Einfach Malting

The first step in the conversion from
starches to sugar is to "malt" raw
grain. Raw grains are seeds whose
energy is stored in the form of
starch. But the plant can't use
starch either and must convert it to
sugar to grow. Malting takes
advantage of this by germinating the
seed and then drying it out. In doing
so the grain produces all the
machinery needed to convert the
starch to sugar. The drying puts the
process on hold, ready to be
restarted on the brew day.

The conditions of malting have a huge effect on the final product.
Use low temps to dry and you get a light malt (light colored beer);
use high temperatures you get dark malt (dark beers with roasted
flavors). The lesson is this: variations in the temperature used at
every step in the brewing process results in different products. It is
how we go from four ingredients to hundreds of beers!

The major grain used for all beer is Barley. It produces the best
flavor and conditions for breaking down starches. Wheat is also
used to create Weizen or Wheat beers. Major breweries often use
cheaper grains such as corn or rice. These add sugar to the beer
(and thus alcohol) with little flavor resulting in extremely light beers.
Use of such grains is not permitted in German Brewing (German
Purity Laws).

Einfach beer is made with the finest malts in the world, with our
base malts grown in Canada and our specialty malts shipped over
from Germany.