Kilning
Green malt is converted into pale malt or crystal (caramel) malt by drying it at different temperatures.
To make pale malt place the large baking pan of green malt over a heat source of 38 °C to 52 °C for 24 hours or until the malt contains 12 percent moisture (18 ounces for the original test pound). The heat source can be an oven with only the pilot light on or the top of a gas refrigerator. Final drying takes place in your oven at a temperature of 60 to 70 °C. To maintain this temperature range use your floating thermometer and turn on the oven for brief periods until the moisture content is reduced near 2 percent to 6 percent. The malt will weigh the original amount (16 ounces in the case of the test pound). The weight of the moisture in the malt is compensated by the absence of debris such as husk dirt that was washed off the grains during soaking. Turn the malt every half hour, and dry the malt slowly, raising the temperature over time to protect the starch-converting enzymes.
Malted wheat and corn should be dried entirely at the lower temperature of 38 to 52 °C. The finished barley malt should be crunchy to the bite and taste slightly sweet. If it is rock hard and the interior glassy in appearance, don't use it because something went wrong in the germination. Try another batch and be more careful the second time around.
To make crystal malt place green malt on a cookie sheet in a 100 °C oven for one hour or until the grains turn golden brown. Crystal malt imparts sweetness and brown color to homebrew without the burnt flavour characteristic of roasted malts.