malty but not sweet?

[sendai]

Can you suggest some commercial beers that you consider malty but not sweet? Something widely available in the US.

 

[Morrey]

Can you suggest some commercial beers that you consider malty but not sweet? Something widely available in the US.

I consider this a very good question, and while I don't have an answer for you, I'll keep looking back for responses.

I recently made a German light lager (Munich Helles), the OG started at 1.050 and it finished at 1.014. Because the malt bill was almost entirely German Pilsner malts, the beer was seriously malty. But since it finished at 1.014, I felt it was both sweet and malty. Like you, I'd like to find a commercial beer that was a bit drier, and since we know a Helles is all pils malts, the beer has simply got to be malty.

Try looking up Munich Helles online and see what you come up with.

 

[Homercidal]

A good Scottish Ale would fit that bill. Although I would consider it mildly sweet, and a bit caramelly. It's not sweet like a strong beer would be sweet.

 

[littletommy]

I've always found Shorts brewings Belair brown to have great malt flavor with only slight sweetness. It's my go to beer when I'm wanting something malt forward.

 

[Yooper]

Many German lagers are malty but not sweet. For example, a dunkel. The malty flavor is very present, but the beer shouldn't taste sweet.

 

[dmtaylor]

Any of the imported German Oktoberfest beers are malty but not very sweet. Negra Modelo, the Vienna lager from Mexico, is similar but perhaps a touch more sweet. Even the good old Sam Adams Boston Lager is reasonably malty but not very sweet. Munich malts and judicious use of caramel malts can contribute to malty flavors without being highly sweet. Mash schedules and attenuative yeasts also help reduce the sweetness that might otherwise be present. Heck..... any well made saison is actually quite malty without being sweet at all. Sour beers too can taste very malty but in this case, well, sour and usually dry and not sweet.

 

[Erik_Mog]

Spaten Altbairish Dunkel. Very malty and I did not notice any real real sweetness at all.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Even the good old Sam Adams Boston Lager is reasonably malty but not very sweet.

That was the first thing that popped into my head.

 

[sendai]

I'll look for some of the German beers mentioned. Erik_Mog, did you mean Ayinger instead of Spaten?

Negra Modelo is a pretty good example. Slightly sweet but not too bad. I hadn't thought of Boston Lager, but it is a nicely balanced beer with a decent malt presence.

Thanks, everyone. This is helpful. Would love a few more suggestions.

 

[berndawg84]

I would suggest looking at Brown Ales. They tend to be pretty malty. Some are sweet, some are more bitter. I'm in Colorado, and here the Telluride Face Down Brown is a drier brown ale. I would say just go to your local craft beer store and ask for suggestions on a not-sweet brown ale. Also agree that Dunkel and Vienna lagers tend to be malt-forward but not necessarily sweet.

 

[Garyblueberry]

Old brown dog by smuttynose it's a good malty but not too sweet, also old chubby Oskar blues. OC is a tad sweeter though