Spelt is a hulled wheat relative — genetically close enough to modern wheat to share many of its brewing properties, but distinct enough in flavour and history to occupy its own niche. Regions of Germany have brewed "Dinkelbier" (spelt beer) for centuries, predating the more familiar Hefeweizen tradition in some areas, and spelt's popularity as a specialty grain has grown again more recently alongside broader interest in ancient and heritage grains.
Malted Spelt reads nutty and earthy, distinct from both barley malt's breadiness and standard wheat malt's tartness — a genuinely different flavour profile rather than simply "wheat, but older." At 2.5-4 °Lovibond and roughly 60 °Lintner diastatic power, it self-converts with a workable but not generous enzyme margin, thinner than standard wheat malt's, so a grist leaning heavily on spelt alongside other low-diastatic specialty grains is worth checking for adequate conversion capacity. Like wheat, spelt lacks barley's protective husk, carrying a similar stuck-sparge risk at high percentages that rice hulls address the same way they do for a heavy wheat or rye mash. It's a specialty-order ingredient at most homebrew shops rather than a shelf regular, reflecting its narrower niche outside dedicated Dinkelbier-style brewing, though renewed general interest in ancient and heritage grains has made it somewhat easier to find at specialty maltsters than it was a decade or so ago.