Caramel, Cara and Crystal

What is the difference between these three malted grains? Nothing. They are interchangeable terms. They are all describing a collection of malted grains that have one extra step in the malting process, stewing or saccharification. This step involves heating the moistened grains before the drying process to about 158 F (70 C) for 1-2 hours with very little ventilation to reduce drying. This process lets starches in the malt become sugars, a process called Maillard reaction. This reaction is responsible for a large selection of the malt’s aromas, including toffee, caramel, toast, nuts, raisins, and sherry to name a few.

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