Malt
Malting is a process applied to
cereal grains, in which the grains are made to
germinate and then are quickly dried before the plant develops.
The term malt refers to several products of the process:
* The grains to which this process has been applied, for example malted
barley;
* The
sugar derived from such grains which is heavy in maltose, such as baker's malt,
* A product, based on malted milk, similar to a malted
milkshake .
*
whisky or
beer can also be called malt as in
Alfred Edward Housman's aphorism "malt does more than
Milton can, to justify God's ways to Man."
Encyclopedia
Malting is a process applied to
cereal grains, in which the grains are made to
germinate and then are quickly dried before the plant develops.
The term
malt refers to several products of the process:
- The grains to which this process has been applied, for example malted barley;
- The sugar derived from such grains which is heavy in maltose, such as baker's malt,
- A product, based on malted milk, similar to a malted milkshake
- in the United Kingdom [i], a beverage [i] which is made from milk [i] and flavourings. ...
. - whisky or beer can also be called malt as in Alfred Edward Housman's aphorism "malt does more than Milton
...
can, to justify God's ways to Man."
Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, and malt
vinegar. Malting grains develops the
enzymes that are required to modify the grain's starches into sugars.
Barley is the most common malt because of its high enzyme content. Other grains may be malted, although the resulting malt may not have sufficient enzymatic content to convert its own starch content fully and efficiently.
Maltings
A
malting, sometimes called
maltings or
malting floor, is a building that houses the process of converting
barley into malt, for use in the
brewing or
distilling process. A typical maltings is a long, single-story building with a floor that slopes slightly from one end of the building to the other. There are a number of maltings buildings still in existence, and a handful are still operational.
Malting & kilning
The typical "pale malt" malting process is as follows:
- The fresh raw grains are washed and soaked for a period of time to begin germination.
- A constant moisture is held to promote germination and growth of the .
- The acrospire is allowed to grow to a length equal to the grain, or a little less
- The "green malt" is then kilned at 100°F to 120°F for about 24 hours and then at 140°F to 160°F , until the moisture content is less than 6%.
Darker
brewing malts are sometimes kilned in different ways to promote different characteristics.
Gluten
Malted barley or wheat can make those with
coeliac disease very ill, due to the
gluten content. Buckwheat, like
sorghum is naturally gluten free and can be "malted" to produce a beer or ale that is safe for those who cannot consume gluten.
References
- , Brew Your Own magazine , August 1997, pp. 32-36.
- The website of The Maltsters' Association of Great Britain. UK Malting Barley information and malt images.
See also
