Getting the most out of malt!
Aaron MacLeodMaritime Craft Malt WorkshopNovember 30 2018
Our Mission
▪ Support growth and innovation in craft food and beverage production through quality testing, technical support, & education.
Investment
▪ The Center was awarded a total of $1,125,000 in start-up funding from federal, state, and private sources
▪ Empire State Development
▪ USDA Rural Business Development
▪ Appalachian Regional Commission
▪ George Alden Trust
Grain Quality Testing
Barley Selection Package (Moisture,
Protein, Plump, Kernel Weight,
Germination Energy, RVA, & DON)
$75
Moisture & Protein $15
Starch $25
Germination (4mL, 8mL & Capacity) $20
DON (ELISA) $35
RVA (for pre-harvest germination) $25
Malt Quality Testing
Full Malt Analysis – (Moisture, Assortment,
Friability, Fine Extract, Coarse Extract, F/C
Difference, β-glucan, FAN, soluble protein, S/T, DP,
α-amylase, color, filtration time, clarity)
$150
Basic Malt Analysis – (Moisture, Fine Extract,
β-glucan, FAN, DP, α-amylase, color, filtration time,
clarity)
$75
Enzymes Only (Diastatic Power & α-amylase) $50
Specialty Malt Analysis – (Moisture, Extract,
Color)$25
Safety Testing
DON $35
Aflatoxin $35
Ochratoxin $30
Total Aerobic Count $30
Yeast & Mold Count $30
EColi $30
Nitrosamines (NDMA) $250
Glycosidic Nitrile $225
Beer Quality Testing
Alcohol (ABV) $15
Bitterness (IBU) $20
Free Amino Nitrogen (FAN) $20
Beer QC (ABV, SG, RE, OE, RDF, IBU,
Color, pH)$50
Minerals (Ca, Mg, & Zn) $225
Beer Spoiler Alert™ $75
Micro and Pilot Scale Malting
▪ Micromalting assessment
▪ Variety & Agronomy Trials
▪ Cornell
▪ Penn State
▪ Virginia Tech
▪ UD Davis
▪ Oregon State University
▪ Washington State University
▪ AAFC
Using Third Party Labs
▪ Outsourcing some analysis can fill gaps in your quality assurance program by providing analysis that requires equipment you don’t have or validation that your own analysis makes sense.
▪ Third party analysis can be used for:
▪ Identify high quality raw materials
▪ Feedback for process optimization
▪ Characterizing finished products
▪ Monitoring process variation
▪ Validation of in house test methods
Malting barley quality selection criteria
Characteristic SpecificationProtein content 9–12% dry matter
Plumpness >85% (over 6/64”)
Varietal purity >98%Germination Energy >95%Rapid Visco Analyzer >120 stirring number
DON <1.0ppm
Moisture
▪ Barley moisture < 13.5% to ensure good storability
▪ High moisture encourages microbial growth and germination loss
▪ Exercise caution when drying barley grain as it can destroy germination (max 100°F)
Grain Moisture
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
32 41 50 59 68 77 86
Ma
xim
um
Nu
mb
er
of W
ee
ks
Storage Temperature (°F)
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
Protein
▪ Related to growing environment, agronomic practice, and genetics
▪ High protein limits extract potential
▪ Low protein limits enzymes
Nitrogen Management
Nitrogen
Yie
ld
Gra
in P
rote
in
Protein%
FRI%
EX%
SP%
S/T%
BGppm
DP°L
9.1 95 82.3 4.3 44.6 45 116
9.6 91 81.5 4.3 43.0 78 128
10.5 86 81.1 4.4 42.0 114 132
12.2 76 80.0 4.5 37.1 150 152
13.0 67 79.4 4.6 36.4 270 160
Germination
▪ Will the barley germinate now?- Germinative energy
Vitality versus Vigor
Variety 24h 48 h 72h 3 Day
Endeavor 70 27 1 98
Puffin 9 32 57 98
Germination
▪ Will the barley germinate now?- Germinative energy
▪ Is it dead or just dormant?- Germinative capacity
Dormancy
▪ Dormancy is characterized by the absence of germination in the presence of favorable conditions
▪ Subsides after a period of grain storage
▪ Varies by variety
Germination & Dormancy - 20174
mL
Ge
rmin
ati
on
% (
at
ha
rve
st)
Dormancy Break
Germination
▪ Will the barley germinate now?- Germinative energy
▪ Is it dead or just dormant?- Germinative capacity
▪ Special care required for steeping?- Water sensitivity
Water Sensitivity
▪ the failure of seed to germinate in excess moisture
▪ Special case of dormancy, but may not improve on storage
▪ Steeping process parameters must be adjusted to overcome water sensitivity
▪ Shorter wet immersions
▪ Longer air rests
Water Sensitivity - 20178
mL
Ge
rmin
ati
on
%
Water Sensivity
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Total
4 mL 47 51 2 100
8 mL 95 3 0 98
4 mL 33 91 3 97
8 mL 31 22 8 61
Barley A
Barley B
Multi Step Immersion Steeping
Germination
▪ Will the barley germinate now?- Germinative energy
▪ Is it dead or just dormant?- Germinative capacity
▪ Special care required for steeping?- Water sensitivity
▪ Long term storability of the barley?- sprouting/pre-germination
Pre-Harvest Sprouting
▪ Caused by excessive moisture prior to harvest
▪ Can be visually detected at only at severe levels
▪ Pre-germination (early signs) can not be visually seen, but can be measured using Falling Number or Rapid Visco Anaysis(RVA)
Risk of loss of germination on storage
▪ RVA > 120
▪ Barley is sound, high probability that germination will be retained on long term storage
▪ 50 < RVA < 120
▪ Barley is moderately pre-germinated, medium risk of germination loss on storage. Risk can be reduced if storage conditions are cool and dry
▪ RVA < 50
▪ Barley is severely pre-germinated, should be malted as soon as possible.
