Grain Profile

Grain: The foundation of beer

Grain does so much for beer: provides the food for the yeast, gives the color needed, adds flavors that can not be created any other way and much more. Using two-row grain in beers is a practice that the world has adopted for making great beers, yet for the most part, America is the only brewing community that uses six-row in their grain bill. Most countries use six-row only for their cattle and think that six-row is lesser of a grain, due to its mutation of one dominant and one recessive gene. In actuality, both two-row and six-row have been around for an extremely long time. 

As times roll by, breweries have requested more from these two types of grain, therefore today these two types of grain are more similar than not. The biggest differences are on a smaller scale, such as kernel size, extract rates, protein amounts, enzymes and much more. 

Morphology: "the study of living organism and the relationships between them".

Two-row kernels are structured in a symmetrical or even size therefore, they seem to absorb water at the same rate as well as, germinate and dry all typically at the same time. Due to this symmetrical size they are easy to grind in the two roller mill.

On the other hand, six-row has a symmetrical center yet the two lateral rows are a bit smaller, thinner and twisted slightly. Therefore, maltsters separate the different sizes of grain for the purpose of water absorption rates. The larger the brewery the less concerned the size of the grain really is, considering the systems that the larger breweries would have to mill their grains.

Malting: Adding water to grain to change unfermentables to fermentable sugars, then stopping the growth stage by drying the grain in a kiln, also for color and different flavors. 

Egyptians discovered the benefits of malting, therefore created a simple yet effective way to produce malt for their alcohol beverages. Over time, malting became more refined and even more specialized. The malting process created different flavors with an array of types of grains. 

Depending on the size of the malt is really what determines where the malt is going. The thickest malt grains tend to go to the brewers, the thin grains would be sent to the distilleries and the thinnest grains would be for feeding animals.

The size of grains in six-row continue to increase yet two-row is still larger. The yields still depend on the region yet typically are 1%-2% lower than two-row.

Six-Row Pros:

• It has more protein, less starch, and a thicker husk than two-row.
• Higher protein levels may help speed conversion to fermentable sugars. This is important to homebrewers using high mash-in temps; more conversion would take place than otherwise.
• Six-row has higher enzyme content for converting starch into fermentable sugars. More enzymes means it can convert adjunct starches (which lack or are deficient in enzymes) during mashing. Offset this with more (less expensive) adjunct grain use, and you know why so many large breweries use six-row.
• Six-row is less expensive per pound, and allows further cost cutting through the higher use of inexpensive adjuncts to offset the high protein levels.
• Supplementing two-row malt with some six-row malt might increase extraction, conversion time, and fermentability, particularly if you have a high percentage of adjuncts.
• Six-row yields more per acre.
• Those thicker husks improve the filter bed for lautering.

Enzyme and protein levels are high enough that a brewer probably doesn’t want to use six-row barley exclusively in a recipe. (Adjunct grains are cheaper.)  Unmalted cereals (corn and rice) are often mixed in with malt to compensate for the higher protein levels in six-row barley—up to 40 percent of six-row grist can be adjunct. New malt strains mean adding adjuncts is no longer necessary, but it’s economical and, in the case of some large breweries’ beers, traditional.

Six-Row Cons:

• Six row is more susceptible to the formation of dimethyl sulfide, a process begun through protein breakdown in malting. Some DMS is acceptable in some beer styles, but too much may contribute to a cooked or sweet corn flavor.
• Higher protein content can result in more break material during wort boiling and cooling, which can cause protein haze. Pay attention to this extra hot break for coagulation and removal.
• Six-row husks are high in polyphenols (tannins), which can contribute to protein-polyphenol haze, and can impart an astringent taste.
• Higher protein content often indicates less starch for conversion in malting. Six-row malting barley contains from 12-13.5 percent protein, whereas two-row has 11-13 percent. Malting doesn’t change the protein levels much.
• High protein levels can lengthen steeping time in the malting process, which causes erratic germination, particularly if low- and high-protein barleys are mixed to meet protein limits for malt. (And I was worried about controlling what went into my malt extract…)
• High proteins can lead to other beer quality issues like color control.
• Syrup adjuncts and six-row: Syrups are prepared by enzymatically hydrolyzing corn starch into fermentable sugars. It’s added to wort in fermentable form, which can take the wort over acceptable enzyme and soluble protein levels if you’re using six-row barley cultivars.

BARLEY: One of the foundation stones of beer is barley, which is transformed into brew-ready malt by taking a bath in hot water. This causes the grain to create the enzymes that transform proteins and starches into fermentable sugars, which yeast will later feast on to create alcohol. With brewing, top billing on the grain bill usually is reserved for barley malts. This is due mainly to an evolutionary advantage: barley contains husks, which keep the mash (the grains steeped in boiling water) loose and permit drainage of the wort—the broth that becomes beer. For flavor, brewers often blend the lead grain barley with a host of supporting fermentable grains (such as rye and wheat). There’s no global system for classifying the hundreds of varieties of barley, but they can be condensed into several broad categories.

BASE MALTS: These compose the bulk of the grain bill. Typically lighter-colored, these workhorse malts provide the majority of the proteins, fermentable sugars, and minerals required to create beer.

SPECIALTY MALTS: These auxiliary grains are great for increasing body, improving head retention, and adding color, aroma, and flavor, such as coffee, chocolate, biscuit, and caramel. Specialty grains are blended to achieve unique flavor profiles and characteristics.

Popular varieties include the following: 

• Crystal (or caramel) malts, specially stewed to create crystalline sugar structures within the grain’s hull. They add sweetness to beer.
• Roasted malts, kilned or roasted at high temperatures to impart certain flavor characteristics. Coffee beans undergo a similar transformation.
• Dark malts, highly roasted to achieve the robust flavors associated with stouts, schwarzbiers, bocks, and black IPAs.

UNMALTED BARLEY: This imparts a rich, grainy character to beer, a key characteristic of styles such as dry stout. Unmalted barley helps head retention, but it will make a beer hazier than Los Angeles smog.

CORN: When used in beer, corn provides a smooth, somewhat neutral sweetness. It is utilized to lighten a beer’s body, decrease haziness, and stabilize flavor.

OATS: Used in conjunction with barley, oats create a creamy, full-bodied brew that’s as smooth as satin. Stouts are a natural fit.

RICE: As a beer ingredient, rice imparts little or no discernible taste. Instead, the grain helps create snappy flavors and a dry profile as well as lighten a beer’s body.

RYE: Working in conjunction with barley, rye can sharpen flavors and add complexity, crispness, and subtle spiciness as well as dry out a beer. The grain also can be kilned to create a chocolate or caramel flavor. Its shortcoming: since rye is hull-less, using large percentages of the grain during brewing can cause it to clump up and turn to concrete.

WHEAT: Packed with proteins, this grain helps create a fuller body and mouthfeel and a foamy head as thick and lasting as Cool Whip. A large proportion of wheat can result in a smooth, hazy brew such as a hefeweizen or a witbier. Wheat can impart a slight tartness.

American Grain