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John Wiseman <[log in to unmask]> asks:

> Does, for example, the so-called "malting process" in liquor and beer
> manufacturing actually involve the use of malt?

During an engineering internship at a nearby brewery (you may have seen
their marvelous "frog" commercials of late ;-), I learned more than I
ever want to know about the production of beer and 'malt liquor'. Let me
see if I can provide enough information to help...

The "malting process" in beer manufacture involves sprouting barley to
increase the natural sugar level in the grain, then stopping the process
by roasting the grain at the appropriate time (this is what is called
"malting"). After roasting, the grain is cracked/ground (depending on the
brew) and added to the fermentation vats, along with various and sundry
other ingredients including hops and yeast.

The reason that you may not have had a reaction is that proteins tend to
cloud the brew, and so most breweries are pretty careful to filter out
the proteins in a complex process involving many steps and several
filters. Still, I wouldn't want to try this on a regular basis, myself.
In fact, I'm donating the last of the brew they gave me (one of my
favorites from pre-problem times) to one of the clubs I belong to for
their chili cook-off next month...

karen

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