Crisp Chocolate Roasted Malt
Crisp Chocolate Malt is produced by roasting kilned malt in a specialised roasting drum at high temperatures. The process is carefully managed to ensure the grain is dark and aromatic without becoming carbonised or overly acrid. It offers a signature “bitter-sweet” chocolate profile and a heavy toasted aroma that is less aggressive than Black Malt. This malt is essential for achieving the characteristic opaque depth of traditional British Stouts and Porters. Even in small quantities, it provides a significant colour impact and a sophisticated roasted dryness that helps balance the residual sweetness of crystal malts or high-gravity mashes.
Key Benefits
- Intense Flavour: Delivers bold notes of dark cocoa, roasted coffee beans, and burnt toast.
- Deep Colour: Provides a high-intensity dark brown to black hue even at low inclusion rates.
- Balanced Bitterness: Offers a clean, roasted bitterness that complements hop character.
- Versatile Colourant: Can be used in very small amounts (1-2%) to “colour up” a beer without significantly altering the flavour profile.
Applications
- Brewing: The cornerstone for Dry Stouts, Imperial Stouts, Robust Porters, and Black IPAs.
- Distilling: Utilised in the production of “Heavy” or “Roasted” malt whiskies and in some botanical spirit bases to add cereal depth.
- Winemaking: Occasionally used in dark, heavy-bodied fruit wines (such as elderberry) to simulate tannin structure and provide a dark visual core.
- Cider Making: Used in “Speciality Graff” to create dark, stout-like cider hybrids with a roasted, chocolatey finish.
Typical Usage
- Rate: 3% to 10% of the grist for dark beer styles. Use at 1% to 2% for subtle colour adjustment in lighter styles like Brown Ales or Ambers.
Technical Data
- Moisture: 3.0% max
- Extract (Dry Basis): 73.0% min
- Colour: 900.0 – 1100.0 EBC
- Crystallisation: 0% (roasted, non-glassy)
Storage and Handling
Store in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area (5°C – 15°C). Due to the high-temperature roasting, this malt is sensitive to moisture; keep bags tightly sealed when not in use. Store away from strong odours. Best used within 12 months.
Summary
An essential dark roasted malt providing a rich, espresso and dark chocolate profile with a deep ebony colour, perfect for building complexity in stouts and porters.


A little bit goes a long way with this one. Watch your mash temperature, & your pH and you’ll create an amazing Irish Stout recipe….one that you’ll regret that you only brewed 10 liters, not 60 liters LOL