There are many varieties of malt available to the brewer. here are but a few of the more popular: Pale Malt Forms the basic source of extract for most beers. It has a mild flavour and is only lightly kilned at relatively low temperatures. Black Malt Used primarily for colour but the high degree of kilning lends a certain ‘dry ness’ to the mouth feel. When used in quantity, the harsh acrid ‘smokiness’ of the malt shows strongly. Carastan Highly modified malt, it is re-steeped to complete the conversion of Crystal starch prior to kilning which increases the sugar content of the barley kernel so when it is kilned, it caramelises. The use of this malt enhances the malty/sweet base to the palate and lends a certain body/mouth feel to the beer. Cara-pils Similar to the carastan in level of modification but is kilned at a lower temperature so as to avoid the caramelization reaction. It is used primarily in pale lagers to increase mouth feel and head retention without deepening the colour. It is sometimes known as dextrine malt. There are many other varieties of malt available - Vienna, Munich, Rye, Wheat, Acid, Chocolate, Smoked, Peated - to name a few. The blending of malts by the brewer is a large part of the art. All malts other than pale malt are termed specialty malts and are generally used in small quantities (occasionally with other grains) to augment a pale malt mash.
	Some non-malt adjuncts and their contribution to beer flavour/palate.
	Oats Oats contribute an oily silkiness to the beer. Appropriate in Scottish and Irish ales, and such heavier specialties, some porters and stouts. Contributes significant head retention qualities due to nature of its protein content.
	Wheat Contributes a certain tartness not unlike green plum or apple, to beers using this adjunct. The use of raw wheat is extremely rare. Belgian Wit biers are the most common examples of raw wheat usage. In most instances the wheat is malted first. Malted and unmalted wheat both contribute significantly to head retention. Malted wheat contributes a somewhat more subdued but refreshing tartness. Wheat adjuncts offer a significant contribution to head retention due to the nature of their protein content.
	Rice Rice - Makes for a lighter beer in taste and body. Rice beers have a very clean crisp character. Rice contributes no colour at all and allows the production of extremely pale beers. Due to its low protein content, its use may actually decrease head retention.
	Corn Corn also makes for a lighter beer but can contribute a definite character especi- ally when used at rates higher than 15-20 per cent. Corn beers can sometimes have a ‘maizy’ or ‘chicken-feed’ character. I also find them to have a kind of cloying sweet character. That being said, a well made corn beer can be extremely refreshing if the characters are balanced by a skillful brewer. Because of corns high oil content and low protein content, the selection of type (refined grits, flakes, corn syrup) and skilled use is critical to head retention and overall beer quality
	Rye The use of rye is somewhat of a rarity nowadays limited to a few specialty micro-products and smaller European independents in Bavaria, the Baltic states, Finland and Estonia. It contributes a strong, dry-bitter, fruity, spicy (sometimes herbaceous) character and is usually used in small quantities so as not to over power the palate. Occasionally, (like Schierlinger Roggenbier, Bavaria) it composes the bulk of the mash making for an extremely unusual ‘big’ beer.
	Barley Unlike malted barley, unmalted barley has a higher insoluble protein content and can contribute significantly to mouth feel and head retention in a way not unlike oats. Like oats it is usually ‘flaked’ prior to use and used in small proportions. Black Barley is roasted like the Black Malt, but has a very different flavour profile. This difference is due to the fact that Black Malt offers the flavours of roasted sugars where Black Barley offers the flavours of roasted starch. Used at a rate of 3-15 per cent in stouts porters and some scotch ales, it creates notes of: leather, jam, coffee, chocolate, licorice, burnt toast, cedar, wet dog etc.
	Sugar Sugar - Corn sugars, dextrose, often added as a cheap fermentable or to increase the alcoholic content of a beer. The use of sugar invariably accentuates the ‘fruity’ character of the beer probably due to yeast metabolism. Many fine British brewers take advantage of this property. The use of less refined sugar may also give rise to rum-like notes in the beer, which in certain styles is entirely appropriate.
	Yeast As in wine making, yeast provides the alcohol in the final product but also serves to create new or enhanced existing flavour compounds from the raw materials.Yeast is a microscopic, free living, unicellular fungus which we manipulate in alcoholic beverage production. Brewers yeast is divided into three categories: the ale yeasts (top fermenters, Saccharomyces cereviseae ), the lager yeasts (bottom fermenters, Saccharomyces uvarum or calrlsbergensis) and the wild yeasts (largely considered infectious organisms but essential in some Northern European styles, Saccharomyces candida, Brettanomyces bruxellensis and lambicus, to name a few).
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