Malthouse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A building where grain is converted into malt through soaking, germinating, and drying processes for use in brewing or distilling
2. A structure dedicated to the transformation of grain into malt via soaking, germinating, and drying methods, primarily for the brewing or distilling industry
3. A facility where grains undergo processes of soaking, sprouting, and drying to be turned into malt, which is essential for brewing and distillation

Etymology: A malthouse is a building where barley is soaked, allowed to sprout, and then dried in a kiln to make malt, the grain used in brewing. The word is one of the plainest compounds in English: "malt" joined to "house," with the older form written "mealthūs" in Old English. Nothing in its history is hidden. The building was simply named for the process that happened inside it, and the name has barely moved since the Anglo-Saxons first used it. The first element deserves a closer look. Old English "mealt" came from a root meaning to soften or dissolve by wetting, which is exactly what happens when grain is steeped in water before germinating. So the word for the finished product records the first step of the work: the grain was made soft and wet before anything else.