A Brief Examination of Malting Level 3 – Beer Sommelier

Canada Malting Created in 1900 by the Governor General of Canada The first malt created was Manchurian 6-row (OAC21) in 1889 at the Ontario Agricultural College (University of Guelph) 3 Malting plants in Canada Calgary Thunder Bay Montreal

Canada Malting Production –130,000 tonnes annually –50% travels by ship –5 varieties of malt –99% is pale malt Calgary plant is the largest –Produces enough malt to meet the entire beer industry in Canada

Benefits of Barley Economic source of starch / carbohydrate Good source of enzymes which break down protein & starch Natural source of colour Husk is required for filtration

Barley Facts Once harvested, barley has an 18 month shelf life (in the silo) 1.29 tonnes of barley are required to make 1 tonne of malt

The Process of Malting 1.Receiving the barley 2.Cleaning the barley 3.Malting i.Steeping ii.Germination iii.Kilning 4.Malt Storage 5.Malt Cleaning & Shipping

Receiving includes Receive & sort uncleaned barley Test barley against customer specs Clean barley to remove foreign matter Grade barley to ensure uniform size Store & sell by- products

Sorting Kernel size is very important Many brewers prefer an even kernel size because they use a 1” roller mill to grind Smaller kernels are desired for distillation because of higher enzyme levels

Malting Some believe that malting is 60% of brewing is accomplished in the malting house Malting is the controlled germination & kilning of a seed to produce desirable brewing characteristics

Steeping Objectives 1.Raise moisture content of barley (12% to 42-47%) 2.Provide oxygen water immersions followed by ‘air rest’ Time: hours

Steeping times are based on… Customer specs Plumpness of grain Protein content Variety or type of barley Sensitivity to water Crop year Growing region

Steeping Smallest batch is 70 metric tonnes Largest batch is 320 metric tonnes 2-3 days temperature control is crucial under water for 8-9 hours at 16-18°C remove water and then aerate it infusing air is required - the grain is a living organism and need oxygen to survive, breath

Steps During Steeping Skimming Cleans the barley Soluble materials like tannins, phenols are leached out of the grain Cools the barley during warmer days Aeration Mixes grain to ensure even hydration Raises dissolved oxygen levels in steeping water

Steps During Steeping Air Rest 50-60% of total time in steeping are ‘Air Rest’ Allows temperature to be monitored because of higher temperature due to respiration of grain CO2 extraction The barley embryo would suffocate if the carbon dioxide was not removed

Moisture Content First Immersion –28-34% moisture Second Immersion –38-42% moisture Third Immersion –45-47% moisture

Graphical Image of Steeping Tank

Germination Goals 1.Enzyme Production 2.Degradation of cell wall 3.Breakdown of proteins 4.Breaks down –Amylopectin to Amylose

Amylopectin Amylopectin is a soluble polysaccharide and highly branched polymer of glucose found in plants. It is one of the two components of starch, the other being amylose. Glucose units are linked in a linear way with a glycosidic bonds. Wikipedia

Germination 3-4 days duration continuously get turned rootlets form –turns very soft at this stage looking for the acrospire –length and straightness is an indication of biochemical process (conversion and enzymatic activity) area is 30’ x 300’ x 4’ roughly 250 tons

Conditions for Germination Four day germination Temperature Air Applied ºC Temperature Exhaust Air ºC Typical Delta Temp 3 - 4ºC Humidity 100% Green Malt moisture 44-46% prior to kilning

Saladin Box Germination Bed

Progress of Grain Modification Day 1 – some modification Day 2-3 – rootlets form Day 3-5 – acrospire drives modification Day 4-6 – rootlet withers, endosperm mostly modified

Objectives of Kilning Reduce malt moisture to ensure friability (ability to be easily crushed) Stabilize malt for long term storage Colour and flavour development Drive off unwanted volatiles

Kilning Pale malt is roasted by air at 170F for 2 hours Munich malt is roasted for 4 hours at 195F Caramel malts are mashed at 150F for 90 minutes. – It is basically cooked to convert starch to sugars and then it is caramelized. It is then roasted at 900F Black malts use green malt and then put right into the roaster at 900F. Lots of starches but virtually no sugars. Same size bed as before Target is 4% moisture

Roasting Times Crystal 20 – 100 minutes (crystal malts are crystallized) Crystal 80 – 110 minutes Crystal 150 – 125 minutes Chocolate – 140 minutes Black Malt – 160 minutes

MaltFlavour Profile / Characteristics 6- Row PaleMild, grainy 2- Row PaleMild, malty PilsenDelicate, sweet ViennaSlight biscuit, contributes warm malty flavours and orange colours White Wheat MaltSweet, malty, wheat, floury, use 5% for head retention Munich 10Robust, malty, contributes golden hues at 5-15% Munich 20Intensely malty, biscuit, contributes orange to deep orange hues CarapilsEnhances body, foam and beer stability – no flavour or colour contribution VictoryToasty, biscuit, baking bread, nutty Caramel 10Candylike sweetness, mild caramel, golden hues Caramel 30 / 40Sweet, caramel, toffee Caramel 60Sweet, pronounced caramel Caramel 80Pronounced caramel, slight burnt sugar, raisin Caramel 90Pronounced caramel, burnt sugar, raisin, prunes Caramel 120Pronounced caramel, burnt sugar, raisin, prunes Chocolate 350Rich, roasted coffee, cocoa Dark Chocolate 420Rich, roasted coffee, Black Malt 500Dry, roasted, sharp Roasted Barley 500Coffee, intense bitter, dry Malt Profiles – Briess Malting