Roasted barley vs. black malt

[seanppp]

Here (https://byo.com/stories/item/1477-the-dark-secrets-of-stout) he says that black malt is more acrid than roasted barley. However in Michael Lewis's book "Stout" he says the exact opposite. What's true?

 

[ericbw]

Here (https://byo.com/stories/item/1477-the-dark-secrets-of-stout) he says that black malt is more acrid than roasted barley. However in Michael Lewis's book "Stout" he says the exact opposite. What's true?

Black patent is more acrid to me. RB is more roasted, toasted, rounder? I don't know how to describe it properly.

But I guess there are differences between brands, some RB is 350L, and some can be 500. If it's 500 it might be more like black patent.

Otherwise, the difference is that black patent is malted and RB is not. But I don't know how that affects the outcome, since it's roasted so dark the enzymes are burnt.

 

[Yooper]

Briess' "black malt" is not acrid, like black patent. At least to me, as I use that in my stout.

Maybe one refers to black barley vs roasted barley? or black patent? Or Blackprinz malt? Here's a little chart from Briess that I love because it simplifies the dark roasted malts for me: http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Dark_Roasted.htm

And difference between black barley and roasted barley: http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Roasted_Barley.htm

 

[stevedasleeve]

I did two batches of my dry stout recipe a few months ago, one with black roasted (unmalted) barley and one with black patent - around the same color. The full recipe includes 12 oz + 8 oz of chocolate wheat. I like my stouts somewhat dry and with enough bitterness to balance it out with hints of chocolate but not at all sweet.

The black patent turned the stout closer to porter to my palet. The acrid ashe descriptor for black patent simply was not there.

FWIW I much prefer black roasted barley, though the black patent version came out pretty decent.

Incidentally black patent in small quantities is good in my imperial IPAs - adds a sort of dark toffee flavor and makes the color a pretty red: 1-2 oz in a 5 gallon batch at 1.080+. To my taste it sort of transforms a IIPA into a barleywine!

 

[JKaranka]

I find roast barley sharper, almost minty in a way, quite refreshing. Black patent is more of a rounded dark roast and some burnt tones, more like a French roast coffee. At least to me.