Beer Forum

Found out a bit ago that my LHBS is selling Brown Malt and Special B as the same malt (Special B). I'm making Jamil's Brown Porter this weekend and I'm sure most will not consider this a viable substitute with regard to accuracy.

I saw somewhere that recommended taking MO and baking it in 3 steps (250, 300, and 350° each for 30 minutes) to create brown malt. Has anyone done it this way or would ou advise another alternative?

So to clarify, you wanted to buy Brown Malt and you ended up with Special B?

In any case, yeah the process you mentioned should work fairly well. Brown Malt is basically just heavily toasted malt but there's really nothing else quite like it. It contributes a very unique character. You could also start out with some Victory or Biscuit malt and toast that.

That's what WOULD have happened, yes. I asked if they sold Brown Malt, and he said "we sell Special B, Brown Malt, and Amber as the same malt, Special B."

BigNastyBrew wrote:That's what WOULD have happened, yes. I asked if they sold Brown Malt, and he said "we sell Special B, Brown Malt, and Amber as the same malt, Special B."

Heh... I think what he meant to say was "We sell Special B as Special B, Brown Malt and Amber Malt". I think the latest BYO had an article on making your own brown malt, the process as I recall was similar to what was described above...

Thanks, and yeah you worded it better haha.

He ended up being wrong about that. When I got there, the owner said that the Brown malt was actual British Brown Malt. But he was out of Marris Otter. Oh well

Yeah, not all HBS employees know anything... especially ones that aren't exclusively HB. Ours is a wine shop first, so some people don't know anything about brewing.