can i malt grains too long

[The Mad Brewer]

Does it lose starch if the roots get too long when germinating? is there that perfect window to stop the process?

 

[AlexKay]

Yes, you will lose starch. You want to target the length of the acrospire, more than the roots. It should be between half and the full length of the grain, depending on the malt type (shorter for Pilsner, longer for Munich.). It should not burst out the top.

 

[bruce_the_loon]

Paging @bracconiere to the Malting Floor. Your specialist field of experience is required.

I think you can malt too long, all the chat and documentaries says you need to monitor the acrospire, not the roots. The acrospire is the leaf part of the growing seed and you don't want that to erupt from the seed.

 

[The Mad Brewer]

I think i have been confusing the roots with the acrospire I found a decent pic finally, and mine are just a hair shorter than the ones in the exmple so I think Im good.

 

[bracconiere]

I think i have been confusing the roots with the acrospire I found a decent pic finally, and mine are just a hair shorter than the ones in the exmple so I think Im good.

View attachment 764635

the acrospire is the big fat thing. i'd say i'd give that a quick rinse to keep it hydrated and let it go another day. then dry it...

i get better effec when i let the acrospire pop out a bit, that looks like wheat though, so just let the acrospire grow a bit more.

(i've never really had a problem with 'over' sprouted barley not working or anything)

 

[McMullan]

They won't consume too much, unless they're sown on soil and proper roots develop to forage for nutrients.

 

[bracconiere]

They won't consume too much, unless they're sown on soil and proper roots develop to forage for nutrients.

i've had them get pretty big with (edit, lol) "out" soil before....

 

[McMullan]

i've had them get pretty big with soil before....

Yep, once you let them forage for nutrients in the sun, it's like feeding Gizmo after midnight. Barley all over the place!

 

[bracconiere]

Yep, once you let them forage for nutrients in the sun, it's like feeding Gizmo after midnight. Barley all over the place!

i meant to say with out....sorry for the confusion

someone had me do an experiemnt to see if letting them grow into actual grass would make a drink...

 

[The Mad Brewer]

Side question, any recommendations on storing amylase enzyme, doing a stout with a lot of oats

 

[bracconiere]

Side question, any recommendations on storing amylase enzyme, doing a stout with a lot of oats

clarify that for me?

once the malt is germinated, the 'storing' happens during the drying proccess. i use a box fan and sweater drying racks, let room temp air blow over the malt for a day maybe two, until the kernels are crisp, then it's time for 12 hours at 160f-200f to kiln the green flavor out of the malt....

 

[The Mad Brewer]

clarify that for me?

once the malt is germinated, the 'storing' happens during the drying proccess. i use a box fan and sweater drying racks, let room temp air blow over the malt for a day maybe two, until the kernels are crisp, then it's time for 12 hours at 160f-200f to kiln the green flavor out of the malt....

My brew store guy said because i was doing a lot of oats I should add the amylase enzyme

2nd question, Kiln at 160F for 12 hours, I have been doing 300F for 20mins, is this wrong?

 

[bracconiere]

My brew store guy said because i was doing a lot of oats I should add the amylase enzyme

2nd question, Kiln at 160F for 12 hours, I have been doing 300F for 20mins, is this wrong?

i prefer low and slow, because i can't stir it in the oven...and even with dry malt, i think 300f will denature the enzymes? in my case i'm making base malt and just need to cook out the green taste?

300f would be something you'd do if you already stewed the wet malt at ~150f, to make a crystal malt...

and if you use amylase enzyme, you need to add gluco to the fermenter too...otherwise you'll have an insanely high FG...

can i ask the recipie? what kind of oats? wheat doesn't have a husk but plenty of conversion power....and whole oats have plenty of husk for lautering....

 

[The Mad Brewer]

i prefer low and slow, because i can't stir it in the oven...and even with dry malt, i think 300f will denature the enzymes? in my case i'm making base malt and just need to cook out the green taste?

300f would be something you'd do if you already stewed the wet malt at ~150f, to make a crystal malt...

and if you use amylase enzyme, you need to add gluco to the fermenter too...otherwise you'll have an insanely high FG...

can i ask the recipie? what kind of oats? wheat doesn't have a husk but plenty of conversion power....and whole oats have plenty of husk for lautering....

Im kinda self taught (still learning) when it comes to malting, kinda wish my local shops had some teaching hour ...so Im using what the internet said to do for steps to malt grain.

Im experimenting with a almost all oat (malted and I believe with hulls) stout, using about 4 lbs of wheat and a 1/2 lb of choc malted barley

 

[The Mad Brewer]

Im kinda self taught (still learning) when it comes to malting, kinda wish my local shops had some teaching hour ...so Im using what the internet said to do for steps to malt grain.

Im experimenting with a almost all oat (malted and I believe with hulls) stout, using about 4 lbs of wheat and a 1/2 lb of choc malted barley

Sorry... Sorry... Sorry... after germinating I am kilning.... 12- 20 hours on low temp with dehydrator , then i toast the grains at 300F

 

[bracconiere]

Im kinda self taught

me too! just started doing it back in beginning of 2016....


i think 300f is going to be rough on the malt even when the malt is dried to lock up the enzymes....


do they convert for you?

i too started with a dehydrator, but only could fit 8lbs in it. a box fan lets me dry 20lbs at a time....how are you deculming it? i recently got a dedicated clothes dryer that works good at cleaning it up....

