Distillers malt

[Tombo]

Hi, I have been gifted some distillers malt but I only make Ales and stouts or the like. Can I use this distillers malt (from Crisp) to add to the grist in any way or should I just bin it?
Thank you

 

[jof]

If you ask Google it tells you it can be used as a base malt.
It doesn't appear to have much complexity of flavour
But it does have good diastatic power.
Might work in a wheat beer or with brews high in other grain/adjuncts.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

distillers malt (from Crisp)

You've got to be a little bit careful as Crisp have three main malts for distilling, one of which is peated so you want to be a bit careful with that one. But it should be obvious from the smell whether it's peated or not.

If you're talking about specifically something called "Distiller's Malt", that's the US name for what Crisp call High Diastatic Power (HDP) malt in the UK which is what jof was talking about - it has lots of enzymes to help convert unmalted starch.

But both that and their unpeated Pot Still malt are fine for making beer with - not the most exciting perhaps so perhaps better for stouts where there's other stuff going on, but hey, free malt.

 

[MashBag]

Yup the question is which one?
Probably also.. Why? (gifted to you)

If its unpeated, its quite neutral and you won't reeeeally notice a great deal of difference.

Distillers malt it designed to get to 8% quickly.

Certainly don't bin it.

If you have recipes with a lot of unmalted grains it will work well. Normally a minimum would be 50% malt, you could get away with less and really bang some flavours in.

 

[MashBag]

How much?

 

[Tombo]

You've got to be a little bit careful as Crisp have three main malts for distilling, one of which is peated so you want to be a bit careful with that one. But it should be obvious from the smell whether it's peated or not.

If you're talking about specifically something called "Distiller's Malt", that's the US name for what Crisp call High Diastatic Power (HDP) malt in the UK which is what jof was talking about - it has lots of enzymes to help convert unmalted starch.

But both that and their unpeated Pot Still malt are fine for making beer with - not the most exciting perhaps so perhaps better for stouts where there's other stuff going on, but hey, free malt.

It just says on the bag, from the original Crisp label "Distilling malt", no mention of it being peated and smells just like ordinary base malt, no idea what it would smell like if it was peated? I'll probably, initially, just replace maybe 10% of the base malt in one of my regularly brewed recipes with it and see what difference it makes, if any. Thanks

 

[Tombo]

Yup the question is which one?
Probably also.. Why? (gifted to you)

If its unpeated, its quite neutral and you won't reeeeally notice a great deal of difference.

Distillers malt it designed to get to 8% quickly.

Certainly don't bin it.

If you have recipes with a lot of unmalted grains it will work well. Normally a minimum would be 50% malt, you could get away with less and really bang some flavours in.

It was given to me by a freind who, through medical advice, has given up the hobby. He has given me all his grains. He used to brew beer and also distill (lets not go there) so this was part of the mixture.

 

[Tombo]

How much?

Not loads, I've not weighed it, but it's probably between 4 and 5Kg

 

[marshbrewer]

I'd be tempted to use it in a historical recipe instead of 6 row, to emulate it's high enzymes

 

[Northern_Brewer]

It just says on the bag, from the original Crisp label "Distilling malt", no mention of it being peated and smells just like ordinary base malt, no idea what it would smell like if it was peated?

Sounds like it may be a few years old then? But one would assume that it's the equivalent of HDP malt - so a pretty boring, not particularly flavourful malt with lots of enzymes. It'll be fine as a base malt.

You'd know if it was peated, it would smell somewhat smoky.

 

[MashBag]

^ what he said 100%