Kilning

The third and final step in the malting process is kilning. Convection heat treatment dries the green malt to prevent further germination. If germination continued, the kernel would keep growing and all of the starch reserves needed by the brewer would be used by the growing plant. For most malts, moisture is initially removed from the germinated grain - this is called Withering. Additional drying further reduces the moisture content and prepares the malt for flavor and color development. Other important results achieved during the kilning process include enzymatic activity and friability. It is the controlled variations in this step that produces the wide range of malt colors and flavors used by brewers in crafting their unique and distinctive product.

Once the malting process is complete, the malt is transported to a silo where it is stored for cleaning. The cleaning process removes unwanted rootlets, husk, and dust from the malted barley. The cleaned malt is stored in a silo and later bagged for packaging and shipment to our brewing customers.