Glossary
Modification
How far the malting process broke down a grain’s cell walls and protein matrix, determining how much work the mash still has to do.
Also called well modified, undermodified.
Modern malt is well modified, which is why a single-temperature infusion mash works. Historical and some continental malts were less modified, which is why protein rests and decoction mashing were necessary — the mash had to finish what the maltings had not.
Related
- Infusion mash — What well-modified malt permits.
- Decoction mash — What undermodified malt required.
More vocabulary
Arrested fermentation · Barrel ageing · Batch sparging · Biotransformation · Blending · Bottle conditioning · Bottom fermentation · Burtonisation · Cask conditioning · Centrifugation
See every term on the glossary index.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.
Evidence
What BeerHQ knows about this, and how. Every statement carries the state of the evidence behind it rather than being presented flatly as fact.
Modern malt is modified far enough during malting that a single-temperature infusion mash is sufficient, which is why the protein rests and decoction steps that older undermodified malt required are now optional.
Backed by a source
Sources: Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse — print; Technology Brewing and Malting — print