As you know, for the manufacture of beer (according to the old Bavarian "Requirement for cleanliness" from 1516), only 3 elements are needed: water, hops, malt. Yeast at that time was still “not open”, so today we add their participation to the main ingredients. All of these components can directly affect the taste of the foamy drink. For example, hops have many varieties (another thing is that some of them are difficult to access in home brewing). Brewer's yeast can also hit an ignorant amateur brewer with its variety. With water, at first glance, everything is clear too. And what about the last component? Our article about what such a thing is - melanoidin malt. When to use it? How to cook it on your own?
Melanoidin Malt: Description
Actually, why all this? And is it worth it to fool around? In our opinion, yes! But first, a little about the process itself. Melanoidin malt is a reaction product. It occurs between carbohydrates and proteins - the main component of many products, including cereals. Moreover, this reaction, as a process, is ongoing. Therefore, for example, the malt extract may darken over time. If the temperature is increased, the process speeds up several times. Therefore, frying barley (or wheat) product, we can significantly speed up the reaction, soon achieving the desired taste and getting the so-called melanoidin malt.
Biological resistance and aroma
In addition, this process significantly improves the biological characteristics of the foamy drink, increasing its resistance to the negative effects of bacteria. And with the above reaction, volatile substances appear. They give the beer a deeply saturated aroma.
By the way, upon receipt of melanoidin malt, compounds appear that are similar to those manifested in a similar procedure with cocoa and coffee beans. Usually, such subtleties disappear from the final result of brewing beer in the factory. However, a home brewer always has a chance to “catch them in a bottle” by constructing an authentic beer that will delight with its taste qualities for about a couple of months. Then aromas and tastes “subside”, become more neutral. And believe me, such a procedure will be "worth the candle." The recipes for melanoidin malt are quite simple. The main thing is to observe the temperature regime and temporary cooking conditions.
Home Recipe: Baked Malt
Here you can add malt with color up to 50 units. They are prepared at a temperature slightly above one hundred degrees Celsius. Cooking time - about 5 hours. Every quarter hour, the ingredient is thoroughly stirred. We get the richest aromas by moisturizing the raw materials, adding a little more than half a liter of water for every kilogram of the original product. With this “melting”, notes of honey appear.
Amber
First, we hold the hour at 110 degrees, and then we prepare melanoidin malt for beer at a temperature of up to 140 for several more hours. This gives a nutty tone, a process used in the preparation of brown ales and porters.
Fried or chocolate
This name justifies itself: at a certain moment the product acquires the aroma and taste of cocoa or coffee beans. Consistently, the frying temperature rises (up to 170 degrees), and for a short period - up to 200! Care must be taken so that the product does not burn. Such malt is used in the preparation of stouts, brown ales, and porters.
Burnt
It is not recommended to cook it at home, without specialized equipment (for example, a sealed metal container). And then, it’s not an hour, neighbors on a high-rise building can call a fire brigade. Well, those who use their own land - you can try. We burn the product at 240 degrees (hermetically sealed) for about 2 hours. We use in porters, as well as for tinting a foamy drink.
Caramel
The manufacture of caramel raw materials for beer is different from the above. Ideally: here starch is fully converted to sugar. Soak ordinary malt for a couple of hours. When crushing grains, porridge is formed. Then the raw materials are kept from 5 hours to half a day (temperature - 70 degrees), while maintaining the moisture of the product. In the grain, a sugaring reaction occurs. And after the malt we dry and fry (or bake) to the desired state.
As you can see, in principle, any kind of malt can be obtained from ordinary light on its own - for brewing original beers. I wish you success in this pleasant undertaking!