Category: Malt
Malt types and varieties
Expert Topic Malt Storage tips
Malt in general can store for long periods of time if kept in a clean dry environment. The majority of malts are below 5.0% moisture, and quite simply at that low moisture very little can sustain life. Molds won’t grow, and many grain related insects will not be able to thrive in an environment that dry. There are some specialty malts that have higher moisture levels, and keeping all things equal, would not stand the test of time as well as malt that is below 5%.
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Expert Topic The malting process
The earliest known “malt house” was a simple structure located at the bottom of a hill or mountain adjacent to a stream, which could supply low temperature water by gravity. These houses had massive stone walls with floors of stone or mortar. Small windows set in these heavy walls were the only means of ventilation. Barley would be received into the top of such a house, and dropped into deep cisterns for steeping. From there, it would be deposited in a pile onto the stone floor of the house for germination.
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Expert Topic History of malting
Malt, in substantially the same form as we know it today, was an important product long before the days of recorded history. Although its actual origin is buried in antiquity, there is a legend that early Egyptians manufactured malt by placing it in a wicker basket, which was then lowered into the open wells of that time. It was first lowered into the water for steeping, after which it was raised above the water level for germination. The rate of germination was controlled by adjusting the height of the basket within the well. As germination progressed and heat developed, the basket would be lowered to a lower temperature level thus retarding growth and dissipating heat. To accelerate germination, the basket was simply raised to a higher level.
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