Germination Loss
Storage Time
Ger
min
atio
n E
ner
gy
sound
moderatelypre-germinated
Severelypre-germinated
Germination loss during storage
At Harvest July/Aug December
Moisture%
GerminationEnergy %
RVAGermination
Energy %
Scala 13.2 99 65 93
Synergy 13.3 98 75 98
Synergy 14.1 97 55 91
Scala 15.3 97 50 73
Conlon 15.3 94 30 73
Newdale 16.1 98 20 48
Fusarium & DON
▪ Mycotoxin produced by fusarium mold
▪ Can survive the brewing process
▪ Fusarium is implicated in gushing and PYF
▪ Maltsters reject >1.0 ppm
Fusarium and malting
▪ Highly infected barley can produce additional DON during malting
▪ Fusarium growth and DON production more likely after harvest then after long term storage
▪ Fusarium viability declines during storage
▪ The mold produces enzymes which cause damage to the protein structures
▪ Excessive soluble protein, FAN
▪ Elevated wort color
Solutions - Grower
▪ Variety choice
▪ Look for varieties with resistance
▪ Rotation
▪ Do not follow corn or small grains
▪ Fungicide & Timing
▪ Tillage
Solutions - Maltster
▪ Screen barley and malt for DON
▪ Have a “do not accept level” for incoming barley
▪ Cleaning
▪ DON is difficult to clean out of barley
▪ Small reductions in damaged kernels might be possible
▪ Storage
▪ Fusarium losses viability and is less likely to grow
Solutions - Maltster
▪ Malting Practice
▪ Increased overflow in steep may help to rinse surface contamination
▪ Chemical Control (e.g. bleach, ozone)
▪ Research is inconclusive on safety or effectiveness
▪ Microbiological Control
▪ Adjusting steep water pH (alkaline or acidify)
▪ Protective cultures (lactic acid bacteria or geotricum yeast)
Best practices to maintain high quality
▪ Harvest malting barley in a timely manner, ideally in good conditions when both grain and straw are mature.
▪ Dry grain gently (<100°F) to < 13.5% moisture
▪ Obtain an accurate/representative sample for testing
▪ Handle harvested grain gently to avoid breakage and hull abrasion
Keys to success
▪ Know your market
▪ Discuss variety choice, quality specifications, & price with maltster in advance
▪ Plan for alternative markets if quality isn’t met
▪ Know your product
▪ Send a representative sample for testing
▪ Monitor quality during storage
▪ Keep a representative sample
What Is Quality?
▪ Fitness for use
▪ functional characteristics
▪ Meets customer expectations
▪ Free from defects
▪ Preforms well in the brewery
▪ Safe
▪ Brand Values
▪ the art of malting
▪ Distinctive, innovative, local, sustainable, flavorful
Understanding Malt Analysis
▪ What do we use it for?
▪ Process quality control
▪ Comparing different malts
▪ Predicting brewingperformance
▪ specifications
What do brewers need?
▪ High BrewhouseYield
▪ high extract
Endosperm Modification
▪ Barley genetics
▪ Kernel hydration
▪ Germination moisture/temperature/time
Ease of modification
Bet
a-G
luca
n(m
g/L
)
What do brewers need?
