Give malt a lot of credit because it adds much more than just alcohol to beer. Flavor, aroma, and body are all influenced by malt. Malt leaves traces that are generically summed up by an essence of sweetness. That is a generic statement however, because there are dozens of varieties of malt that contribute unique characteristics.
There are even specific malts (aka base malts) that are specifically used for their fermentable sugars while other malts (aka specialty malts) whose sugars can’t be fermented and are only used for their flavor qualities.
Malted barley is to beer what grapes are to wine. They give their sugars to the beer and leave unique imprint on it. Learn what malt was used in your beer and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from it.