A Brief Examination of Malting

Level 3 – Beer Sommelier

Canada Malting

• Created in 1900 by the Governor General of Canada

• The first malt created

was Manchurian 6-row (OAC21) in 1889 at the Ontario Agricultural College (University of Guelph)

3 Malting plants in Canada Calgary

Thunder Bay Montreal

Canada Malting• Production

– 130,000 tonnes annually – 50% travels by ship – 5 varieties of malt– 99% is pale malt

• Calgary plant is the largest – Produces enough malt

to meet the entire beer industry in Canada

Benefits of Barley• Economic source of

starch / carbohydrate• Good source of

enzymes which break down protein & starch

• Natural source of colour

• Husk is required for filtration

Barley Facts

• Once harvested, barley has an 18 month shelf life (in the silo)

• 1.29 tonnes of barley are required to make 1 tonne of malt

The Process of Malting

1. Receiving the barley

2. Cleaning the barley3. Malting

i. Steepingii. Germinationiii. Kilning

4. Malt Storage5. Malt Cleaning &

Shipping

Receiving includes

• Receive & sort uncleaned barley

• Test barley against customer specs

• Clean barley to remove foreign matter

• Grade barley to ensure uniform size

• Store & sell by-products

Sorting

• Kernel size is very important

• Many brewers prefer an even kernel size because they use a 1” roller mill to grind

• Smaller kernels are desired for distillation because of higher enzyme levels

Malting

• Some believe that malting is 60% of brewing is accomplished in the malting house

• Malting is the controlled germination & kilning of a seed to produce desirable brewing characteristics

Steeping Objectives

1. Raise moisture content of barley (12% to 42-47%)

2. Provide oxygen 3. 2-4 water

immersions followed by ‘air rest’

Time: 30-50 hours

Steeping times are based on…

• Customer specs• Plumpness of grain• Protein content• Variety or type of

barley• Sensitivity to water• Crop year• Growing region

Steeping

• Smallest batch is 70 metric tonnes

• Largest batch is 320 metric tonnes

• 2-3 days• temperature control is crucial • under water for 8-9 hours at

16-18°C • remove water and then aerate

it• infusing air is required - the

grain is a living organism and need oxygen to survive, breath

Steps During Steeping

Skimming• Cleans the

barley• Soluble

materials like tannins, phenols are leached out of the grain

• Cools the barley during warmer days

Aeration• Mixes grain to

ensure even hydration

• Raises dissolved oxygen levels in steeping water

Steps During Steeping

Air Rest• 50-60% of total

time in steeping are ‘Air Rest’

• Allows temperature to be monitored because of higher temperature due to respiration of grain

CO2 extraction• The barley

embryo would suffocate if the carbon dioxide was not removed

Moisture Content

• First Immersion– 28-34% moisture

• Second Immersion– 38-42% moisture

• Third Immersion– 45-47% moisture

Graphical Image of Steeping Tank

Germination Goals

1. Enzyme Production

2. Degradation of cell wall

3. Breakdown of proteins

4. Breaks down– Amylopectin to

Amylose

Amylopectin

• Amylopectin is a soluble polysaccharide and highly branched polymer of glucose found in plants.

• It is one of the two components of starch, the other being amylose. Glucose units are linked in a linear way with a glycosidic bonds. Wikipedia

Germination

• 3-4 days duration• continuously get turned • rootlets form

– turns very soft at this stage

• looking for the acrospire– length and straightness is

an indication of biochemical process (conversion and enzymatic activity)

• area is 30’ x 300’ x 4’ • roughly 250 tons

Conditions for Germination

• Four day germination

• Temperature Air Applied 13-15.5ºC

• Temperature Exhaust Air 17-20ºC

• Typical Delta Temp 3 - 4ºC

• Humidity 100%• Green Malt moisture

44-46% prior to kilning

Saladin Box Germination Bed

Progress of Grain Modification

• Day 1 – some modification

• Day 2-3 – rootlets form

• Day 3-5 – acrospire drives modification

• Day 4-6 – rootlet withers, endosperm mostly modified

Objectives of Kilning

• Reduce malt moisture to ensure friability (ability to be easily crushed)

• Stabilize malt for long term storage

• Colour and flavour development

• Drive off unwanted volatiles

Kilning• Pale malt is roasted by air at

170F for 2 hours • Munich malt is roasted for 4

hours at 195F• Caramel malts are mashed at

150F for 90 minutes. – It is basically cooked to convert

starch to sugars and then it is caramelized. It is then roasted at 900F

• Black malts use green malt and then put right into the roaster at 900F. Lots of starches but virtually no sugars.

• Same size bed as before

• Target is 4% moisture

Roasting Times

• Crystal 20 – 100 minutes (crystal malts are crystallized)

• Crystal 80 – 110 minutes

• Crystal 150 – 125 minutes

• Chocolate – 140 minutes

• Black Malt – 160 minutes

Malt Flavour Profile / Characteristics6- Row Pale Mild, grainy2- Row Pale Mild, maltyPilsen Delicate, sweetVienna Slight biscuit, contributes warm malty flavours and orange coloursWhite Wheat Malt Sweet, malty, wheat, floury, use 5% for head retentionMunich 10 Robust, malty, contributes golden hues at 5-15%Munich 20 Intensely malty, biscuit, contributes orange to deep orange huesCarapils Enhances body, foam and beer stability – no flavour or colour contributionVictory Toasty, biscuit, baking bread, nuttyCaramel 10 Candylike sweetness, mild caramel, golden huesCaramel 30 / 40 Sweet, caramel, toffeeCaramel 60 Sweet, pronounced caramelCaramel 80 Pronounced caramel, slight burnt sugar, raisinCaramel 90 Pronounced caramel, burnt sugar, raisin, prunesCaramel 120 Pronounced caramel, burnt sugar, raisin, prunesChocolate 350 Rich, roasted coffee, cocoaDark Chocolate 420 Rich, roasted coffee,

Black Malt 500 Dry, roasted , sharpRoasted Barley 500 Coffee, intense bitter, dry

Malt Profiles – Briess Malting