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![]() This whole process takes about seven to eight days and is carried out in buildings called the maltings. Which are usually separate from the brewery. Malting starts with the process of steeping, or wetting the barley. Extra water is drained off and the grain gently aerated. Water and air together produce the right conditions for germination. Traditionally, germination was carried out on a flat concrete or tiled floor, Where the temperature of the grain was watched carefully as rootlets began to grow. To regulate this temperature the old - time maltster's main control was from opening or closing windows depending which way the wind was blowing! Also the malting barley had to be sprayed with water, and turned regularly with a wooden shovel. This controlled the heat retained in the grain bed, as well as keeping the rootlets from binding tightly together. Modern malting takes place in a form of large drum box equipped with a mechanical screw to turn the grain. Forced ventilation allows air to circulate freely through the bed, controlling its temperature. If the grain is too cold it will germinate far too slowly, while if it gets hot then long shoots appear, which burn up too much of the barley's supply of starch. As germination starts, substances called enzymes are released which act on the starch so that the brewing process can later convert it to fermentable sugar. It takes around four to five days to complete this stage, known as modification you can read more about enzymes if you like in appendix one.
Once modified, the malt is dried by kilning with hot air, which not only stops the germination process but also adds flavour and colour to the final brew. Barley growth has now stopped but the enzymes survive the kilning process, for action later on in the brewery.
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