Malted Barley (Malt).... Barley is a grain that grows all around the world. "Malting" is a process that “tricks” the barley into thinking it will soon be growing into a amber field of waving grain. As the the individual grains begins to germinate, however, this process is abruptly halted by the maltster. The desired result is the presence of an enzyme in the grain called amylase. The presence of the amlayse enzyme is crucial in converting the starches stored in the grain to fermentable sugar that the yeast will eventually consume. Maltsters also roast malt to give it certain characteristics. Lightly roasted malt is referred to as "crystal" or "caramel" malt. This type of malt is typically measured by its color, which spans several shades of reddish hues. Black Patent malt and Chocolate malt are examples of malt that have been roasted longer than crystal malt, and as their names suggest, are much darker in color. While other grains can be used for brewing, barley is the predominant form of grain used in beer production. In fact, Craft Beer is defined as beer that is made with 100% barley malt as the fermentable ingredient. Malted grain is often simply called malt by brewers.
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