Difference between revisions of "Category:Malt"

Vienna Malt

How is Malt Made?

Malting is the controlled germination of cereals, followed by a termination of this natural process by the application of heat. Further heat is then applied to kiln the grain and produce the required flavour and colour. A basic rule is that for malt to be made, the grain must be capable of germination, so maltsters' source their grains with a minimum germination of 98%. By far the largest use of malt is for brewing, distilling and food production.

Types of Malts

Malt can be split into two main types, base malts that make up the bulk of the fermentables in the wort and specialty malts that are used to add character to the wort.

There are also various adjuncts that consist of other types of grains or fermentable sugars. They serve a myriad of purposes, such as adding distinctive flavors, lightening color and body, and boosting alcohol content without affecting taste.

While any grain can be malted, barley is the preferred grain for brewing beer. Malted barley contains a high percentage of starches, enzymes to convert the starches into sugars, and a husk that prevents the grains from compacting into a big sticky mess during mashing. The resulting sweet liquid from the mashing process is called wort. Unlike specialty malts, base malts must be mashed in order to convert the starches into sugars capable of being consumed by yeast.

• Base Malts
• Specialty Malts

Which Malt Do I Need?

You can review this chart to help you find the malts that offer the characteristics you would like to see in your beer.