Home / Guides / Acidulated Malt

Acidulated Malt

A malt treated with lactic acid, used in small amounts to lower mash pH naturally.

What Acidulated Malt is

Acidulated malt carries lactic acid produced by souring during its production. A small proportion in the grist lowers the pH of the mash, which improves conversion and flavour, without adding minerals the way acid salts can.

It is a favourite tool for brewers of pale styles brewed with soft or alkaline water, letting them hit the right mash pH within the German purity law, which permits only malt, hops, water and yeast. In larger amounts it can also add a gentle tartness to sour styles.

Colour and flavour

Colour: 2 to 6 degrees Lovibond. Malt colour is measured in degrees Lovibond, or the metric EBC, and is a rough guide to flavour intensity as well as to the shade the malt lends the beer.

Flavour and character: Adds a slight tartness at high rates; mainly used to adjust pH..

How much to use

Typical proportion of the grist: 1 to 5% of the grist. Adjust to taste and to the style you are brewing; the figures here are a starting point, not a rule.

Acidulated Malt is a kilned malt. It still carries enough enzyme power to be mashed as part of the grain bill, and in malty styles it can make up a large share of it. It is central to styles such as German Pilsner, Munich Helles and Gose, where it does much to define the flavour and colour, and it can be used in smaller amounts in many other beers. As with any grain, the right amount depends on the beer you are building, so treat the proportions here as a tested starting point rather than a fixed rule.

Related

Sources: BJCP Beer Style Guidelines · How to Brew (John Palmer), malt reference