malting
Kilning
Dry germinated grain with heat to halt modification, stabilise it for storage and develop the colour and flavour that distinguish one malt from another.
What is actually happening
Air at a controlled temperature is drawn through the grain bed. Free moisture leaves first at low temperature; the curing phase that follows is where flavour develops.
Above roughly 80 °C the Maillard reaction accelerates, producing melanoidins and the bread, biscuit, toffee and roast notes that separate pilsner malt from Munich malt from chocolate malt. Enzymes are progressively destroyed as temperature rises, which is why dark malts contribute no diastatic power.
Typical conditions
| Temperature | 50–110°C |
|---|---|
| Scale | A commercial-scale operation |
Ranges, not targets. These describe what is usual across the styles and breweries that use this step, and a value outside the range is a decision rather than an error.
What goes wrong here
Risks rather than certainties. This step does not cause these faults; getting it wrong can.
- DMS — A cooked-vegetable note from a malt precursor that a vigorous open boil should have driven off.
Related steps and concepts
- Malting — The process kilning concludes.
- Maillard reaction — The chemistry of malt flavour.
- Base malt — The gently-kilned product.
Also at the malting stage
See the whole process in order on how beer is made.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.