Since 1870 we’ve lived and breathed malting. With this passion and expertise, and by combining traditional and modern techniques, we create an impressive range of malted and non-malted products, including several unique and exclusive barley malts.
There is nothing more we love than talking to brewers and distillers so if you have any questions, or would like to arrange a call with a member of our team, please feel free to get in touch – we would love to hear from you!
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About Me
Mike is the sales manager for Wales and the West of England and is located in Wigan.
You can read my bio by clicking the button below
Introducing Chit Malt; initially launched as a Small Batch product, is now included within our Speciality Malts collection due to high customer demand and overwhelmingly positive feedback when the product launched.
Raw barley is fantastic for improving head retention and mouthfeel in beers but its very hard with low friability. Breweries who use raw barley often have separate hammer mills so the malt mill is protected from the destruction barley milling can bring. This is where Chit Malt can play a huge part.
Very popular in the USA, to call it malt is being kind. It’s steeped like normal barley, which wakes the grain up and gets it ready for growth (germination), the next stage in malting. We don’t allow any germination, instead transferring it directly to the kiln where it is dried. Skipping the germination stage results in very little soluble nitrogen being released by the barley but the grain is more friable than raw barley meaning it can be milled without specialist equipment.
As you can imagine, an under modified malt won’t have the highest extract figure or high levels of Free Amino Nitrogen, but it’s very light in colour and it has a low level of diastatic power (starch degrading enzymes). Its main purpose is to provide head retention and mouthfeel. As the barley beta glucans and proteins have not been broken down during germination, there is a large percentage of high molecular weight material present which enhance head retention and improve mouth feel. It will even help to keep a consistent haze in the beer.
We have mentioned extract, but it should also be noted that Chit Malt is high in beta glucan with levels around 1000 mg/l. Beta glucans are reduced during germination so it’s no great surprise. If the beer is destined for sterile filtration, it would be wise to use beta glucanase in the mash to extend the membrane filters life.
You can absolutely use Chit Malt to enhance all beers, but we have found it to be the go-to addition for lagers, especially, helping to create a stable foam with a crisp finish taking them to the next level.
One satisfied craft brewing customer, Sam Fraise at ATTIK Brew Co, has shared some highly complementary and informative insight on how this versatile malt is used in their brews.
We initially used it in our lager due to the very high protein content, we noticed it created a very creamy and tight foam, and it has worked wonders for the head retention in this beer. What we have really enjoyed is that when using a high protein grist with lots of oats and wheat, it can aid with haze stability. Whereas when we use it in beers that we need to be bright, such as lagers, we have noticed that the high molecular weight proteins aid clarity. The fact it can do both makes it a very versatile malt to use.
If you’d like more information about chit malt and how it can work for your brews, we’d be delighted to hear from you, or you can find out more information, the flavour wheel, and the malt data sheet on the Chit Malt product page here.
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