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Malt is the heart and soul of beer: you cannot brew without it.
And although you might know that it has something to do with crafting a beer, unless you’re a homebrewer or a chemist, you’re probably not as versed in its importance.
That’s where we come in…
Welcome to another addition of our “What the Hell Is?” series… Open a beer, relax and become an instant brewing genius.
What Is Malt
Brewing is the process of using water to extract sugar (along with other compounds) from grain and alt is grain that has been specially prepared for it.
The term malt is synonymous with malted barley because the majority of the cereal grain malted in the world is barley, but other grains like wheat, oats or rye might be used as well.
What is the Malting Process?
Malting is the progression of sprouting and drying a grain seed but it’s a little bit more complicated than that.
Malt is prepared in three distinct steps to become one of the main ingredient in the brewing process.
Steeping (30 – 45 hours)
The first step is soaking the barley, it’s commonly called steeping, and the point is awaken the dormant grain. Steeping involves crushing the grain and adding to hot water (between 150°F and 170°) to draw flavor and color out of the specialty malt.
This stage generally lasts between 30 and 45 hours.
(Image credit: Allagash Brewing)
Germination (Three and a Half to Six days)
Next, the grain is allowed to germinate and sprout a small root emerges. Throughout the germination phase of malting, the grain seed basically thinks it’s getting ready to feed a plant, so it changes its chemical composition.
During germination, the grain is spread out on a perforated germination bed and continuously ventilated with warm air.
Kilning (Up to Two Days)
Finally, the maltster (the person who is controlling the malting process) halts the grain seed at a specific point during the germination process by heating it up and drying it out. This procedure is called kilning ib the brewing biz. During kilning, the green malt becomes malt.
Bottom Line
In its most basic explanation, brewing is the process of using water to extract sugar (along with other compounds) from grain. Sugar is what feeds the yeast that is needed to ferment the beer. And that fermentation is what creates carbonation, alcohol, and additional flavors.
Malt is the heart and soul of beer: you cannot brew without it.
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(H/T to Allagash Brewing: BEER FUNDAMENTALS – WHAT IS MALT and special thanks to Malteurop; malt experts with close ties to the farming world
