The Floor Malting Process

The total time for the process, from soaking to finished malt, is about eight days, depending on the type and variety of grain. Grain will arrive to Admiral Maltings in 1-ton tote bags, with site capacity for 300 tons of grain at a time.

STEEPING

The grain goes into a soaking tank that holds 10 tons of grain and 8,000 gallons of water. Over the course of 36 hours, the tank will be emptied and filled with water three separate times to get the grain very well hydrated. The drained water gets treated on site, passing through a reverse osmosis water filtration system so it can be reused for soaking.

GERMINATION

After soaking, the barley is spread on one of the two malting floors, about four to six inches deep, spread and turned by hand. Turning the grain is important to aerate, but also keep the rootlets from tangling together into a mat. The germination will generate heat, which needs to be regulated. Poor temperature control, where the process is too warm, results in uneven germination and modification. To control temperature, Admiral Maltings has a radiant cooling system built in to the malting floor.

KILNING

After the grain has germinated and the roots are almost the same length as the grain itself, the grain is put into the kiln, where hot air will roast it. Temperature ranges from 100 to 190 degrees, depending on the style, from light Pilsner to dark Munich. After a 24hour roasting period, the rootlets are removed and the grain is polished and cleaned.