Brewing Grains

Shop Brewing Grains by How They Work in the Recipe

Most brewing grains are malted barley, but they do very different jobs in the mash. Start with a base malt for fermentable extract, then add smaller amounts of specialty grains for color, body, sweetness, roast, toast, smoke, or mouthfeel.

If you already have a recipe, add the grain amounts to your cart and choose the crush option on each product. If the grains are going into the same batch, building the recipe in one cart is usually the fastest way for us to mill, label, and pack the order. Choose separate bagging only when you truly need the grains kept apart.

Start Here

• Base malts: the main fermentable foundation. Includes 2-row, pilsner, pale ale, Maris Otter, Vienna, Munich, and similar malts.
• Caramel and crystal malts: sweetness, color, body, toffee, raisin, burnt sugar, and foam support.
• Lightly kilned and toasted malts: biscuit, breadcrust, toast, honey, malt depth, and amber color without heavy roast.
• Roasted grains and malts: coffee, cocoa, dark color, dry roast, and stout or porter character.
• Flaked, unmalted, and adjunct grains: oats, wheat, rice, corn, rice hulls, haze, body, head retention, or mash support.
• Specialty grains and malts: the broader flavor-building shelf when you know the effect you want but not the exact malt yet.

Shop by Grain Family

• Wheat and spelt grains: foam, soft bready flavor, haze, and wheat-beer structure.
• Rye grains: spicy grain character, dryness, body, and rustic complexity.
• Oat grains: silky mouthfeel, haze stability, soft sweetness, and stout or hazy IPA body.

Quick Grain Buying FAQ

What is barley malt? In beer recipes, “barley malt” usually means malted barley. Most base malts, crystal malts, roasted malts, and toasted malts are barley unless the product title says wheat, rye, oats, rice, corn, spelt, or another grain.

What is the difference between 2-row, pale malt, and pilsner malt? They are all light base malts, but they are not identical. 2-row is a clean all-purpose base, pale ale malt is usually a little more bready or malty, and pilsner malt is lighter and crisp for lagers, Belgian styles, and very pale beers.

How much specialty malt should I use? It depends on the malt and the style. Many specialty grains are used in small percentages because their flavor, color, sweetness, or roast can build quickly. Product pages include more specific guidance where available.