Barley or malt?

During the tour at BeerCraftery brewing, a tour participant asks an important question.

Participant: Do you make beer from malt or from barley?

Kevin: Good question! The answer is: yes!

Kevin: During malting, barley grains are soaked in water. This looks like spring weather to the grains.

Grains: Wake up!

Just 5 more minutes...

Already?

Kevin: The grains sprout, and a new plant could be born. Inside the grain, enzymes are developed.

Grains: What do you think about my rootlet?

Kevin: Then the process is stopped and the grains, now malt, are dried.

Grains: I'm so hot!

Let's take a break...

Siesta!

Participant: What? You just make the grain wet and then it turns into beer? Are you kidding me?

Kevin: Ok, you got me. We actually use these tiny invisible alpha and beta amylases, EC 3.2.1.1 and EC 3.2.1.2 respectively, for starch hydrolysis to split polysaccharides.

Participant: I knew there would be a lot of chemistry involved.

Kevin: Yes. It doesn't work without. And without atoms and genetics neither. That's life.