W4 - L1 - Malting Barley Flashcards by Aideen Cooper

A 2 stage ‘industrial’ process

BARLEY is malted to produce MALT
MALT is brewed / distilled to produce BEER / SPIRITS

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Malting Barley : Quality Criteria (7)

1. High germination
1. Homogeneous (uniform) sample, low screenings
1. Moisture content < 21.5% at harvest
1. No mechanical damage / splitting / skinning (2%)
1. Good colour / no moulds
1. No heat damage
1. Moderate grain nitrogen content (Protein %

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what is the moisture content of Malting Barley at harvest

<21.5%

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what sort of matting varieties have a high capacity for

good malting varieties have high capacity for beta glucanase activity

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what are cell walls made of

beta-glucans

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what does beta glucanase (enzymes) ensure?

rapid breakdown of cell walls thus, ensuring an increase in speed of
starch modification

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Chemical basis for the malting process (2)

normal germination - starch is converted to reducing sugars which are used to nurture embryo
In malting process the aim is to control this process - with partial starch change or modification

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what is normal germination

starch is converted to reducing sugars which are used to nurture embryo

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what is the aim in malting process

the aim is to control this process - with partial starch change or modification

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how many stages are there to go from barley to malt (the malting process)

name them

steeping
germination
drying

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The malting process

Steeping

moisture content raised to 46%
(this may include rest periods in air only) - this process takes up to 3 days

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in the steeping stage of malting process what % does moisture content rise to

46%

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how long does the steeping stage take

3 days

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The malting process
2. Germination

temperature : 14-17 celcius
the grain is turned regularly - matting and the process takes 4-5 days

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The malting process
3. Drying

arrests starch conversion, the ‘malt’
is dried down to 2-4.5%, gives flavour and colour to malt

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Trial Research Studies – UCD Boortmalt Experimental Scale : Micro-malting

500g of individual reps malted in Jo-White micro malting unit
Analysed to commercial distilling malt specification (IOB, 1997) in laboratory of Boortmalt / Antwerp
Key focus on: Soluble extract, fermentable extract, spirit yield, SNR, friability plus others

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steps from Malt to Beer (8)

malt is stored for a month
milled
mixed with unmalted grain
mashed ——> wort
wort is boiled
hops added
cooled
yeast added ——> Fermentation –> Beer

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during the process of malt to beer why is the wort boiled

stabilisation
remove bad flavours

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The Malting and Brewing Process
Slide 10 & 11

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what sort of weather is needed for malting barley production

Suitable weather – cool bright moist – Not too dry, not too wet, not hot

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what sort of soil is needed for malting barley production

suitable soil types :
– free-draining with low soil nitrogen levels
– key geographical areas in Ireland
South Kildare, Carlow, Laois, Wexford, East Cork
also areas of Tipperary, Offaly, Donegal, Louth
- medium to light land
– brown earth soil types

Malting Barley Production

early-sowing dates : February-March
Even uniform crops with good crop structure
Good crop husbandry - disease control etc
Detailed Nitrogen fertilisation programme– N applied earlier and in modest amounts
Key 2022 cultivars are Planet, Laureate,- Also Barley for roasting (brewing process)

what are wet weather diseases in Barley(4)

Wet weather diseases
- Rhyncosporium
- Net blotch
- Ramularia (leaf spotting)
- Fusarium species on the ear Sooty moulds / Botyritis

dry weather diseases of Barley (2)

mildew
Rust diseases

what is grain protein in malting barley

a key quality parameter

what level of grain N% (PROTEIN) is needed

low to moderate

what sort of malt does a high protein barley produce

poor quality malt – negative relationship between protein and starch – low starch reduces the extract in the malt

can protein levels be too low

protein levels can be too low – protein levels are correlated with enzyme levels

what is the key % protein for barley for brewing

8.8-10.8%

what is the key % protein for barley for distilling

7.5 to 8.8 %

above and below what % of protein is barley rejected

above 10.8 % rejection **2018 , - problem with barley below 7.5 to 8% protein

Protein content in Malting Barley in a COOL WET season

- low barley protein levels - Average’s in the range 9.0 to 9.4% protein – The average figures in the last decade were 10 -

what is the reason for Average’s in the range 9.0 to 9.4% protein for malting barley COOL WET SEASON(4)

-- Cool wet season with high summer rainfall – Early sowing dates / N appl. dates – Restrictions on N use / N directive / REPS – Rotation changes – demise of sugar beet

Protein content in Malting Barley in 2018 – HOT DRY summer

- very high barley protein levels - Average’s in the range 11 to 13 % protein – The average figures in the last decade were 9 – 1

reasons for high barley protein levels in HOT DRY weather (3)

* Lower yields * Late season soil N uptake * Nitrogen translocation to the grain is higher with higher summer temperatures

over what % screening is not acceptable

over 8%

Malting Barley : % Screenings table 21

at what % screening is the base price (€/t)

3.1 to 4.0 %

what is the protein % for Malting barley quality requirements for brewing

Protein: 8.8 – 10.5%

what is the extract (sugar) % in malt

81-83%

Malting barley quality requirements for brewing: High enzyme potential (3)

* High enzyme potential: – to ensure optimal protein degradation – to ensure adequate sugar degradation – to ensure the extract level

what do plump kernels add to malting barley

more sugars

what doe even size kernels add to malting barley for brewing

homogenous malting

what effect has string husks on maling barley for brewing

improve brewing process

what are brewers looking for

Brewers are looking for a balance between the amount of alcohol (translated in starch content in the grain) and flavour (the amount of protein in the grain)

if protein content is very low what does this influence

negatively influence the enzyme potential.

what are distillers looking for in malting barley

Distillers are looking for low protein barley with as high extract as possible as this is positively correlated with high levels of alcohol yield.

what is the alcohol yield potential of malt measured through

PSY (predicted spirit yield) formula.

what is the minimum amount of litres per tonne of pure spirit extracted from the malt or it will be unacceptable to distillers

405 litres

Malting Barley Trials -Teagasc Oakpark Effect of Sowing Date on Yield and Quality graph slide 25

the earlier the sowing date - the higher the yield (March) the later the sowing date (late april) - higher % Grain N