85% of the carbohydrate in malt is starch. In
the liquid wort, 70% or more is in the form of
various sugars, mainly the two-glucose sugar
called maltose. Most of the remaining
carbohydrates, 5 to 25% of the dissolved
solids, are the so-called dextrins, or sugar
chains of from four glucose units to a few
hundred, which get tangled up with each
other, impede the movement of the water, and
so provide a full-bodied consistency to the
wort and beer. The dextrins and amino-acid
chains will also slow the draining of fluid
from the bubble walls of the beer foam, and so
contribute to its stability in the glass.
Cereal Adjuncts Making the wort with
nothing but barley malt and hot water is the
standard method in Germany, and in many
U.S. microbreweries. In most large breweries
in the United States and elsewhere, unmalted
“adjunct” sources of carbohydrate — ground
or flaked rice, corn, wheat, barley, even sugar