Malting
Malting is the controlled germination and drying of cereal grains, usually barley, to develop enzymes and flavor compounds for brewing and distilling.
Steeping: The soaking of grain in water to raise its moisture content and initiate germination. This first malting stage hydrates kernels enough to start growth.
Barley: A cereal grain from the grass species Hordeum vulgare, widely used in food, feed, and brewing. Its husk, enzyme potential, and kernel structure make it the principal malting grain.
Beer: An alcoholic beverage made by fermenting sugars extracted from cereal grains, commonly with hops. Malted grain supplies much of beer's fermentable extract, color, and flavor.
Wheat malt: Wheat grain that has been germinated and dried for use in brewing or food production. It shows how malting can be applied to a grain with no husk like barley's.
Ancient Egyptian beer: Beer brewed and consumed in ancient Egypt, made from cereal grains and used in daily life and ritual. Ancient brewing offers early evidence for grain processing associated with malting.
Germination: The resumption of growth in a viable seed under suitable conditions. During this stage, the grain produces enzymes and modifies its stored reserves.
Endosperm: The seed tissue that stores nutrients for a developing plant embryo. Malting modifies the barley endosperm, making its reserves available for mashing.
Mashing: The mixing of milled malt with warm water to extract soluble compounds and convert starches into sugars. Mashing uses the enzymes developed during malting to produce wort.
Rye malt: Rye grain that has been germinated and dried for brewing or distilling. It provides a contrasting cereal substrate with different handling and flavor characteristics.
German Beer Purity Law: A set of German beer regulations originating in the 1516 Bavarian decree on permitted ingredients. The law's emphasis on barley helped shape the role of malt in German brewing.