What's with the barley malt?

Many of us associate beer primarily with hops. Meanwhile, there is not much hops in a golden drink! What's more - there are even beers produced without its use! While beer without hops can exist, it is hard to imagine that golden liquor could exist without the use of malt.

But what exactly is this malt, how does it affect beer and what types of malt can we find? You will find out in this article.

What is this barley malt?

Malt is defined as the sprouted and dried grains of the deposits, which are the raw material for the production of alcoholic beverages - beer and whiskey. Malt is also used in the baking industry and in sweetening chocolate and sweet confectionery masses.

Barley malt is the most popular type of malt, but the brewing industry also uses malts from other cereals - for example wheat.

How is malt made?

Food-grade malt is obtained through a process known as the malting process. It takes place - nomen omen - in the malt house. Malting plants or constitute a separate plant, specializing in obtaining (purchasing) raw material - cereals, its sorting and processing; or they are part of a larger brewery. The optimal conditions for the production of malt are those that are protected from the influence of weather and temperature fluctuations, and that are characterized by high humidity. That is why malt houses are often located in cellars.

How is the malting process itself? It starts with soaking the cleaned grain and then keeping it moist for a long time. Soaking usually takes three to four days to awaken the embryos from dormancy and to initiate germination. When grains begin to germinate, this phenomenon is accompanied by the release of enzymes that break down protein and sugars and a whole range of chemical and biological processes. The digestible nutrients that will not be used by the germinating embryo ultimately constitute the substrate for alcoholic fermentation carried out by yeast. He can use them in the production of beer or the aforementioned whiskey.

However, this is not the end of the entire process. The grains need to be dried, the sprouts must be separated, and then the grains must be dried again for 4-6 weeks. There is also a method of smoking malt - then a very characteristic beer aroma can be obtained.

How malt affects beer?

No ingredient in beer affects it as much as your own malt. Virtually everything depends on the malt: its taste, aroma, color, aroma and alcohol content. The more malt is used in the brewing process, the higher the alcohol content will be in your drink. And how much malt on average is needed to produce beer? It is assumed that one hectolitre of typical beer requires from several to several dozen kilograms of this raw material.

What are the most popular malts in brewing?

As already mentioned, barley malts are the most popular in brewing, although a wide range of other malts are also used. To list all of them, you would need to create an encyclopedia, so we decided to introduce you to some of the most popular types of malts:

• Pilsner malt - one of the most common types of malt. It is used in the production of most lagers. It comes from the Czech Republic and is an ideal base for brewers to achieve the velvety aroma, characteristic of light beers.
• Pale Ale malt - also a very common type of malt, this time from Great Britain. It is perfect for brewing stouts, porters and IPA beers. During production, it undergoes greater changes than Pils malt, moreover, it has a lower protein content and a higher degree of relaxation. It is dried at high temperatures, which gives it a slightly darker color and a strong malty character.
• Viennese malt - somewhat similar to Pale Ale, but dried at an even higher temperature. It has an even more intense malt aroma, some associate it with toasted bread. In what beers can we find it? It is most often used for the production of Viennese-style lagers or refreshing March beers. The color of the drink is darker than that of Pilsen lagers: it has a shade of dark gold or orange.
• Munich malt - available in two varieties: light and dark. It is also dried at high temperatures and therefore contains a high level of melanoidins. They give the beer an amber color. Gives a malty aroma with noticeable nut notes. This type of malt is most often found in Oktoberfest beers.
• Mild malt - Slightly darker than Pale Ale, dried at high temperatures. It gives the beer a fairly delicate aroma, described as "cookie" or "toasty". Most often it can be found in British Ale-type breweries.
• Caramel malt - dried shorter and lower temperatures. It is also used in smaller amounts. It brings characteristic caramel aromas - sweet, reminiscent of toffee.
• Dark malt - as the name suggests, used in the production of dark beers. Dark malts can also be varied and, depending on the species, offer a wide range of flavors - from nuts to smoky, burnt aromas.
• Special malts - it is a whole range of malts, which differ from all the others in terms of their specificity. These can be the previously mentioned smoked malts or the so-called whiskey malts - then they give the aromas associated with single malt peat whiskeys. Most often, malts are used to make niche, craft beers - dedicated more to connoisseurs than to mass consumption.

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