Coffee Malt

Real Coffee Character • Roast Without Harshness • The Smooth Dark Malt

Coffee Malt is a lightly roasted specialty malt prized for delivering genuine coffee flavor without the acrid bite that comes with darker roasted grains. Kilned to a point well short of black malt, it carries the aroma of fresh ground coffee and mild chocolate while leaving out the burnt edge, which makes it the malt of choice when you want roast character that stays smooth.

At 100 °Lovibond it contributes meaningful color without pushing a beer to black, and at 33 PPG it still gives useful extract. Its low color relative to its flavor impact is what sets it apart: you can build noticeable coffee character into an amber or brown beer without turning it into a stout.

Flavor & Aroma Profile

• Fresh ground coffee aroma
• Mild cocoa and dark chocolate
• Smooth, rounded roast without acridity
• Light toasted grain and biscuit
• Clean finish with little astringency

A small addition adds depth and a hint of roast to a brown or amber beer. Larger additions build a genuine coffee presence, and because the harsh notes are absent, Coffee Malt tolerates being pushed further than black or chocolate malt would.

Brewing Applications

Coffee Malt is a staple ingredient in many darker beer styles, including:

• Coffee Stout
• Brown Ale
• Robust Porter
• Oatmeal Stout
• Dark Mild
• Schwarzbier

It is also used in small amounts to add roast complexity to amber ales and dark lagers where a heavier roasted malt would overwhelm the balance.

Usage Recommendations

Coffee Malt is typically used at 3 to 10% of the total grain bill. Around 3 to 5% adds background depth and a suggestion of roast; 8 to 10% produces the clear coffee character that defines a coffee stout, without needing actual coffee in the recipe.

Because it is a roasted grain with no enzymes of its own, mash it alongside a well modified base malt. Adding it late in the mash or as a cold steep will emphasize the aroma while keeping any residual sharpness out of the beer.

Specifications

• PPG (Points Per Pound Per Gallon): 33
• Color: 100 °Lovibond
• Flavor Notes: Coffee, cocoa, smooth roast, toasted grain
• Usage Rate: 3 to 10% of grain bill
• Beer Styles: Stouts, porters, brown ales, dark milds, schwarzbier

Whether you're building a coffee stout without brewing a pot of coffee, adding depth to a brown ale, or looking for roast character that stays smooth all the way through the finish, Coffee Malt delivers the flavor of the roast without the burn.