 

[The Mad Brewer]

me too! just started doing it back in beginning of 2016....


i think 300f is going to be rough on the malt even when the malt is dried to lock up the enzymes....


do they convert for you?

i too started with a dehydrator, but only could fit 8lbs in it. a box fan lets me dry 20lbs at a time....how are you deculming it? i recently got a dedicated clothes dryer that works good at cleaning it up....

The 1st brew I malted myself was a Beer flavored broth soup, 2nd isn't anything to brag about but I can drink it, Im hoping to take what I ve learned and the 3rd batch will be better.

My stove is newer and has a dehydrator mode so with that and my table top model I can do about 15 lbs at a time.

My next project is to make a drying rake of sorts.

From above,
Sorry... Sorry... Sorry... after germinating I am kilning.... 12- 20 hours on low temp with dehydrator method at 115-120F, then i toast the grains at 300F

 

[bracconiere]

drying rake of sorts.

did you mean rack?

if so this is what i use...and just a box fan at room temp does the job pretty quick...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353972738967?hash=item526a6b5b97:g:q14AAOSwcGpiOsRK

 

[The Mad Brewer]

did you mean rack?

if so this is what i use...and just a box fan at room temp does the job pretty quick...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353972738967?hash=item526a6b5b97:g:q14AAOSwcGpiOsRK

No a drying rake, you lay out the grain on the floor and and rake it as it dries it... HAHA, yes Rack.... though I am surprised there are not more specialty tools for home brewers....some day.

Yes I am thinking along those lines but a way to keep the critters off. Im an inventor- problem solver type so I am always coming up with new things, and as my wife says it keeps me out of the bars getting in trouble

 

[bracconiere]

The 1st brew I malted myself was a Beer flavored broth soup,

you should have seen my recipies when i first started malting!

i was using 8lbs malt to convert 5lbs white flour, then adding like 6lbs or so table sugar! i drank it for like 6 months too! until i remembered the beef jerky good eats episode about how to dry beef jerky with box fan and furnace filters, i'll say my beer has greatly improved since!

 

[bracconiere]

No a drying rake, you lay out the grain on the floor and and rake it as it dries it... HAHA,

no joke, i'm kinda got the inventor in me too, try to figure out a automatic churner for when i'm sprouting to keep it even, and a misting system....


edit: but i need to figure it out on a fourth grade level of intelegance.....

 

[The Mad Brewer]

more exciting is my Hops Rezones arrived today and my cereal killer grinder is on its way for my next batch. I think its gonna be a Wheat and im gonna try the low slow method next.

 

[The Mad Brewer]

no joke, i'm kinda got the inventor in me too, try to figure out a automatic churner for when i'm sprouting to keep it even, and a misting system....


edit: but i need to figure it out on a fourth grade level of intelegance.....

so you put a box fan under the rack? and dry inside or out in the sun?

 

[bracconiere]

so you put a box fan under the rack? and dry inside or out in the sun?

this is what i do for 24 hours, gets it ready for kilning...which is ~160f for 12 hours....

 

[bracconiere]

and im gonna try the low slow method next.

dry heat effects flavors different then wet heat, way back in like 2007, damn that doesn't seem that long ago, i figured why kiln, i boil it at 212f for an hour...but yeah, it takes low slow 'dry' heat to get rid of the green taste...

 

[The Mad Brewer]

dry heat effects flavors different then wet heat, way back in like 2007, damn that doesn't seem that long ago, i figured why kiln, i boil it at 212f for an hour...but yeah, it takes low slow 'dry' heat to get rid of the green taste...

what is the room temp you dry at? My basement is about 55F in the winter and 65-68F in summer, I have a heat pump water heater that keeps it cool an dry (great for fermenting), wondering about drying in the basement or is that too cool?

 

[bracconiere]

what is the room temp you dry at? My basement is about 55F in the winter and 65-68F in summer, I have a heat pump water heater that keeps it cool an dry (great for fermenting), wondering about drying in the basement or is that too cool?

i do it at about 70-80f, but cool air i think is actually drier? could always try it in a bed room or something....

 

[bracconiere]

this is TOO long malt, it happened over night, wasn't done the afternoon before, i watered it. let it go till the morning. and now it's damn got grass shoots! but it will still make damn acceptable beer. the acrospires will get blown off in the dryer along with the rootlets!

 

[RM-MN]

View attachment 767483

this is TOO long malt, it happened over night, wasn't done the afternoon before, i watered it. let it go till the morning. and now it's damn got grass shoots! but it will still make damn acceptable beer. the acrospires will get blown off in the dryer along with the rootlets!

Nice! Plant those at the edge of your garden and harvest in the fall. They look ready to grow.

 

[bracconiere]

Nice! Plant those at the edge of your garden and harvest in the fall. They look ready to grow.

LOL, they're drying now, and going in the oven tonight for brew day tomorrow....