How does barley become malted?
Malted barley is the primary ingredient in beer and without it, beer would not be the beverage we know today. Making beer requires “malting” the barley first. What does this mean and how does the process work?
Well, malting barely is actually a basic process. It begins by soaking the grains in water. After soaking, the grains germinate in a couple of hours. Next, the germinated grain now needs to be dried. The individual kernals need to be strained from the water and left to dry, a process that will take about six to eight hours (Commercial brewers often soak the grain for even longer periods of time). This process is often repeated a second time and sometimes a third time when homebrewing, to make sure the kernals are completely germinated and ready for brewing. The kernals of grain will begin to sprout, which is a sure sign that germination is complete.
In commericial brewing, the drying takes place via a kiln drying process. Modern brewing calls for the use of large, industrial fans that blow hot air through beds of germinated grain, in order to dry out the barley as quickly as possible.
Why is it important to germinate the grains before brewing? Because germination converts starches into simple sugars. The process of soaking and drying releases special enzymes and captures the fermentable sugars needed for brewing. Once the yeast is pitched, the malted barley quickly converts to alcohol and carbon dioxide as the fermentation process takes place.
Without malting the barley first, there would be little or no fermentation. This step is essential because the barley kernal, in its natural form, is not in its prime condition for fermentation. The yeast would be unable to break down the fermentable sugars if the kernal was in raw form.
Malted barley has other uses and can be used for different foods, but it is still primarily associated with brewing beer. It is the first in many steps necessarily before the finished product is bottled and consumed.
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