My wife has pleaded with me to make something she will enjoy drinking. I have relented, and intend to .. experiment.
I was reading some interesting information about the Malt Beer from a German website (http://www.bierundwir.de/sorten/malzbier.htm) which shed some new light on its formulation. I am including a translation below.
Essentially, from what I can gather, the process involves : (All grain formulation)
1. Roasted and Standard Grains --> Wort to gravity of 11.7%
2. Very low hop quantity, noble added to about 4 IBU or less
2. The Wort is cooled and has yeast added to it - but at extremely low temperature (0-1 degrees), so that there is little conversion to alcohol
3. It is fermented for 5-8 weeks (according to a user comment on the site)
4. Heated to 90 degrees to stop fermentation
5. Fructose + Caramel (perhaps Candi Sugar will work?) is added to the beer to give it a sweeter taste
6. Carbonated
Plenty of questions remain...
1. Grain Mix? (I am thinking 3.5 Pale Malt, .75 Cara 20, .25 Choc Wheat - but open to suggestions).
2. Which Yeast?
3. Where can I get fructose from, and how expensive will it be?
Has anyone had any experience with this type of brew?
Here is the information from the site - translated :
Malt beer / malt beer
Malt beverages are a natural source of energy for all those who have physically and mentally to perform well, because the valuable nutrients are absorbed by the body quickly and processed. The body can more easily recover. Therefore like to draw athletes to malt beverages, because they are free of artificial or chemical additives. This also makes them ideal for young people to drink, the body provides the energy that is needed for healthy growth. No wonder then, that malt beverages have their image as "children of beer" long lost.
Distribution: nationwide
Beer category: full-bodied beer
Original gravity: an average of 11.7%
Alcohol content: less than 0.5% vol.
Kind: fermented
Characteristics: dark amber, bright drink
Brewing process: yeast is at 0 degrees Celsius, no fermentation, thus no alcohol, and the addition of invert sugar and natural carbonated Kulr
Story: one of the forerunners was the Braunschweiger Mumme, which was first brewed in 1492 and a popular energy source was developed
Care of beer: tastes best well chilled from the fridge
Miscellaneous: has fewer calories than soft drinks, fruit juices and milk
Why "malt beer"?
For a long time there was talk of "root beer". That changed after the so-called "Sbier war" that was in 1960 for headlines. In Bavaria, it is forbidden to make root beer with added sugar. Therefore, the malt beer shipments have been seized by Bavaria.After a series of processes of the Federal Court decided that the future is to make root beer under the name "malt beer" in the trade. Thus, the sugar was allowed. The brown barley juice could flow freely into Bavaria. And over the years the name has prevailed malt beer in Germany.
A real beer - except for a difference
Malt beverages are full beers that are brewed with top fermenting a wort of 11.7 percent. The brewing process is in terms of water, hops and malt, the same as for other beers. The typical color is caused by a mixture of light and dark barley malt. The proportion of hops is relatively low, hence the slightly sweeter taste of Malztrunks. The yeast is added at very low temperature (almost zero). This ferment of malt do not, that is: There is also no alcohol as usual in the brewing of beer.
During the filtering grape and fruit sugar is added. Caramel - a caramel sugar from beets - intensifies flavor and color of the drink. Immediately after filtering, put the Brewers on natural carbon dioxide, which give the malted drink its sparkling freshness and his head. It is then bottled and pasteurized. Except for the use of sugar, equivalent to the brewing process to the purity law for beer. Malt beverages are also a natural product.
Quick energy
Malt beverages contain protein, minerals and carbohydrates, which are considered important energy source for brain, nerves and muscles. At low power the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates is supplied with energy. For sporty and intellectually active people have used energy to be replaced soon. For the conversion of fat into energy the body is about 10 percent more oxygen than required for the implementation of carbohydrates. This is too much when it has to happen quickly. Carbohydrates store glycogen in the liver and muscles - reserves that are to be mobilized quickly.
Also, fructose and glucose give quick energy. As "valued" they get sugar into the bloodstream almost immediately. Two-or trivalent sugar must, however only in the gastrointestinal tract are broken down before the power can be implemented. Malted drink also contains vitamin B-complexes of yeast and supports the body with electrolytes and trace elements like magnesium, potassium and calcium. Its proteins, some valuable amino acids, help to prevent stress and give you strength during sustained exercise. Compared to their high nutritional value malt beverages have relatively few calories. With about 46 calories to 0.1 liters, they are lower than fruit juice or milk.