Gemälzt

Gemälzt is the past participle of the German verb mälzen, meaning to malt. It is used as an adjective to describe grains that have undergone the malting process, most commonly barley but also wheat, rye, or oats. Malting is a controlled germination and drying process that activates enzymes in the grain, enabling the conversion of starches into fermentable sugars during fermentation.

The malting process typically involves steeping the grains in water to initiate germination, allowing them to sprout briefly, and then kilning (drying) at increasing temperatures to stop germination and develop flavor, color, and aroma. The resulting product is malt, and when this has been processed as malted barley or other cereals, it can be described as gemälzt.

In brewing and distilling, gemälzte grains supply the fermentable sugars needed for alcohol production. Most beers rely on gemälztes Malz (malted malt) to provide flavor and fermentable carbohydrates; some beers use unmalted grains or adjuncts for body or color, in which case the term gemälzt would be less relevant. In whiskey production, particularly single malts, gemälzte Gerstenmalze are the standard starting material.

Labeling-wise, products may state gemälzt to indicate that the grain has undergone malting as opposed to unmalted grains or raw cereals; gemälzt does not by itself specify color or degree of kilning, which are described separately (e.g., pale malt, caramel malts).

See also: Malz, Malzverfahren, Brauen.