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Roasted Barley

Unmalted barley roasted very dark, giving the sharp, coffee-like dryness and black colour of an Irish stout.

What Roasted Barley is

Roasted barley is unmalted barley roasted to a very dark colour. Unlike the malted dark grains, it gives a sharper, drier, more coffee-like roast character, and it is what defines the Irish dry stout.

It provides the black colour and the crisp, bitter, espresso-like dryness that sets a dry stout apart from the sweeter, chocolatey English stouts. It is usually used in modest amounts because its roast is so assertive.

Colour and flavour

Colour: 300 to 500 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: Sharp, dry, coffee-like roast and a deep black colour..

How much to use

Typical proportion of the grist: Typically 3 to 10% of the grist. Adjust to taste and to the style you are brewing; the figures here are a starting point, not a rule.

Roasted Barley is a roasted malt. It is added to the mash or steeped for colour and roast flavour; a little goes a long way, so it is weighed carefully. It is central to styles such as Dry Stout and Imperial Stout, 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