Hato Mugi

I really have no interest in home malting, but I know some of you guys do. I was searching around the other day and came across pearled barley, aka Job's Tears, aka Hato Mugi.

These are used in soups and other foods as a direct replacement for Barley, but it is not part of the Barley family, and it is gluten free.

I saw some potential there, although I am not sure how to use it exactly...it seems pretty cheap as far as gluten free grains go.

Just to clarify... "pearled barley" is barley that has been intensely milled to remove both the hull and the bran, and is not considered gluten-free.

Job's Tears is sometimes called "Chinese pearl barley," and is not part of the same family as barley. It is considered gluten-free. And confusing...

When buying and brewing with pearl barley, just be sure you're getting the right kind!

Right, I actually read that and somehow didn't work it into my writing. Good catch.

I thought about growing Job's Tears and trying to brew with it. I have never seen any that can be bought in bulk.

I found 50lb bags online. Or 5 or 1 too. Type hato mugi into google. I would link but I am on my phone.

I bet it will malt, just like any other grain- if treated right, but I wonder how similar it is to barley since it is a distant relative. At least some of the ones you can buy online say Gluten Free!