The Goodness of Malt Elspeth Payne BJCP Class March 10, 2013
What is Malt? Grain that has been –Soaked –Sprouted –Dried –Kilned The goal is to convert insoluble starch chains within the grain into water soluble starches available to the fermentation process
About Barley 2-row barley –Lower nitrogen/protein –Lower husk content for filtering/lautering bed –Bigger kernels –Imparts less of a grainy taste 6-row barley: more enzymes, good when lots of adjuncts, extra husk content
Why Barley? Barley has a good balance of starches, sugars, and proteins for brewing. Beer is made from other grains, but for western standards of body, clarity, flavor balance, barley works best About 70% of the world production of malt is barley malt
Adjuncts Any unmalted source of fermentables in brewing: Whole maize or grits Oatmeal Corn starch Rice or rice grits Flaked barley Flaked rye
Adjuncts are also… Honey Sorghum Caramel Molasses Maple syrup They tend to offer starches but little protein They tend to contribute less body
How is Malt Made? Choose grains with intact kernels that are about the same size, moisture content, and variety
Making Malt Soak the grain until it begins to sprout (without drowning it) Germinate the grain: Acrospire: the new growth out one end of rootlets and a bit up the back Modified, under modified, over modified?
Making Malt Kiln the grain Dry it out! Roast it for color! Here’s where the art really comes in. Then shake off the acrospire
The Modern Malting Tower
Older malting kilns … And the modern malting floor
A short diversion to Nottingham…
Where they malting old school
Malt requires regular turning while it’s drying
What else does malt do for beer? Malt adds color! Important characteristic of any style Color is mostly from malt, but also from intensity and length of boil
SRM color scale in U.S. EBC color scale in Europe
Or, if you prefer to think of it this way…
MALT!