| Source | Extraction | Enzymes | Color | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pale Malt | .035 | low-medium | 2-3°L | |
| Lager Malt | .035 | medium | 1.4-1.8°L | |
| Mild Ale Malt | .033 | medium | 3-4°L | |
| Brown Malt | .032 | none | 55-70°L | |
| Chocolate Malt | .024 | none | 325-500°L | Nutty to roasted flavor depending on quantity |
| Black (Patent) Malt | .024 | none | 450-600°L | Roasted, charcoal flavor |
| Crystal Malt | .024 | none | 10-200°L | Adds body, sweet, caramel, nutty |
| Pilsner Malt | .036 | medium-high | 1.4-2°L | |
| Vienna Malt | .035 | medium-high | 2-5°L | Slight maltiness |
| Munich Malt | .035 | medium | 4-12°L | Caramel, malty sweetness |
| Cara-pils Malt | .032 | none | 1.5-1.8°L | Adds body and head retention, smooth, sweet |
| Caravienne | .034 | none | 19-24°L | Caramel sweet |
| Caramunich | .033 | none | 53-63°L | Rich malt aroma |
| Victory | .034 | low-medium | 20-30°L | Warm, toasted flavor |
| Aromatic | .036 | low | 17-22°L | Distinct malt aroma and flavor |
| Biscuit | .035 | none | 19-26°L | Toasted flavor and aroma |
| Special B | .030 | none | 75-150°L | |
| Wheat Malt | .036 | low-high | 1.6-4°L | Adds body and head retention, grain flavor |
| Rye Malt | .029 | medium | 4-5°L | Deep red color and pronounced rye flavor |
| Roasted Barley | .024 | none | 450-600°L | Bitter, roasted, coffee |
| Flaked Barley | .032 | - | Grainy, increases head retention | |
| Flaked Oats | .033 | - | ||
| Flaked Maize (Corn) | .036 | - | Smooth, sweet | |
| Flaked Rye | .036 | - | ||
| Malt Extract, Syrup | .036 | - | ||
| Malt Extract, Dried | .045 | - | ||
| Rice Syrup | .035 | - | ||
| Rice Syrup Solids | .045 | - | ||
| Corn Sugar | .038 | - | ||
| Cane Sugar | .045 | - | ||
| Brown sugar | .045 | - | ||
| Molasses | .035 | - | ||
| Honey | .034 | - |
Extraction refers to the amount of specific gravity contributed to the wort by 1 pound of the ingredient in 1 gallon of water after mashing or steeping as appropriate. Note that the numbers shown above represent values close to the theoretical maximum yield and the actual values that you achieve depend on many factors, primary of which relates to the equipment and process used for mashing and sparging or extracting sugar from specialty grains. To calculate the theoretical maximum specific gravity of your wort, add up the extraction of each ingredient multiplied by the weight of that ingredient, divide the total by your batch size in gallons, and add 1. For example, for a 5 gallon batch containing 6 pounds of malt extract, 1 pound of crystal malt, and 1/2 pound of chocolate malt, the calculation would be:
(6 × .036 + 1 × .024 + .5 × .024) ÷ 5 + 1 = 1.050In creating a recipe, you can work this equation backwards to determine how much malt and/or other adjuncts you need to add to achieve a given specific gravity. If you are mashing, you can compare your actual specific gravity with your calculated specific gravity to determine your mashing efficiency.
Enzymes indicates the amount of enzymes available to convert starch to sugar in the grain. Grains with higher enzyme content are capable of converting starches in other grains that they are mashed with as well as their own.
Color is described in degrees Lovibond. You can get an approximation of the color of your beer by adding the color times the weight of each ingredient in pounds and dividing the total by your batch size in gallons.