Lintner is an index that measures a malt’s diastatic (starch-reducing) power (DP). It is written as “°Lintner” and indicates how much of the grain’s starch can be converted by alpha amylase and beta amylase enzymes into fermentable and nonfermentable sugars during the malting and mashing process. See alpha amylase. Malts from six-row barley tend to have more enzymes and thus higher Lintner values than do malts from two-row barleys, which, in turn, have higher Lintner values than malted wheat. Roasted malts have no DP. Malts from barleys grown in continental climates tend to have higher Lintner values than do malts from the same barley varieties grown in maritime climates. An extremely well-converted malt, which is well suited for single infusion mashing, may have a DP rating of as low as 35° Lintner. For a top-quality pilsner base malt brewers look for a DP value in the vicinity of 100° Lintner. A typical North American two-row ale base malt may have a °Lintner value of 125 or above. Some six-row malts may have °Lintner values exceeding 160. There is a second measurement of DP in use in the brewing industry, called the Windisch–Kolbach index, expressed as “°WK” and developed by the European Brewery Convention (EBC). See kolbach index. The conversion between °Lintner and °WK is

DP °Lintner = (°WK + 16)/3.5.