Lesson 3 - Speciality Malt SAQ
This lesson provides the opportunity for you to test yourself on the material covered in Lesson 2 (Speciality malt) and determine the level to which you have attained the expected outcomes.
Suggested Response - Q5
**What is malt extract; how can it be used for brewing?
Response:
Malt extract is a concentrated wort produced from malted barley. After producing wort, the supplier uses falling film evaporators to reduce moisture levels. This produces a syrup-like liquid with a gravity of 65-82°P. The is liquid can then be dried to produce a powder. A range of extracts are available with a different colours and flavour profiles. Some are hopped during a short boil and others have hop extracts added before packaging.
Very small breweries can use malt extract instead of producing wort. Hopped malt extract only needs to be diluted before fermentation. Unhopped malt extract can be boiled with hops before wort cooling and fermentation. Diastatic malt extract can be used to convert pregelatinised starch containing adjuncts if held at the required temperature. Other uses of malt extract include:
- Adjusting flavour
- Creating different beers from a base beer by adjusting colour and flavour
- Correcting colour in beers that are insufficiently dark
- Correcting gravities in kettle in smaller breweries if extract efficiencies are low