Substitute for Chocolate Malt

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messler

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I am thinking of doing up a holiday beer, something like a chocolate porter with spices, but my lhbs has no chocolate malt. I was thinking of upping my roast barley and crystal and maybe using some munich, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :confused:
 
There is no substitute for chocolate malt (other than a different brand of chocolate malt). You can make a materially different beer, or buy the chocolate malt somewhere else.
 
You won't get the right flavor out of roasted barley. I'm suprised your LHBS doesn't carry it. It's a very popular malt. I'd ask him if he'd be willing to order.
 
You could try black malt. It seems just like chocolate malt, except it is a little stronger:

From hugh Baird website:
Black Malt, sometimes loosely described as Roasted Malt, is used in the production of very dark beers. The flavour, as might be expected, is a more intense version of Chocolate malt and because of its colour and flavour needs to be used with care.

Roasting is similar to Chocolate malt but higher final temperatures in the region of 200°C are used. Again because no saccharification stage is used the flavours are due to pyrazines and pyrroles.
 
Similar roasting does not mean similar taste.

Black malt is closer to Roasted Barley than Chocolate. If you use this, it will give you the right color, just not the chocolate flavor. It will taste like burnt chocolate, if anything.
 
I don't know about getting carafa. The store has black patent, but I think they might also have chocolate rye. I don't know too much about rye flavours but it might work as a sub.

Does anyone have any experience with this?
 
cafara I could be a sub in a pinch. similar lovibond (i think around 337 and most choclates are 350) since the carafa is dehusked and processed a little differently, the flavor will not be exact, but prob the closest you could get to chocolate malt without being chocolate malt. I guess the question is if lhbs isn't carrying chocolate, are they carrying carafa???
 
Are you kidding? Your LHBS dosent carry chocolate.... Why not? I thought it was a standerd malt. Heck I carrry Chocolate, Pale Chocolate and Carafa, and I am a super duper, little, brand new LHBS, I'm just sayin
 
Thanks for your help. Well I live in Edmonton and there is only one shop with any real grain selection... and when they're out of something it takes a few weeks to get more (unless I mail order, which has its own problems).

I got a kilo of their chocolate rye. I think I'll try and sub with that... but maybe with slightly lower proportions than chocolate barley. I also plan to add vanilla, coco and cinnamon to the mix. any thoughts?
 
Go easy on the vanilla and use more cocoa than you think is needed. I usually dump about 8-10oz. of bakers unsweetened cocoa powder into my chocolate stout recipe.
 
Unless the Lovibond is greatly different, I'd just use the same amount as the recipe calls for.
 
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