<P> The wet process begins with steeping to get germination started and ends with kilning which removes the moisture and produces a stable final product . </P> <P> A batch of malt is known as a piece and a piece can be as large as 400 tons . </P> <P> Steeping is the start of the active malting process, steep water is added to cover the grain and the grain moisture content increases from around 12% to between 40 and 45% . In a modern pneumatic malt house, the grain is alternatively submerged (wet stand) and then drained (an air rest) for two or three cycles to achieve the target grain moisture content and chit count . </P> <P> Wet Stand When the grain is immersed in water (known as a wet stand), air is bubbled through the slurry of water and grain periodically . The aim of this aeration is to keep the process aerobic to maximize barley growth . Other advantages of the rousing are to get good mixing, to loosen dirt and to even out hydrostatic pressures at the bottom of the steep vessels . (Air flow rate: 1.5 m / ton per hour) </P>

Beer process where grains are into water prior to germinating