The 5 signs of how to spot great craft malt

Brewers - Home & Pro often ask us how to spot great craft malt from mainstream malt or ordinary or worse still poor quality or well past it malt! Nobody wants to brew a beer that tastes like stale bread so why would you use second grade malt for your craft beer or homebrew?  In this short and snappy talk at "Good Beer Wheaty 2015" Doug Michael - 5th Generation Malting Barley Grower, 1st Generation Maltster and co-founder @GladfieldMalt, shares the 5 signs of how to spot great craft malt and how to read a craft malt specification and what to look for in your malt before you brew.

How do you spot great craft malt?

1. Size - Plump! Fat & Even
2. Colour - Clean & Bright
3. Clean - Free from Dust & Chaff
4. Aroma - Smells Sweet & Fresh
5. Taste - Fresh & Friable (good crunch in your mouth and full of flavour)

What to look for in a typical craft malt specification

1. Diastatic Power 200 - 250 (wk)
2. FAN 120-140 mg/l
3. Kolbach Index 37-40
4. Friability 90-95

Please do not accept poor quality or stale or unacceptable craft malt when you are brewing - whether you are a homebrewer or a probrewer.  You are putting your invaluable time and effort into brewing great beer at home or in your brewery and you deserve the best brewing ingredients in the best condition.  To listen and watch Doug @GladfieldMalt talk about great craft malt and how to spot it from ordinary malt sit back with a cold beer and watch this short 7 minute YouTube video shot live @theWheaty during 'Good Beer Wheaty" Micro Malting Masterclass with South Australia's best craft and home brewers in the audience.  Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us Doug & Gabi @GladfieldMalt...now watch, listen and learn...to brew better beer with better malt...