Brewery Grits

Brewery grits are made by tempering and degerminating process, after corn is cleaned. Tempering is done with steam at around 20% moisture to moist the kernels which are then degerminated, whereby the starchy endosperm is separated from the outer covering and the germ layer. After degermination, the starchy endosperm is dried and cooled then sent through a series of mills and screens to obtain fractions of grits, meals, and flours.

This is used by the brewers as a malt replacement to make alcohol in beer. Grits have also been used by brewers to dilute nitrogen content when using malt that is very high in protein. In process of making alcohol, the grits are cooked to gelatinize the starches and then added to the mash. A brewer uses the grits to soften the taste of a particular beer, or to decrease the cost of raw materials. Grits are widely used in mass-market beers worldwide, and their use is largely responsible for the lightness of malt flavor in such beers.