Malt varieties allow for a variety in flavor, texture and appearance.
Courtsey of Weyermann® Specialty Malts, Bamberg-Germany.
Can you imagine a world where all beers were made with just a single type of malt? Obviously, this would cause all brews to look and taste more or less the same. Variations in flavor and texture would come not from malt, but from different varieties and quantities of hops and yeasts, as well as the application of different brew house and cellaring processes, including single- or multi-step infusions or decoctions, as well as fast or slow fermentations with or without lagering.
The Evolution of Malt
For a long period of time, brewers had limited malt choices. They had to rely on the grains that could thrive in their neighborhood, frequently germinating by way of floor-malting, and drying in hot combustion gasses in open, direct-fired kilns. In these kilns, the green malt usually dried very unevenly. Some portions of the same batch were invariable very pale and underdone, while other portions were downright scorched.
The resulting malt was an inhomogeneous mixture of a dark-ish average color that was somewhere in the brownish range. Such malt was also invariably smoky, whereby the smoke flavor varied with the fuel source. Beech wood smoke, for instance, is responsible for the classic bacon-like flavor; peat smoke for the characteristic phenolic notes of scotch whiskey malts; and oak smoke for the fine vanilla-and-honey flavors. As for coal and coke, which were also frequently used as fuels in malt kilns of the past, modern food safety laws now generally forbid these.
Traditional, haphazard malting, however, came to an end with the Industrial Revolution. Among the first great leaps forward in malting technology was the invention by Daniel Wheeler, a British engineer, of a roasting drum, which he described as an adaptation of a coffee roaster. He called his new-fangled gadget an “Improved Method of Drying and Preparing Malt.” Patented in 1818, it allowed maltsters for the first time to make homogeneous, non-smoky malt. Next came the 1842 patent by Patrick Stead, a Scottish maltster, for a pneumatic malting process, which allowed the drying of germinated grain indirectly, with forced hot air instead of combustion gases. Then, in 1874, Nicolas Gallant, a French engineer, patented a germination box that used water-cooled forced air, which floor-malting by hand to be phased out. Finally, in 1883, Alphone Saladin, another French engineer, invented a vertical helical screw system for turning grain that was germinating in Gallant’s pneumatic box.
With these new tools, maltsters could finally control the color, moisture, modification, diastatic power, flavor, and many other malt variables of their malt. This, in turn, spawned a vast array of new malts; and, as a consequence, brewers started a revolution in beer style innovation, with infinite beer permutations. Simply put, the new base and specialty maltsbegat a new creativity in the brew house, which the modern craft brew movement is still continuing to this day.
Courtsey of Weyermann® Specialty Malts, Bamberg-Germany.
Malt Quality
Malt diversity alone does not guarantee malt quality. This is where the art, craft, expertise, and process control of the maltster becomes important. Careful attention during every step of the cultivation process from the ploughing depth during field preparation; to the timing of plantings; to the type, amounts, and timing of pesticide application (as little as possible!); to the proper harvesting date helps to ensure a higher quality malt. Inspections are also an important part of the process, checking for many variables, including kernel diameter, germination rate, and the absence of molds, insects, dirt, rodent residue, other botanicals, and dirt. Ensuring grain and malt storage silos are all O2-, CO2-, temperature-, and moisture-controlled, and free of pests are also important steps to ensure a high quality malt.
Other quality factors include the use of superior packaging materials. By using internal moisture-proof liners for all bags and shipping containers for loose malt, selecting reputable shippers, utilizing traceability, and compliance with all food safety laws in global markets, high quality can be achieved.
No matter what variety of malt you choose, quality and consistency will be your best bet for a great beer.
If you liked this article, you may also like: Selecting the Right Hops and Hops Vendor.
