How Malt Affects Beer

Grains are essential when brewing beer. Grains are used to produce malt for brewing beer. Craft beer equipment requires a wealth of raw materials, many of which are malt. Malt plays a wonderful role in the making of beer. Through a certain process, it can be fermented by yeast, so that it can be made into beer.

Cereals

• Barley

Barley is the most used grain. It is used to produce more malt than any other grain. It is a hardy and drought-resistant grain. The sprouting process makes the grain more suitable for brewing. It also increases its enzyme content, making it easier to digest. After germination is complete, the grains are sun-dried and ground into flour. Although barley is the most used grain in beer, it is used to produce small amounts of malt. Barley malt is used as a base for other ingredients, as a sweetener, and to add body to the beer.

• Wheat

Wheat is another grain used to produce beer malt. Grains are grown on cereal crops and are refined to remove the bran and germ (the inside of the grain). The resulting grain is called white wheat. Bran and germ contain high amounts of starch and are used as sweeteners in the production of malt. Wheat is the cheapest grain, and it still yields small amounts of beer alcohol. These properties result in beers that are low in bitterness and high in protein and fat. These fatty proteins are used in cooking and soap production.

Effect On Beer Taste

During beer brewing, special malts can infuse a large number of typical flavors and special mouthfeel into wort and beer. Taking burnt malt as an example, the addition of burnt malt has a significant impact on the flavor of the beer, especially to increase the mellowness of the beer and leave a deep impression on the malt flavor. Through a certain process, it can be made into a wort rich in nutrients such as sugar and phosphate, which can be fermented by yeast to make beer. Thus, when producing light beer or low-strength beer, burnt malt can be added to make up for the monotony of taste and flavor.

Effects On Bubbles

It is well known that the addition of appropriate amounts of charred malt and wheat malt can improve the foam performance of beer. With the popularity of crystallized malt in the market, people began to try the right amount of crystallized malt to prolong the beer’s holding performance. Generally speaking, it is ideal to control the dosage within 10%, and the specific use should be determined according to the variety of wine, raw material indicators and process implementation.

Impact On Brewing Environment And Overall Quality

Lactic acid malt is often used in the production of craft beer equipment. Lactic acid malt is a representative of special malt, which can improve the quality of beer by improving the brewing environment. In fact, the incoming mash with a certain amount of lactic acid malt is a kind of biological acidification. It is safer and more effective to adjust the pH value of the mash, enhance the enzyme activity in the mash, and improve the composition of polyphenols, so that the taste of beer is softer, more harmonious and fuller.