Malting process

Fig. 1. Badey kernel and key components, shown in eady stage of malting process.

Irish Whiskey. Irish whiskeys are blends of grain and malt spirits three or more years of age that are produced in either the RepubHc of Ireland or Northern Ireland and comply with the respective laws regulating their manufacture. Since no peat is used in the malting process, Irish whiskey lacks the smokey character of Scotch. In the manufacturing process, the malt is soaked in water and milled to produce the wort. The fermentation usually takes about 60 hours. The first distillation in a pot stiU yields a 22—23% alcohol product. A second pot stiU distiUation produces a product that is 45—46% alcohol. This is foUowed by a third distiUation in another pot stiU to yield the Irish whiskey of about 68—70% alcohol. 

The brewer next prepares the wort, the nutrient medium required for fermentation by yeast cells. The malt is mixed with water and then mashed or crushed. This allows the enzymes formed in the malting process to act on the cereal polysaccharides to form maltose, glucose, and other simple sugars, which are soluble in the aqueous medium. The remaining cell matter is then separated, and the liquid wort is boiled with hops to give flavor. The wort is cooled and then aerated. 

In the final steps of brewing, the amount of foam or head on the beer, which results from dissolved proteins, is adjusted. Normally this is controlled by proteolytic enzymes that arise in the malting process. If these enzymes act on the proteins too long, the beer will have very little head and will be flat if they do not act long enough, the beer will not be clear when it is cold. Sometimes proteolytic enzymes from other sources are added to control the head. 

The malting process of barley increases the amylase historic... 

Wallerstein, M., Wallerstein, L. Extract having the flavour and aroma of malt, process of producing the same and beverage therefrom. GB Patent, 1918, 107,367. 

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