Malting is a process applied to cereal grains, and the term malt can refer to several products of the process:
- grains to which this process has been applied, e.g. malted barley
- sugar derived from such grains and heavy in maltose, e.g. baker's malt
- a product using such sugar (e.g., malted milkshakes), which imparts a distinctive flavor.
The typical "pale malt" malting process is as follows:
- fresh raw grains are washed and soaked for a period of time to begin germination
- a constant moisture is held to promote germination and growth of the acrospire
- the acrospire is allowed to grow to a length equal to the grain, or a little less (about 4-6 days for barley)
- this "green malt" is then kilned at 100 °F to 120 °F (38 °C to 49 °C) for about 24 hours and then at 140 °F to 160 °F (60 °C to 71 °C) until the moisture content is less than 6%
Malt is used to make beer, whisky, malt vinegar.
Source: William Starr Moake. (August, 1997) Make your own malt. Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine (ISSN 1081-826X), pages 32-36, volume 3, number 8.