Malt & Grain

What gives a bitter its malty character? Malt, which is barley that's been allowed to germinate and then dried. In British brewing, the classic variety is Maris Otter winter barley, bred in England in 1965/66. It's considered the benchmark for ales and lends a round, slightly biscuity aroma.

The base malt is called pale malt. It's dried gently in the kiln, a hot drying oven, and stays light in color. Most of the wort's gravity, meaning the sugar that yeast later converts into alcohol, comes from this malt. For a best bitter, an original gravity around 10 to 12 degrees Plato is typical.

The copper color comes from crystal malt. It's heated while still moist before drying, which caramelizes the sugar inside the kernel. That's the source of the toffee and bread-crust notes many drinkers pick out in Brains SA. In dark mild, by contrast, it's roasted malt, dried dark in a drum, that takes the lead role in color and aroma. Brains Dark, according to the brewery, relies on these roasted notes.

There's no Reinheitsgebot, or purity law, in Britain. Brewers are free to add sugar, oats, or flaked barley if they want to lighten or fill out the beer. In a mild, such additions help keep the body from feeling thin despite the low alcohol content. The result is a beer at just three to four percent ABV that still has plenty of flavor. That makes it possible to get through a few rounds at the pub without feeling the effects too much.