John Fleury continues the wonderful examination of the very elemental components of beer over at the DCist. Last time the discussion was of hops, this time he turns his attention to malt.
[...] now we tackle the yin to the hop’s yang: malts. Malts balance the hops’ bitterness and add the fermentable sugars needed to produce alcohol. The sugars left over from the fermentation process are responsible for sweetness and provide those roasted, caramelized, coffee, or chocolate flavors found in some of your favorite beers.
As with the previous installment, there are some recommended beers to get a taste of the different kinds of malts as well as places here in DC where you can find those brews.
I hope that the series continues, most logically discussing the role of yeast, potentially one of the most complex aspects of beer and definitely the most critical in terms of the wonderful liquid alchemy that is brewing.
