Malt is grain (usually barley) that has been soaked in water, allowed to sprout, and then dried with hot air. This process converts the starches inside the grain into sugars, which makes malt useful for making certain drinks and foods.

When barley seeds get wet, they begin to grow, thinking it's time to become a plant. But maltsters (people who make malt) stop this process by drying the sprouted grain before it goes too far. The result is malt: grain that's sweet, slightly nutty, and packed with sugars that yeast can turn into bubbles or that people can use for flavor.

You've probably tasted malt even if you didn't realize it. Malted milk powder gives milkshakes their distinctive rich flavor. Malted milk balls have a sweet, toasty taste that comes from malt. Some breakfast cereals, like Grape-Nuts, contain malted barley for flavor.

Different types of malt, roasted to different degrees, give drinks like beer their color and flavor, from pale golden to dark and roasty. The same process is used for some other drinks. Without malt, many familiar brewed drinks wouldn't exist.