The finer the malt is crushed, the better the beer will be? Not exactly!
Malt and cereal raw materials (rice, corn, barley, etc.) can be well dissolved after being crushed, and the crushing quality is important for the biochemical changes of the material in the saccharification process, the composition of wort, the wort filtration and the utilization of raw materials.
In theory, the finer the malt is crushed, the quicker the dissolution of its contents proceeds and the more thoroughly the enzymatic reactions take, so that the best yield can be obtained. However, the malt cannot be crushed too much in actual production because the malt and the starch granules have different properties, and the mashing of the malt only needs to reach a certain degree.
Considering the quality of wort, the breakage of malt husk should be as small as possible. Since malt husk contains cellulose which is the main constituent material, there are also a number of other soluble substances that can enter into wort, such as malto-polyphenols, bitter substances, silicates and proteins, etc. These substances can have a bad effect on the beer both in color and taste after they are strongly eluted. Since cellulose is insoluble in water and almost unaffected by enzymes, it has little effect on wort.
As malt husks are tough, they possess a mechanical resistance to the grinder's rollers, and are difficult to grind, especially when moisture in malt is high. The malt husk should not be crushed too fine
because the husk can constitute a natural filter layer. If the malt is crushed too much, it will reduce the wort's filtration performance and even cause serious filtration difficulties. In addition, the malt is too finely pulverized, the volume of the material becomes small, and the malt powder is closely packed together, which will inevitably increase the difficulty of outflow of wort and the sparging. Using the wort filter press, the malt husks can be crushed to a finer size, which is beneficial to maintain the homogeneity of saccharification. Unless a special wort filtration device is equipped, powder comminution can be carried out. This comminution is not limited by the comminuted degree of malt husks.
The extract of wort is mainly derived from the endosperm. The endosperm is mainly composed of starch and other carbohydrates and proteins. When all the components of the endosperm are dissolved, the malt can be fully utilized. Therefore, the endosperm should be finely crushed, but it should not be as fine as flour, or it will deteriorate the permeability of wort lautering. For example, the internal composition of the malt endosperm is not balanced, the hardness of the malt is different in different parts, and the mechanical resistance to the roller is also not the same. Therefore, the malt is not evenly crushed.
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