1st Time Germinating Barley - Please Help

[Desecrator]

Hello all,

I haven't done an all-grain brew before and its difficult to get malted grain where I live so I am malting the barley myself.

I have seen video's on youtube and read a couple of webpages on how to do it.

I soaked my grain for 3 hours in water, drained it then let it sit for 8 hours.
I did that 3 times and the barley began to chit.
It has now been germinating for about 2.5 days but it has a strong smell, like a mix of yeast and vinegar but more vinegar.

I am germinating about 11lb (5kg) of barley and have it in a big cooking pot.
Instead of trying to stir all of it, i have been transferring it between the pot and a bucket.
I have been transferring it every 4 to 6 hours and the temperature in the pot/bucket is about 72F (22C).

Is there anything wrong with the barley?
Do you have any tips or idea's i should try?

All help will be greatly appreciated.
Regards,

 

[Bizier]

This bloke demonstrated a capacity to do it. You might need to spread it out to ensure it is not standing in liquid.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...showarticle=116

 

[ekul]

Do you have a mail service where you live? If so do mail order with craftbrewer (or one of the sponsors at the top of the page). I live 400ks from a decent homebrew shop, the only item i buy at the LHBS is malt extract for starters and bottle caps (which i don't buy anymore). Its like xmas when that big box turns up.

Failing that there's some good videos on youtube by homedistiller (or something like that) showing you how to malt your own barley. By the sounds of it you have kept your barley too wet and it has started to rot. However from memeory of germinating barley when i was really young, i think germinating barley does have a bit of a funky smell, but i wouldn't describe it as vinegar, more peaty or something.

 

[Aces High]

Yes, you've kept it too damp. You're probably going to have to throw that lot away, but unmalted barley is cheap

I have done a fair bit of distilling. The way the distillers do it is by using a bucket with a number of small holes in the bottom. Fill the bucket to the top twice a day. Let the water pour over the top, then leave it and let it drain out. You want it to take about 5 or 10 minutes to drain out. This should stop the barley getting smelly. keep it in a dark place or your chits will start going green which you want to avoid.

It will grow into big clumps in the bucket and the chits grow, but thats fine. Once the chit gets to the desired length (about 3/4 the length of the grain from memory take it out and lay it on a large mesh screen in a warm dry (dark if possible) place as thinly as possible and allow it to dry out. you want it to get plety of air while drying, so turn the whole thing over fairly often. Once its dry you need to break off all the dry chits as these will give the beer an off taste. You can do this by putting it in a sack and beating it against something. If its dry enough the chits should break off pretty easily. Put it through a sieve to seperate the chits from the grain. If its windy out side you throw it up in the air a bit and the chits will fly away and leave the grain (You will get cover with the chits, so be prepared) Then you're good to go.

THere are more high tech ways, but this is the simpliest and needs the least amount of new equipment. The old moon shiners used to just put their corn into a wet heshan sack and just keep it damp. They swear this works, but i've never tried it.

Just one tip, you need a much bigger bucket than your grain because once it starts to grow, the whole mass grows in size by a lot. I would suggest a bucket about 2/3 bigger than your initial grain

Hope this helps

 

[Desecrator]

Thanks to all for the help.

I had to dump it.
O well, its how most of us learn.

I have started a new batch and using some of your tips and tips from the link you posted, so I hope it all works out this time.

Thanks,

 

[Superoo]

Keep us posted on how it goes, this is interesting

And good on ya havin a go at this

 

[Bizier]

I was thinking about malting the other day before you posted, but your post really reinforced my desire to malt my own barley.

As an aside to the sour malt topic, one thing that you can do is make unkilned 'wind malt' which is as pale as can be and will be very high in diastatic enzyme (I guess, provided you get your malting right) so you can do beers like a Belgian witbier that are high in unmalted adjuncts. The Weihenstephaner Infinium uses green malt to achieve an extremely fermentable wort. Green malt is undried germinated malt and is as much diastatic power as you can get.

Sadly, first things first, I had better get my brewery built before I start on any small scale maltings.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Yu can heap it on a tarp or a bit of clean concrete floor instead of keeping it in a bucket - that will stop it sitting its own moisture.

The other thing to remember about malting barley, is that it has quite a strong distincitive smell when its germinating. Strong acetadehyde and green grassy aromas too. Its possible that your malt wasn't all tht sour, just that you were unused to the way it will smell.

I disagrree with aces highg a little (while mostly agreeing with him). You will get more evenly modified malt if you break up the clumps of shoots and regularly stir/turn the germinating malt. This keeps the temperature even throughout the germinating grain and so it all modifies at the same rate. You want it as even as possible so when you are brewing.

You are unlikely, especially at first to make very good malt - so if you have hopes of making nice beer out of it, you will probably need to look into a very thorough decoction mashing regime. As you get better at malting you might be able to back off some... But there is as much or more skill in making good malt as there is in turning it into beer. You are not choosing the easy path grasshopper.

 

[Desecrator]

I have just drained the water from the barley, for the 3rd time.
I going to let is sit for 8 hours now and then see if all the grain has started to chit.
I'm still thinking about it, but if not all the grain is growing by then should i soak it in water 1 more time (3 hours)?

@Thirsty Boy "You are not choosing the easy path grasshopper."
LOL. Its not really my choice. I live in South Africa and there are no brewing shops in the city i live in.
I can get malt extract but only one type and the price of 1 jar (which i'll need about 3 to 4) is the same price as the amount of barley i need to make 1 batch of beer.
Also getting hops has been a bit of a problem as the courier fees to get them to me are about 4 to 5 times the price of a 100g packet.

So my reasons for malting the barley are:

1. It's cheaper (if i don't waste it, oops
2. Then I can roast it for different flavours​

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Hard slog there desecrator. But you'll manage it. PM me your e-mail address and I'll shoot you some information that'll give you a bit of ammo to fight the good fight.

There are a few AHB guys malting their own so its absolutely something you can do and do well at home - you're unlikely to ever be able to make malt of the quality you could buy, but if you learn the right techniques you'll still be able to brew mighty fine beer with it.

Good luck with this batch

TB

 

[Aces High]

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I disagrree with aces highg a little (while mostly agreeing with him). You will get more evenly modified malt if you break up the clumps of shoots and regularly stir/turn the germinating malt. This keeps the temperature even throughout the germinating grain and so it all modifies at the same rate. You want it as even as possible so when you are brewing.

Its been a while since i malted any barley. Thirsty boy is right, break it up when you can. When you fill the bucket up with water, get your arm down in there and mix it all around and break it up and let the water rinse through it. This should stop it getting funky and will also mean you get more even germination. Its surprising, but i used to get pretty even germination when using this bucket method. I haven't bothered to do it for a few years through.