Visit the Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog site

Unlike some (Melissa Cole, p6; Mark Dredge), we don’t object to the use of the terms ‘malty’ and ‘hoppy’ as over-arching descriptors, but one thing does bug us: ‘malty’ shouldn’t just mean ‘not hoppy’.

Malt flavour is a positive addition to the flavour of a beer, giving it another dimension. The best hoppy beers — that is, those with a pronounced flowery hop aroma and/or bitterness — also have malt flavour, usually sneaking up as a bonus in the finish.
These are the kind of things we think of (no doubt via Michael Jackson and others) when we spot that taste:

  • toasted nuts and*seeds
  • fresh bread
  • crackers

It’s dry as in crisp, savoury but not salty, and just downright*wholesome.
The best of the lagers we mentioned yesterday all have veritable maltiness, as do many of the pale-n-hoppy c.4% cask ales at which North of England breweries seem to excel. Our local equivalent, Potion 9 at the Star Inn, is defined by bright citrusy hops, but it’s that bread-crust and cream cracker snap that ultimately makes it so satisfying — the bun without which a*burger wouldn’t be half as enjoyable.
A beer with fairly restrained hop character might allow the malt to take centre stage, and that can be good too.
But some beers aren’t hoppy or malty — they’re just sugary, gritty, vegetal or (worst of all) watery.
Don’t blame malt for that.
Malty from Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog - Over-thinking beer, pubs and the meaning of craft since 2007


More...