From Field to Brewery?
Not Exactly
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There maybe a couple steps that are missing, well actually, an entire weeks worth of steps! You may have heard that sprouting your grains before consumption has major health benefits and is a huge factor in healthy living. Well, it's true. A lot of amazing things happen when a single kernel of grain begins to sprout. When water is introduced, the kernel begins to swell and the enzymes begin to convert its starch and proteins into sugars and amino acids. These are normally used by the plant as it enters new life on the ground...…
OR Used by brewers to make that delicious drink we have all come to love and laugh over known worldwide as BEER! This is the story of what it takes to make it happen. |
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Great quality malt starts out in the field as Barley. What the ancient grain does not desire are high humidity and excessively warm temperatures, making Alberta an ideal location for growing Barley. With its warm, dry days and cool summer nights combined with fertile soils it is no surprise that nearly half of Canada's 8 million tonnes of Barley production grows right here is Alberta!
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As farmer's, if we play our cards right, and mother nature doesn't decide to drown, dry, hail, or snow us out, we can be rewarded with a crop that just might meet Malt specifications. These include but are not limited to high germination rates, kernels that are not weathered or stained, ZERO chemical residues, free of insect, fungi, frost, and hail damage.
At this point, if our Barley meets Malting specs, we can finally sit down and relax knowing that we did an excellent job and appreciate the fact that we were lucky enough to join only a small percentage of elite farmers that have quality Barley to sell for the year. As for Hammer Malt, our work has only just begun....
At this point, if our Barley meets Malting specs, we can finally sit down and relax knowing that we did an excellent job and appreciate the fact that we were lucky enough to join only a small percentage of elite farmers that have quality Barley to sell for the year. As for Hammer Malt, our work has only just begun....
The Process
So now that we have a top quality Barley, we can begin the process of Malting.
A few lab tests over several days will give us some much needed information. The results allow us to create a custom schedule for the malting program more in particular, the Steep cycle.
Steeping the grains does a few things for us. The first water immersion washes dirt down and floats foreign material up and out. It also slowly begins to soften the exterior of the kernel. The goal of the whole cycle is to bring the grain from 13.5% moisture from storage up to 47% moisture within each kernel. These steep cycles are followed by air rests. The air rests are important because it prevents the grains from drowning from a lack of available oxygen, however, a byproduct of grains in this stage is CO2, which also has to be purged and closely monitored. After 2-3 soak cycles and 24-48 hrs later we will see what is referred to as chitting, which officially marks the first visual growth of rootlets emerging from the seeds.
A few lab tests over several days will give us some much needed information. The results allow us to create a custom schedule for the malting program more in particular, the Steep cycle.
Steeping the grains does a few things for us. The first water immersion washes dirt down and floats foreign material up and out. It also slowly begins to soften the exterior of the kernel. The goal of the whole cycle is to bring the grain from 13.5% moisture from storage up to 47% moisture within each kernel. These steep cycles are followed by air rests. The air rests are important because it prevents the grains from drowning from a lack of available oxygen, however, a byproduct of grains in this stage is CO2, which also has to be purged and closely monitored. After 2-3 soak cycles and 24-48 hrs later we will see what is referred to as chitting, which officially marks the first visual growth of rootlets emerging from the seeds.
Germination
Germination is by far the most satisfying part of the whole process. Typically the grains will grow for 4-6 days in an extremely controlled environment. Moisture levels, temperature, humidity, air flow rate, oxygen, and CO2 levels all must be monitored on an hourly basis to ensure our little friends are happy and growing at a natural rate. If one of these environmental controls is off balance we run the risk of losing the whole batch. If you have ever harvested a garden of vegetables, you may be familiar with just how fresh and pleasant all those things can smell. For green malt, it is a type of light cucumber-y smell that smells and feels like FRESH for dayz…..
Truly something that can only be experienced in person!
Ok so it smells amazing, what next? Well, now we wait until the green malt has a chance to get to a very precise point in growth. We judge this by the length of the acrospire. The acrospire must reach 3/4 the length of the kernel but not exceed or grow out of the end opposing the root. This point in growth is the most crucial step in the entire process.
Imagine a long chain, and behind each link is some sugar. When our malt reaches this stage in germination, what happens is that chain begins to break apart allowing the fermentable sugars to be easily accessible by a brewer or distiller. Too much length in germination means that the plant, as it emerges from the seed, will actually begin to use that energy for growth. So what now?
Truly something that can only be experienced in person!
Ok so it smells amazing, what next? Well, now we wait until the green malt has a chance to get to a very precise point in growth. We judge this by the length of the acrospire. The acrospire must reach 3/4 the length of the kernel but not exceed or grow out of the end opposing the root. This point in growth is the most crucial step in the entire process.
Imagine a long chain, and behind each link is some sugar. When our malt reaches this stage in germination, what happens is that chain begins to break apart allowing the fermentable sugars to be easily accessible by a brewer or distiller. Too much length in germination means that the plant, as it emerges from the seed, will actually begin to use that energy for growth. So what now?
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This is where we prevent any further growth of the germination process by increasing temperature. Kilning is interesting in that this one process is responsible for all the different kinds and styles of malt available. Low temperatures give us Maillard reactions while high temperatures give us Melanoidin reactions. Think of it like making toast. You can toast it lightly and get a light flavour that is significantly different than that of bread. A little darker, and it tastes different than the light toast you just made. Forget about the toaster, and you've burnt your toast...…..
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This is ultimately what gives beer its' distinctive colours, flavour, and aroma. And if you add something simple like hops for bitterness, you get a great tasting beverage.
