Barley or malt?
What do you use for brewing, 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.
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