What Is Malt? Discover How Malt Is Made

Malt refers to cereal grains that have been soaked and dried, changing their chemical composition and flavor. Barley is the most common grain for malting, but malt makers or maltsters can also malt other cereal grains like wheat, oats, corn, rye, and rice. The malting process involves soaking and drying the grain. The germination and heating processes transform the grains into simpler carbohydrates and easier-to-digest proteins. The resulting malt tastes sweeter and is more nutritional for yeasts and human consumption.

The desired end-product affects the malting process, but the basic steps involved in malting include:

1. 1. Harvest: Gathering, cleaning, and drying the grains is the first step in malting. Since ancient Mesopotamia, the most common malted grain is barley. Malt makers or maltsters can malt all kinds of grains, but barley remains a popular staple.
2. 2. Soak: Soaking or steeping the grains involves submerging the grains in water. The enzymes activate and set off chemical changes as the grains absorb water.
3. 3. Germinate: When the grains reach a specific moisture content, maltsters drain the excess moisture and sprouting begins. The starches in the grains convert into sugars, such as monosaccharide glucose, disaccharide maltose, and maltodextrin, among others. Specialized enzymes called proteases help break down the grains’ protein into different forms, including amino acids, that yeast can consume.
4. 4. Dry: At a certain point, the maltster halts the chemical transformations of the green malt with air and heat. This preserves the germinated grain in its new, changed state with the right combination of starch, protein, and sugar.
5. 5. Roast: Some malts, such as those for certain types of beer brewing, roast in an oven or kiln. This additional heating process creates further changes in the nutritional profile of the grain, affecting the fermentation process and altering the flavor of the finished product.

Various food and beverage items utilize malt in different forms. Malt can be a fermenting agent for baking recipes or provide a distinctive flavor for savory dishes. Consider the following applications of malt:

1. 1. Beer: One of the most popular uses of malt is in brewing beer. Brewers mix malted barley grains or base malt, sometimes in the form of malt extract, with water and heat it. This first step of the brewing process is known as mashing. Brewers then introduce yeasts to the resulting liquid, called wort, which changes the fermentable sugars into alcohol, resulting in the popular beverage.
2. 2. Baked goods: You can add malt powder or malt syrup to baked goods recipes, such as yeasted breads and bagels. Malt powder or syrup is a subtle sweetener that adds a nutty, sweet flavor to the finished product. The malt powder also supports the feeding of yeasts, improving the airy texture of the finished bread.
3. 3. Malted milkshakes: To make a malted milkshake, mix malt powder with powdered, dehydrated milk to make malted milk powder. Add the powder to milkshakes (known as vanilla or chocolate malts), ice cream, malted milk balls, or hot cocoa for extra sweetness.
4. 4. Malt whiskey: Another alcoholic beverage that uses malt is malt whiskey. The distillation process for malt whiskey involves fermenting the barley and concentrating the alcohol and flavor profile. A single-malt scotch, a popular variety of the beverage, is made at a single distillery.
5. 5. Malt vinegar: Malt vinegar is made similarly to beer, but with the addition of strains of bacteria called acetobacter. This bacteria converts the alcohol in the ale into acetic acid. The finished result is a distinctive flavor that pairs well with fish and chips. You can also use malt vinegar as a salad dressing or as a base for pickling.

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