingredient in dark ales, but it can also be used in smaller quantities to add subtle roasted notes and colour to lighter beers. The malt is roasted at high temperatures, which caramelizes the sugars and develops its characteristic flavours without the intense bitterness of darker malts like Black Malt.

Technical Specifications

• Lovibond Rating: Typically ranges between 350-450°L, providing a deep brown to dark chocolate colour.
• Flavour Profile: Offers rich, roasted flavours with notes of chocolate, coffee, and roasted nuts, with a smooth, slightly bitter finish.
• Usage Rate: Commonly used at 5-10% of the total grain bill, depending on the desired intensity of flavour and colour.
• Enzyme Activity: Chocolate Malt has no diastatic power, so it should be used in combination with base malts that provide the necessary enzymes for mashing.

Why Use Chocolate Malt?

• Enhance Flavour Complexity: Adds a rich, layered flavour profile with chocolate, coffee, and nutty notes that enhance the depth and character of your beer.
• Deepen Colour: Provides a deep brown to dark chocolate colour, perfect for stouts, porters, and brown ales.
• Versatile Application: While primarily used in dark beers, Chocolate Malt can also be added in small amounts to lighter beers to introduce subtle roasted flavours without overpowering the overall profile.

Perfect for a Variety of Beer Styles

Chocolate Malt is ideal for brewers who want to add complexity and richness to their dark beers. Its versatile flavour profile makes it a key ingredient in a range of styles, from robust stouts and porters to more nuanced brown ales and even some red ales.