Extra-Pale British Base Malt for Bright, Hop-Forward Beer

Brew bright, crisp and highly drinkable beer with Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt. Produced in the United Kingdom from premium British two-row barley, this versatile base malt delivers a clean, delicate malt backbone with gentle sweet-biscuit and fresh-grain notes.

Kilned at a lower temperature than Simpsons Best Pale Ale Malt, it produces exceptionally pale wort while allowing hops, yeast and specialty ingredients to remain prominent. Its high extract potential and enzymatic activity make it an excellent base for West Coast IPA, New England IPA, American Pale Ale, Blonde Ale, Belgian styles and light-coloured lager.

Compared with Golden Promise or Maris Otter, Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt is lighter in colour and body, less sweet and more neutral—making it particularly useful in modern hop-forward recipes.

Why You’ll Love Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt

• Premium British extra-pale base malt

• Produced by Simpsons Malt in the United Kingdom

• Made from high-quality British two-row barley

• Exceptionally pale colour of up to 3.5 EBC

• Clean and delicate malt backbone

• Gentle sweet-biscuit and fresh-grain notes

• Crisp, relatively dry finish

• Allows hop aroma and flavour to remain prominent

• High extract potential

• Good enzymatic activity

• Suitable for ale and lager recipes

• Ideal for West Coast IPA, Hazy IPA and Pale Ale

• Can comprise up to 100% of the grain bill

• Available freshly packed, milled or unmilled

• Full 25 kg sacks available for local pickup

Flavour Profile

Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt provides a subtle light-malt flavour with gentle sweet-biscuit and fresh-grain notes. It creates a cleaner, crisper and less sweet base than Golden Promise or Maris Otter while retaining more British malt character than an entirely neutral base grain.

Its restrained flavour makes it especially useful in hop-forward beer, where it provides sufficient malt structure without competing with citrus, tropical, resinous or floral hop character.

Colour: Extra pale straw to light gold
Flavour: Light malt, gentle sweet biscuit and fresh grain
Aroma: Clean grain with delicate biscuit notes
Body Contribution: Light to medium
Finish: Clean, crisp and relatively dry
Enzyme Activity: Good

Typical Beer Styles

Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt is ideal for brewing:

Its light colour and clean flavour also make it an excellent base for recipes containing characterful specialty grain, fruit, spices or expressive yeast.

Product Specifications

Specifications may vary slightly between harvests and individual malt batches.

Brewing Tips

Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt can comprise up to 100% of the grain bill and has sufficient enzymatic activity to function as the sole base malt in most all-grain recipes.

For a crisp West Coast IPA, Cold IPA or dry Pale Ale, mash at approximately 63–65°C to encourage fermentability and a clean finish.

For New England IPA, Hazy IPA or lower-alcohol Pale Ale requiring additional body, mash at approximately 65–67°C and combine it with wheat malt, flaked wheat or oats as required.

Its exceptionally pale colour makes it useful when building bright yellow or pale-gold beer without relying exclusively on continental Pilsner malt.

Extra Pale Ale Malt also works well as a neutral base for darker beer. Specialty grains can create the required colour and flavour while the base malt provides fermentable extract without adding excessive sweetness.

Pair it with modern Australian, New Zealand or American hops when strong hop expression is the priority.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt?

Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt is a very light British base malt made from UK two-row barley. It contributes a clean malt backbone with subtle sweet-biscuit and fresh-grain notes.

What beer styles use Extra Pale Ale Malt?

It is ideal for American Pale Ale, West Coast IPA, New England IPA, Hazy IPA, Session IPA, Blonde Ale, Saison, Belgian Tripel, Wheat Beer and light-coloured lager.

Can Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt make up the entire grain bill?

Yes. It is a fully modified base malt with good extract potential and enzymatic activity, making it suitable for use at up to 100% of the grain bill.

What is the difference between Extra Pale Ale Malt and Best Pale Ale Malt?

Extra Pale Ale Malt is kilned at a lower temperature, producing a lighter colour and cleaner flavour. Best Pale Ale Malt is darker and provides more noticeable biscuit and traditional British malt character.

What is the difference between Extra Pale Ale Malt and Golden Promise?

Extra Pale Ale Malt is lighter, crisper and less sweet. Golden Promise provides greater malt depth, honeyed sweetness and a softer, rounder mouthfeel.

What is the difference between Extra Pale Ale Malt and Maris Otter?

Extra Pale Ale Malt is paler, lighter-bodied and cleaner, allowing hops to remain more prominent. Maris Otter contributes richer biscuit, bread and toasted flavours with a fuller malt backbone.

Is Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt suitable for Hazy IPA?

Yes. Its pale colour and restrained malt character provide an excellent base for Hazy IPA and New England IPA. Combine it with wheat and oats when additional body, foam and stable haze are required.

Is Extra Pale Ale Malt suitable for West Coast IPA?

Yes. Its clean flavour, pale colour and relatively crisp finish make it particularly well suited to West Coast IPA, where bright hop flavour and firm bitterness should remain the focus.

Can Extra Pale Ale Malt be used for lager?

Yes. Simpsons describes it as a light base suitable for both ales and lagers. It provides a clean result, although its subtle sweet-biscuit character differs slightly from traditional continental Pilsner malt.

Does Extra Pale Ale Malt need to be milled?

Yes. It must be crushed before mashing. Choose your preferred milled or unmilled option when ordering.

What can I substitute for Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt?

Simpsons Finest Lager Malt, Weyermann Pilsner Malt or another low-colour base malt can be substituted when a similarly pale result is required. Standard pale ale malt can also be used, but it will generally add more colour and malt flavour.

Buy Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt online from Border Brewing Supplies. Available freshly packed and milled or unmilled for home brewers throughout Australia. Full 25 kg unmilled sacks are available for collection from our Tweed Heads South home brew shop, conveniently located for brewers from the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Northern Rivers and QLD–NSW border region.