Pauls Malt Roasted Barley 1400–1600 EBC

Pauls Malt Roasted Barley is the defining grain of Irish Dry Stout — unmalted barley roasted to a deep 1400–1600 EBC by one of Britain's most historic maltsters, whose roots reach back to 1842 in Ipswich. If a stout tastes of dry, dark-roast coffee and pours jet black under a famously pale, creamy head, roasted barley is the grain responsible — this is the ingredient that makes an Irish stout taste Irish, and no amount of dark malt quite substitutes for it.

The technical distinction matters, because roasted barley is not a malt at all. Where black malt is barley that was malted first and roasted second, roasted barley goes into the roaster raw and unmalted — and that single difference changes everything in the glass. The flavour comes out sharper and drier: intense coffee, a dark bitter-chocolate edge, and the characteristic clean, slightly sharp roast bite that gives dry stout its snap — where black malt reads smoother and rounder. And roasted barley carries the style's visual signature too: it's traditionally credited with the pale, tan, creamy head that crowns a proper pint of Irish stout, in contrast to the darker foam that roasted malts produce. The Irish preference for the unmalted grain is a tradition often traced back to the era when raw barley escaped the British malt tax — thrift that became a style definition.

At 1400–1600 EBC, this is a precision instrument used in small doses: 3–5% of the grain bill delivers full dry-stout roast character and deep black colour; up to 10% pushes into intensely roasty territory for foreign extra and imperial interpretations. Even 1–2% works as a pure colour adjustment, adding ruby-black depth to porters and dark ales with only a whisper of roast. Being unmalted and fully roasted, it brings no enzymes and needs no conversion — equally at home in an all-grain grist or steeped by extract brewers. For a smoother, less acrid extraction, cold-steep the roasted barley overnight and add the liquor to the boil — a classic dry-stout brewer's refinement.

Crushed or uncrushed Available crushed or uncrushed. Crushed grain should be used within 2–3 weeks for optimal freshness. Uncrushed grain retains full freshness for significantly longer when stored in a cool, dry environment.

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Flavor & Aroma

• Intense dry-roast coffee (signature)
• Dark bitter-chocolate edge
• Clean, sharp roast bite — the dry stout snap
• Jet-black colour with the classic pale, creamy stout head

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Usage

Stout: Irish Dry Stout, Foreign Extra Stout, Export Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Imperial Stout Dark Ale: Porter (for a drier, sharper roast edge), Black IPA, Dark Mild Colour: 1–2% additions for ruby-black colour adjustment in any dark style

Typical usage rate: 3–10% of the grain bill. No mash conversion required — suitable for steeping in extract brewing. Cold-steep overnight for a smoother, softer roast extraction.

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Quick facts

Brand: Pauls Malt (Ipswich, England — heritage to 1842)

Type: Roasted unmalted barley

Colour: 1400–1600 EBC

Enzymes: None — no conversion required, steepable

Usage rate: 3–10% of grain bill (1–2% for colour only)

Use: Irish Dry Stout signature grain, roast character, black colour, dry coffee bite