Since I am using Vienna Malt for the first time in the Brew Dudes’ First Annual O-fest Brew Off, I thought I would research it and put up a profile post about it.
Historically, this malt variety is the foundation of the Vienna lager, which has a pretty interesting history in itself…but that’s another post. The developer of that beer style was named Anton Dreher and he spent time studying brewing around Europe including England. Once he got back to Austria, I read that he implemented his knowledge of English malting techniques into his beer brewing – which leads me to believe this knowledge birthed Vienna malt.
This variety is similar to Munich malt where it can be used as a base malt, but most recipes pair them with a Pilsner malt.
Because it is kilned at higher temperatures, Vienna malt will bring a little more flavor and color to your beer than a Pilsner malt would. Let’s get into the specifics:
Flavor: Fuller, deeper malt flavor – more grainy
Color: 3 to 3.5°L – Provides a nice golden color to your beer.
Body: N/A
Use: Typically, it’s used as a base malt for Vienna or Märzen style lagers or as a percentage of the base malt total.
David
Interesting stuff. Are you going to use it for a lager in the Brew Off?
John
Yes, I plan to brew my Oktoberfest as a lager. The plan was to ferment for a few weeks at 50°F and then lager it at near freezing temperatures for a few months.