▪ High BrewhouseYield
▪ high extract
▪ Efficient conversion
▪ Adequate alpha amylase
α-amylase
▪ Important enzyme for rapid degradation of starch during mashing
▪ Is produced during malting process
▪ Promotes fast “wort conversion”
▪ Influenced by variety and malting conditions
▪ Specifications:
▪ Moderate: 40 - 55 D.U.
▪ High: 55 - 70 D.U.
▪ Very High: >70 D.U (distillers)
Action of α-amylase
Steep 1 2 3 4 5
a-A
myla
se A
ctivity
What do brewers need?
▪ High BrewhouseYield
▪ high extract
▪ Efficient conversion
▪ Adequate alpha amylase
▪ Good wort separation
▪ low β-glucan, good hull retention
1.35
1.40
1.45
1.50
1.55
1.60
1.65
1.70
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
beta-glucan (mg/L)
wo
rt v
isco
sity
(cP
)
What do brewers need?
▪ High BrewhouseYield
▪ high extract
▪ Efficient conversion
▪ Adequate alpha amylase
▪ Good wort separation
▪ low β-glucan, good hull retention
▪ Fermentability
▪ adequate DP, adequate FAN
Diastatic Power
▪ Represents total activity of starch degrading enzymes
▪ Primarily related to β-amylase activity which produces fermentable sugars
▪ Influenced by variety and protein content
▪ Specification ranges:
▪ High > 150 °L
▪ Moderate 100-150°L
▪ Low < 100°L
Action of β-amylase
Impact of mash temps on enzymes
110 120 130 140 150 160
Malt Sensory – ASBC Hot Steep
Developing flavor in pale malt
▪ Use higher protein barley
▪ Promote modification
▪ Higher steep out moisture
▪ Extend germination time
▪ Higher cure temp (195 vs 185°F)
▪ Raise temperature (130 - 150°F) at higher moisture
▪ Increasing color will reduce DP
Nitrosamines
▪ NDMA in barley malt at levels greater than 10 ppb is considered avoidable contamination under section 406 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
▪ The action level of 10 ppb NDMA in barley malt applies to all barley malt produced after October 1, 1980
▪ Actionable if a composite of 10 subsamples of finished product barley malt contains greater than 10 ppb NDMA
▪ Action levels represent limits at or above which FDA can take legal action to remove products from the market.
Nitrosamines
▪ Risk Factors
▪ Direct fire kilning
▪ Industrial emissions
▪ Mitigation
▪ Indirect fire kilns
▪ Low NOx burners
▪ Burn sulfer in the kiln
Glycosidic Nitrile
▪ Risk Factors
▪ Barley genetics
▪ All malt spirit production
▪ Copper in descending vapor phase
▪ Mitigation
▪ Non-GN producing or Low GN varieties
▪ Malting conditions (low temp, low moisture, short germination)
Malt Quality
Characteristic
Adjunct
Brewing
All Malt
Brewing
Total protein (%) >11.5% <11.5%
Soluble/Total protein (%.) 40-47% 38-45%
Extract (%) >80.0% >81.0%
Diastatic power (oL) >150 100 -120
Free Amino Nitrogen 180 - 220 120 - 180
Spring 2-Row Spring 6-Row Winter 2-Row
Protein, % 11.8 12.7 9.5
Extract, % 80.0 79.0 82.0
β-glucan, % 120 260 70
FAN, mg/L 200 230 150
Diastatic Power, °L 130 140 110
CrispMarrisOtter
SimpsonsGoldenPromise
WeyermanPaleAle
Rahr2-Row
Moisture, % 3.1 4.4 4.8 4.8
Extract, % 81.8 81.2 81.0 81.8
Protein, % 9.4 9.6 11.0 11.6
Friability, % 94.3 94.5 87.2 85.6
Color, °L 4.3 3.2 3.95 2.2
Kolbach, S/T % 47.1 46.7 39.5 43.0
FAN 154 192 148 187
β-glucan. % 212 64 114 118
Diastatic Power, °L 75 100 105 140
α-amylase, DU 40.0 53.2 59.5 63.0
Beyond the numbers…
Growth in Craft Beer Market Share
Source: Brewer’s Association
Projected malt usage
Source: Brewer’s Association
North American Craft Maltsters Guild
▪ Craft Malt is made using a majority (greater than 50% by weight) of locally grown grains
▪ Craft Malthouse producing minimum 5 metric tons & maximum 10,000 metric tons product/year
▪ Ownership by non-craft malt company does not exceed 24%
Find a craft malthouse near you!
February 2-3 . 2019
Bozeman, Montana
www.craftmalting.com
▪ “If you want something different, then it isn’t going to be the same”
-Jason Sahler, Strong Rope Brewery