Australian Chocolate Malt with Cocoa, Iced Coffee and Caramel Notes
Add smooth roasted complexity and deep colour to your beer with Voyager Chocolate Malt. Crafted in the Riverina region of New South Wales, this Australian specialty malt contributes classic cocoa, latte, iced coffee, caramel and burnt-toast flavours.
Voyager describes its Chocolate Malt as a lighter, more refined interpretation of traditional chocolate malt. It balances slight sweetness with smooth bitterness, creating rich chocolate and coffee character without the sharper dryness normally associated with roasted barley.
Its dark 1000–1200 EBC colour makes it ideal for Porter, Stout, Brown Ale, Dark Mild, Schwarzbier and other dark beer styles. Use it sparingly for subtle cocoa and colour or increase the percentage for a more prominent roasted-chocolate profile.
Why You’ll Love Voyager Chocolate Malt
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Premium Australian roasted specialty malt
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Crafted by Voyager Craft Malt in the Riverina region of NSW
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Slight sweetness with smooth roasted bitterness
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Classic cocoa, latte and iced-coffee flavours
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Adds caramel and burnt-toast complexity
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Produces deep brown-to-black beer colour
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Smoother and rounder than roasted barley
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Excellent for Porter, Stout and Brown Ale
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Useful in both dark ales and dark lagers
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Dark 1000–1200 EBC colour
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Freshly packed to order by Border Brewing Supplies
Flavour Profile
Voyager Chocolate Malt delivers a harmonious blend of slight sweetness and smooth bitterness with cocoa, latte, iced coffee, caramel and burnt-toast notes.
Its rounded roasted character adds depth and complexity without producing the intense dry bitterness associated with heavily roasted unmalted barley. Smaller additions provide subtle cocoa and colour, while higher percentages create a fuller chocolate-coffee profile.
Colour: Dark brown to black
Flavour: Cocoa, iced coffee, caramel and burnt toast
Aroma: Chocolate, latte and roasted malt
Sweetness: Slight
Bitterness: Smooth and restrained
Colour Contribution: High
Enzyme Activity: Very low
Typical Beer Styles
Voyager Chocolate Malt is ideal for brewing:
| Porter and Stout Styles | Ale, Lager and Specialty Styles |
|---|---|
| English Porter | English Brown Ale |
| Robust Porter | American Brown Ale |
| Baltic Porter | Dark Mild |
| Dry Stout | Irish Red Ale |
| Sweet Stout | Black IPA |
| Oatmeal Stout | Cascadian Dark Ale |
| Foreign Extra Stout | Munich Dunkel |
| American Stout | Schwarzbier |
| Imperial Stout | Doppelbock |
| Coffee Stout | Dark Saison |
| Chocolate Stout | Smoked Porter |
These styles benefit from Chocolate Malt’s ability to provide deep colour with smooth cocoa, coffee, caramel and roasted-malt complexity.
Product Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Maltster | Voyager Craft Malt |
| Country of Origin | Australia |
| Region | Riverina, New South Wales |
| Malt Type | Roasted Chocolate Malt |
| Grain | Malted barley |
| Colour | 1000–1200 EBC |
| Typical Colour | Approximately 1100 EBC |
| Lovibond | Approximately 500–610°L |
| Moisture | Less than 5% |
| Extract, Fine Dry | Approximately 78–81% |
| Protein | Approximately 9–12% |
| Flavour | Cocoa, iced coffee, caramel and burnt toast |
| Enzyme Activity | Very low |
| Typical Usage | 1–10% of the grain bill |
Specifications can vary slightly between harvests and individual malt batches.
Brewing Tips
Use approximately 1–2% of the grain bill to deepen colour and add a subtle cocoa or coffee accent without making the beer strongly roasted.
Use approximately 2–5% in Brown Ale, Dark Mild, Porter and Schwarzbier for noticeable chocolate flavour and a rich dark colour.
Use approximately 5–10% in Stout, Robust Porter and other strongly flavoured dark beer when a more prominent cocoa, coffee and burnt-toast character is required.
Voyager Chocolate Malt has very little useful enzymatic activity and should be mashed with an enzymatic base malt such as Voyager Compass, Atlas, Veloria or another suitable pale malt.
Combine it with caramel or crystal malt for a sweeter, rounder dark beer. Combine it carefully with Voyager Roasted Barley when stronger coffee flavour and a drier roasted finish are required.
For an especially smooth dark beer, Chocolate Malt can be added during the final portion of the mash or cold-steeped separately. These methods can extract colour and flavour while reducing roast harshness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Voyager Chocolate Malt?
Voyager Chocolate Malt is an Australian roasted specialty malt used to add deep colour and cocoa, iced-coffee, caramel and burnt-toast flavours to beer.
Does Chocolate Malt contain chocolate?
No. Chocolate Malt is made from roasted malted barley and does not contain cocoa or chocolate. Its chocolate-like flavour and aroma develop naturally during roasting.
What flavour does Voyager Chocolate Malt add?
It contributes cocoa, latte, iced coffee, caramel and burnt-toast flavours with slight sweetness and smooth roasted bitterness.
How much Voyager Chocolate Malt should I use?
Use approximately 1–2% for colour and subtle cocoa notes, 2–5% for Porter and Brown Ale, or 5–10% for Stout and other strongly flavoured dark beer.
What beer styles use Chocolate Malt?
Chocolate Malt is commonly used in Porter, Stout, Brown Ale, Dark Mild, Schwarzbier, Munich Dunkel, Black IPA and other dark beer styles.
What is the difference between Chocolate Malt and roasted barley?
Chocolate Malt is made from malted barley and generally contributes smoother cocoa, caramel and coffee flavours. Roasted barley is unmalted and normally produces a sharper, drier and more intense roasted-coffee character.
What is the difference between Chocolate Malt and Pale Chocolate Malt?
Voyager Chocolate Malt is significantly darker and provides deeper roast, coffee and burnt-toast flavours. Pale Chocolate Malt is lighter, softer and generally contributes more gentle cocoa and toasted flavours.
What is the difference between Chocolate Malt and Black Malt?
Chocolate Malt provides rounded chocolate, coffee and caramel flavours. Black Malt is normally more intensely roasted and can contribute stronger charred, burnt or ashy notes.
Does Voyager Chocolate Malt need to be mashed?
All-grain brewers should mash it with an enzymatic base malt. Extract brewers can steep crushed Chocolate Malt to extract its dark colour and roasted flavour.
Does Voyager Chocolate Malt have diastatic power?
It has very little useful enzymatic activity because of the high roasting temperature. It should therefore be used with an enzymatic base malt.
What can I substitute for Voyager Chocolate Malt?
Joe White Chocolate Malt, Simpsons Chocolate Malt or another dark chocolate malt can be substituted. Check the replacement malt’s EBC rating and adjust the quantity because roast intensity and colour can differ considerably.
Buy Voyager Chocolate Malt online from Border Brewing Supplies. Available in freshly packed quantities for home brewers throughout Australia, with local collection from our Tweed Heads South home brew shop for customers from the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Northern Rivers and QLD–NSW border region.
