Lesson 2 - Malt Intake, Handling, and Storage
This lesson details the principles and operations of malt intake, handling, and storage. It explains how and why malt is checked on delivery to the brewery. It also covers how it is taken in, processed, and stored, as well as how safety is maintained during malt handling.
Malt Handling and Storage Technology Overview
Malt handling and storage technology is the equipment used to:
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Move the malt from intake to storage and from storage to milling
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Prepare the grain for storage and milling
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Store the grain
The figure below shows the equipment we might find at malt intake and storage in a large brewery.
Figure: Malt handling and storage process flow
The components of a malt handling and storage system are:
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An intake pit or hopper
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Magnets
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Bucket elevators
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Conveying systems (pneumatic, drag chain, pipe chain and disc, belt, screw)
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A dust aspiration system
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Silos
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A destoner
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Malt screening
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Malt weigher(s)
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Manual dust cleaning and collection systems
Not all brewery malt handling systems will have all of these components and the order of arrangement will vary from that detailed on our figure. Many breweries only clean the grain (screening and destoning) after storage and en route to the mill. This is because these processes are typically quite slow and would extend the unloading time. We will cover each component in detail later. Next, we will discuss the malt handling process.