Page:A Practical Treatise on Brewing (4th ed.).djvu/36

20 of the maltster may be always known by this criterion. Whenever the rootlets begin to appear the spire or acrospire begins to shoot up at the back of the pickle, and as it proceeds the barley is converted into malt. The nearer, therefore, that the spire can be brought to the far end of the pickle, without protruding beyond it, the more perfect will be the malt. About the fourteenth day, generally speaking, the malt should be ready to be brought to the kiln—previously, however, it should be gradually made mellow, by gathering it thicker on the floors, so as to come to a temperature of 75° or 80° F. The steep or any water which may have been applied during the process, should have been by this time pretty nearly evaporated, so that the malt may feel dry to the hand.

There are various opinions as to the best mode of drying malt, some adopting a long process, and others a process much shorter. If the kilns are properly constructed, and the malt be thoroughly made before being put upon the kiln, twenty-four hours, or perhaps less, will be found fully adequate for that purpose. The greater the quantity of heated air that can be thrown in during the process of drying, the more mellow will the malt be. The best constructed kilns, therefore, are those by which the greatest quantity of heated air can be most