Malting barley, when to stop steeping?

[Beginnier927]

Hello, this is my first time malting, I washed 6 pounds of 6 row barley and soaked it in water for 8 hours, then I gave it an air rest for 8 hours, then another soaking for 8 hours, I forgot to measure the starting point and I didn't have that accurate of a scale anyway, I just read somewhere that many maltsters stop steeping when they see chits, temp here is 18-25 so that explains why I'm seeing chits on about 20 percent of my seeds here, I know I need to do the steeping until there are more chits and moisture content, but won't the next 8 hour soaking suffocate the live seeds?

 

[Protos]

You do 2 cycles of 8 hours steeping + 8 hours drying, totalling 32 hours. Then you proceed to the next step (germination) regardless of whether you see sprouts on each and every grain. The main sign to proceed from steeping to germination isn't the sprout itself (although it's good when it's emerging already) but that a grain gets soft and produces a floury sludge when squeezed hardly. Then you germinate the grain.
Watch for mold from now!
It's the major trouble at this stage.

 

[Beginnier927]

You do 2 cycles of 8 hours steeping + 8 hours drying, totalling 32 hours. Then you proceed to the next step (germination) regardless of whether you see chits on each and every grain. The main sign to proceed from steeping to germination isn't the chit itself (although it's good when it's appearing already) but that a grain gets soft and produces a floury sludge when squeezed hardly. Then you germinate the grain.
Watch for mold from now!
It's the major trouble at this stage.

Thank you
This is the end of my second steeping and it looks like this when I break a seed
Good to go? Or does it need another steeping?


My question is if I do another steeping after the air rest, won't it suffocate the seeds since they're alive now?

 

[Beginnier927]

You do 2 cycles of 8 hours steeping + 8 hours drying, totalling 32 hours. Then you proceed to the next step (germination) regardless of whether you see chits on each and every grain. The main sign to proceed from steeping to germination isn't the chit itself (although it's good when it's appearing already) but that a grain gets soft and produces a floury sludge when squeezed hardly. Then you germinate the grain.
Watch for mold from now!
It's the major trouble at this stage.

And how do I avoid molds? Should I not cover it with a damp towel while germination?

 

[Protos]

It seems it's OK to germinate.
If you want to give another steeping you may do it, you will not drown the emerging sprouts in 8 hours.

You avoid mold by using the cleanest possible germination boxes and wrapping sheets (it's good to disinfect them beforehand) and regularly turning your germinating grain. Also, washing grain before steeping services same purpose.

Yes, you better wrap your grain in clean damp cloth and unwrap it every time you're turning the grain, like every 6 hours, which prevents mold to grow.

 

[Beginnier927]

It seems it's OK to germinate.
If you want to give another steeping you may do it, you will not drown the emerging chits in 8 hours.

You avoid mold by using the cleanest possible germination boxes and wrapping sheets (it's good to disinfect them beforehand) and regularly turning your germinating grain. Also, washing grain before steeping services same purpose.

Yes, you better wrap your grain in clean damp cloth and unwrap it every time you're turning the grain, like every 6 hours, which prevents mold to grow.

Should I spray some water on the seeds or dampen the towel or sheets while germination?

 

[Protos]

Yes, you should spray it over, time to time. You may spray just the cloth if the layer of grain beneath it isn't too thick (it's best to have it is about an inch thick). Don't let it dry out. You germinate Barley for 7 to 9 days in average. Starting from day 5 stop spraying it but keep it wrapped and keep turning it regularly. Don't worry if sprouts and rootlets are broken off while turning. The grain is malting anyway, with sprouts or without them.

 

[InspectorJon]

Hello, this is my first time malting, I washed 6 pounds of 6 row barley and soaked it in water for 8 hours, then I gave it an air rest for 8 hours, then another soaking for 8 hours, I forgot to measure the starting point and I didn't have that accurate of a scale anyway, I just read somewhere that many maltsters stop steeping when they see chits, temp here is 18-25 so that explains why I'm seeing chits on about 20 percent of my seeds here, I know I need to do the steeping until there are more chits and moisture content, but won't the next 8 hour soaking suffocate the live seeds?

Calling @bracconiere our resident malting DIY hero

 

[JAReeves]

@bracconiere would you like pitch in your experiences with malting?

Edit: Jinx!