In order to select the best malt vinegar, it is important to think about how you plan on using it. If you are looking for vinegar to use as a condiment, the main factor to consider at is flavor. This is primarily influenced by age, so you should look for a product that was allowed to mature prior to bottling. Distilled malt vinegars are typically not as well suited for use as condiments, though they can be good for pickling. If you are looking for a vinegar you can use for pickling, try to find a product that has an acetic acid concentration of five percent or more.
Malt vinegar is a product that begins with malted barley, which is fermented in a process that is similar to the brewing of beer. The sugar from the malted barley is converted into alcohol, which is further transformed into acetic acid. This results in a vinegar that has a very strong taste and a brown color, which is somewhat reminiscent of malted ales. The best malt vinegars come from high quality malted barley, and are allowed to fully mature before they are bottled.
A number of different ways exist for using malt vinegar, each of which calls for a slightly different product. If you want a vinegar that can be used as a condiment, you should typically look for a product that has been allowed time to mature. These vinegars tend to be deep brown in color, which is one way to tell if you have found a good product. Quality malt vinegars should have have a relatively strong flavor.
If you want a good malt vinegar to use for pickling, the best choice can depend on what you want to pickle. In most cases, you should look for an aged product that contains between five and eight percent acetic acid by volume. Some good malt vinegars contain less than five percent acetic acid, which makes them poorly suited to pickling. If you want to pickle vegetables that contain a lot of water, such as cucumbers, then you should select a distilled malt vinegar that has a substantially higher level of acetic acid. This is due to the fact that the water in the vegetables can effectively dilute the acetic acid level.
There are also a few different options you can consider if you need a malt vinegar substitute. One less expensive option is to select an imitation product that consists of acetic acid with added caramel color and flavor, though the taste will typically be inferior. Cider vinegar can be substituted for some recipes, and lemon juice is often a good option for replacing malt vinegar as a condiment.