Beers That Taste Sweet & Malty (Flavour Profile – 4 of 7)
Bitter and Hoppy Beers: The perfect beers for anyone who loves dried fruit, Werther’s Original candy, bold flavours and just a pinch of sweet flavours.
By The Beer Community on Apr. 12, 2018
Trying to find out what kind of beer you like?
Maybe you’d enjoy a malty and sweet beer!
Sweet and malty beers are for anyone who loves bold flavours. These are the perfect beers to crack during seasons where the leaves change colour. So put away your summer brews and stock your fridge with sweet, malty brews that will have you feeling warm on the inside on a crisp day. If you’ve got a passion for sweet, dark, and flavourful beers, then these are for you.
What are Malty Beers?
These beers have strong malt flavours. The palate of malty beers can have varying levels of sweetness and deep notes of nuts, caramel, toffee, bread, and dark, dried fruits. Malty beers usually range in colours from light copper to dark brown. They can be light to full bodied and low to high ABV%, depending on the brewery and the brewer’s preferences.
What are the most popular beers that taste sweet and malted?
Malty and sweet flavours in beer isn’t a huge trend in the macro beer industry. Most large breweries don’t have the ingredients, or time to focus on creating strong malt flavours in their brews. Although, a popular beer that is known for being considered sweet is Newcastle Brown Ale.
If you like Newcastle Brown Ale, you like a beer that’s considered sweet and malty!
Newcastle Brown Ale is auburn in colour with a rich full-bodied flavour and a slightly sweet finish. The recipe was developed by Colonel J. Porter, aka “The Original Dogwalker”, in 1927 in Newcastle, England. In Newcastle, England, “Walking the Dog” is Geordie slang for hitting the pub for a Newcastle Brown Ale. It’s a bit of code to use when you’re looking to meet friends and enjoy a couple pints of Newcastle Brown Ale. Don’t worry, you don’t need a dog of your own to enjoy one of these sweet, malty brews.
What beer styles are taste “sweet & malty”?
Even though sweet and malty beers share a lot of characteristics, they also vary in a lot of different ways. Many different beer styles fall under the beer profile of malty and sweet.
Toasty & Nutty:
Toasty and nutty brews combine notes of mild crispiness with very bold, bready malt flavours. Toast, nutty, biscuity, and graham-like notes area always strong. More intense and strong beers sometimes show touches of roasted or dried fruits like raisins, figs, and dates.
Types of beers that fall into this malty and sweet category include: Doppelbock, Dunkel Lager, Eisbock, English Brown Ale, English Mild, Schwarzbier
Fruit, Toffee & Caramel-like Flavours:
While these beers have bright dried-fruit notes, they also carry a strong malt presence. Mild fruit aromas balance out the sweet caramel and toffee flavours.
Types of beers that fall into this malty and sweet flavour category include: Belgian Pale Ale, Bière de Garde, English Barleywine, English Bitter, English Special Bitter (ESB), Irish Red Ale, Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, Scottish Ale, Wheatwine
Food Pairings for Sweet and Malty Brews:
When searching for foods to pair with malty and sweet beers, it is important to highlight the malt profile. Root vegetables, bold cheeses, tomato-flavours, pork, and cured meats are all great pairing options. Our favourite? A Hawaiian-style pizza, with extra cheese of course!
If you’re thinking, “What type of beer should I drink?”…
Try a malty and sweet beer!
Try These Malty & Sweet Beers If You Like…
If you’re ready to try some malty and sweet brews, you should start by trying beers that have similar flavours to ones you already know you love.
If you like “sticky-toffee” anything, try Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale by Charles Wells Brewery.
If you like eating Werther’s Original by the handful, try a bottle of Old Stock Ale by North Coast Brewing Company.
If you’re a fan of dark fruits like raisins or figs, you might like by Oatmeal Raisin Cookie by Cigar City Brewing.
More Malty and Sweet Beers To Try:
If you’re struggling to find the perfect sweet and malty beer, let us help you out. Below is a list of our favourite sweet and malty brews from Canadian breweries.
- Black Tusk Ale – Whistler Brewing Company (Whistler, BC)
- English Brown Ale – Brasserie Mille-Îles (Terrebonne, QC)
- Farm Table Dunkel – Beau’s Brewing Company (Vankleek Hill, ON)
- Japanese Bière de Garde – Granville Island Brewing (Vancouver, BC)
- Lower Bankhead Black Pilsner – Banff Ave. Brewing Company (Banff, AB)
- Munich Eisbock – Fort Garry Brewing (Winnipeg, MB)
- Perepllut Barley Wine – Blindman Brewing (Lacombe, AB)
- Uncommon Element – Nickel Brook Brewing Company (Burlington, ON)
- Scotian Pale – Trider’s Craft Beer (Amherst, NS)
- Spring Bock – Amsterdam Brewing (Toronto, ON)
Find the right beer for you! JustBeer has grouped all the styles of beers into seven main beer profile categories to help you find beers based on flavours you already know and love.