How Different Types of Malt Are Made for Beer Brewing
Malt is at the heart of every great beer. It shapes flavour, colour and aroma, and gives yeast the sugars it needs to create alcohol. Although all malt begins as humble barley, the way it is processed creates a wide range of malt types, each suited to particular beer styles. Understanding how malt is made helps brewers choose the right ingredients to build depth and character in their recipes.
Step 1: Steeping. Waking the Grain
The process begins with steeping, where raw barley is soaked in water. This raises the moisture content of the grain and encourages it to begin germinating. During this stage the barley absorbs oxygen and starts to produce enzymes that will later break down starch into sugars.
Step 2: Germination. Building Enzymes and Strength
Once the grain is fully steeped it is moved to germination floors or drums. Here it begins to sprout. Germination typically lasts four to five days. The key aim is to allow the internal structure of the barley to soften while developing the enzymes needed for brewing. The maltster turns the grain regularly to keep the temperature even and to prevent the roots from matting.
Step 3: Kilning. Stopping Growth and Setting the Style
When germination has reached the ideal point the malt is transferred to the kiln. Heating the grain stops growth and locks in the flavour. The temperature and length of kilning determine the malt type. This is where ordinary barley begins to transform into pale malt, Munich malt, crystal malt, chocolate malt and many others.
Kilning is the stage that has the biggest influence on colour and flavour.
Base Malts: The Foundation of Beer
Base malts are kilned at lower temperatures. They keep most of their enzymes, which makes them essential for converting starch into fermentable sugars.
Pale malt
Kilned gently to create a light colour and clean flavour. This is the main malt used in most ales and lagers.
Pilsner malt
Even lighter than pale malt with a delicate, grainy character. Often used in lagers and crisp, refreshing beers.
Vienna and Munich malts
Kilned slightly hotter which gives them warm, bready and toasty notes. They add body and colour to amber lagers and malt-forward ales.
Crystal and Caramel Malts: Sweetness and Colour
Crystal, also known as caramel malt, undergoes an extra step before kilning. The grain is heated while still wet so that the starch inside turns into sugar. It is then roasted until the sugar crystallises. This process gives crystal malt its distinctive sweetness along with caramel, toffee and raisin notes. The longer it is roasted the darker and more intense the flavour becomes.
Roasted Malts: Deep Colour and Rich Intensity
To create dark malts the grains are roasted at high temperatures. These malts contribute chocolate, coffee and roasted flavours to beer.
Chocolate malt
Provides rich cocoa and dark toast characters with a deep brown colour.
Black malt
Roasted until nearly charred which produces bold bitterness and a jet-black hue.
Roasted barley
Technically not malt because it is roasted before germination. It adds sharp roast notes often found in stouts.
Speciality Malts: Unique Flavours for Distinctive Beers
There are many speciality malts that offer unique qualities.
Smoked malt
Dried over wood fires to impart smoky aromas used in traditional German Rauchbier and some experimental ales.
Acidulated malt
Malted and then treated with lactic acid producing a slight acidity that helps with mash pH control and adds gentle tartness.
Melanoidin malt
Roasted to enhance malty richness and improve body, often used in darker lagers.
From Grain to Glass
Maltsters combine science, tradition and craftsmanship to control each stage of malting. Small changes in temperature, moisture or roasting time can transform a simple grain into something completely different. Brewers rely on this variety to build flavour layers, balance sweetness and bitterness, and create the beer styles we love.
Malt is more than the backbone of beer. It is a world of flavour waiting to be explored.