Growing barley and wheat at home

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Jumbo82

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I'm uncertain if this is the appropriate forum to post this subject. Mods, feel free to move it.

I live in New Hampshire. I recently saw COLObrewer's thread about malting barley (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/happiness-home-malting-107409/) and thought "why not go one further and grow my own grains too?" I did a search on the web and found that Chris Colby has been writing in BYO about growing his own barley. I haven't read through all his articles yet, but it seems like an interesting undertaking. I haven't found any threads on HBT about growing grains yet, if anyone can direct me to them I would appreciate it.

So, has anyone attempted to grow their own grains? The idea is fresh in my mind, so I know almost nothing at this point. I have plenty of garden space, so that shouldn't be an issue for the small scale I'd like to undertake. I figure if I could grow just 10lbs of barley or 4 lbs of barley and 6 lbs of wheat I could make a nice beer from scratch. I realize the amount of time and effort I'd put into it would make it far from practical, but obviously that's not why I got into this hobby. I'd like to pour myself a beer and know that everything in it was made at home (I'd probably still use commercial yeast though). The growing season up here is still a few weeks away so I'd like to start planning now if I'm going to make this happen. I'm interested to see what other people think of this idea.
 
I think its a great idea. But, like you said, practicality is a concern.

But, if the world goes to $hit and folks have to make it on their own, I think you would be better off than most.

Sure, I can brew beer, but if my LHBS wasn't operational I don't know what I would do.

I would probably focus more on wheat as it is a little easier to grow and is more consistant.
 
My question is this... how much acreage do you need to deliver say 50 lbs of barley/rye/wheat? I would guess its not small. and that's just 50 lbs... I think you'd need a pretty big plot of land to do so. Then you need to learn the techniques used to get the grains out of the plant... Its probably a LOT of work, but if you're up to it... go wild. I don't know much about it all though.
 
Like I said, space isn't an issue. If I had to plant an acre of land, I could. But if that's what I needed to grow 10 lbs of grain, I would abandon the whole idea. I'll be harvesting by hand, obviously, and I'm sure it will be quite labor intensive. Farmers had been doing it for thousands of years before mechanical harvesters were invented, so I'm sure its feasible. Maybe not practical, but definitely feasible. I appreciate the feedback. Keep it coming!
 
I grow about 200 acres of wheat and my family used to grow barley for sale to Stroh's. Our current rotation is sugar beets, dry beans, and wheat. Needless to say, it's called farming. I don't really like it, I have a real job that pays the bills. Farming pays for the equipment and land, not much else. Wheat is not difficult to grow, neither is barley but I have no real advice for small lot farming.
 
I grew up on a farm and we grew barley/oats/corn for livestock feed. I don't know how many acres were dedicated to the barley but it was pretty big (the farm was 150 acres). Maybe at best there was 2-3 acres dedicated to barley (machine planted and harvested) and we got enough each year to fill a 6X6' bin to about 3 feet deep. The grain house was divided into 4 bins and Oats in one, Barley in another, and they just used the other 2 for storage of bags and stuff. This is all from memory so take it for what it's worth.

As a project you may be able to plant a pretty big garden and get enough to malt for 1 or 2 batches of beer.
 
IMO nothing beats the flavor of roasted Barley in a stout styled beer, chocolate malt almost ruins the flavor in these for me...

Wish i could grown my own barley one day.
 
Coming from a farm, and having a job in the agriculture industry, I will try to throw some numbers at you. Malting barley (before malting) usually weighs 48 lbs/bu. In commercial farming, barley will yeild up to 70 bu/acre (Canadian weather, not irrigated). Let's cut that down a bit, say 45bu/acre, which would be fairly easy to achieve. 48lbs/bu x 45 bu/acre = 2160 lbs of barley from 1 acre. Now there will be clean out and sizing for plump and thins. Use a high number here (10%), you are still left with 1950 lbs of barley from the acre plot. There will be a weight loss from the malting activity, not sure of the exact number here, but let's use 10% (high end), you still have 1750lbs of malted barley.
Now this is assuming that the quality is there for what you harvested to be malt. Just because you seed a registered malt variety does not mean that you are harvesting malt barley. The weather and any diseases will get you that.

Quality Requirements
The Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute says a good malting barley will have the following characteristics:

Pure lot of an acceptable variety
High per cent germination and vigorous growth 95% or over (3 day test)
Fully mature
Free from disease
Free from frost damage
Not weathered or deeply stained
Less than 5% peeled and broken kernels
Free from heat damage
13.5% moisture or lower is desirable
Not artificially dried
No desiccants
Free of primary insects, large oil bearing seeds, ergot, treated seeds, smut and odour
Plump kernels of uniform size
Low to moderate protein content - 10.5% to 13% dry basis
 
Thanks, Lurker18! Scaling down a couple orders of magnitude, it appears that a 20' by 20' plot would yield about 17 lbs of grain. I doubt it would meet the quality requirements, but I don't mind having some unique flavors. I think I'll give it a try. Thanks!
 
Luker
Thats great. 4840 sq yards per acre 1750 lb/acre

Thats 2.5 Yd2 / lb. So for a 1 yard wide row 16 yards long I would get about 16 / 2.5 or about 6 lbs malted barley
 
No problem, I do it for a living. All you can do is plant the seeds and mother nature will give you what you get. The biggest things that keep barley from going malt is disease (can't speak much about that for your area) and frost, which really kills the germination. An early frost will not hurt the barley, a light frost often helps a little, the barley plant seems to get tougher. A frost after the head is set is no good at all, but you also have to wait until the plant is fully mature and the seeds are in the 14% moisture range before havesting.
Farming is like gambling in this part. If you leave it in the field, quality usually will improve, but that one bad night of rain or frost will damage everything.
 
Another thing to keep in mind is the seeding rate. Kind of hard if you are just scattering seeds by hand, but you are looking for a rate of 20-25 plants per sq foot. Shoot for the upper end of that, but don't go over, as this will cause a competition problem and you will get a lot more of nothing. Too much can be a bad thing here.

Also, the numbers used are for commercial farming with fertilizer and pesticides/herbicides. Your choice if you want/need these, but that may affect yeilds.
 
Come theshing time a flail is easily made, but a short piece of rubber hose works as well.
 
Thanks, Lurker18! Scaling down a couple orders of magnitude, it appears that a 20' by 20' plot would yield about 17 lbs of grain. I doubt it would meet the quality requirements, but I don't mind having some unique flavors. I think I'll give it a try. Thanks!

Did you ever give it a try?

I have considered using a small corner of our land for growing the conlon 2-row variety. From what I understand it is a spring barley and that it should grow well-enough in the Northeast. If I fail at growing I suppose I can always continue to purpose it year after year and stick to improving my malting process.

It is far more realistic to only grow 2-row malting barley for the purpose of the production of specialty malts, and simply purchase the brewers' base malts.
 
I did plant a decent sized plot this year and it grew alright. Some areas were thick with grass, but other sections were mostly wheat. I realized after the fact that I should have rolled over the whole area to cover the grains immediately after planting (my footprints were the first places to grow...). I did harvest a bit and was able to separate the grains from the husk, but it was too labor intensive to yield much. I didn't bother trying to malt it. It was a good learning experience, but I won't be growing grains again any time soon.
 
I did plant a decent sized plot this year and it grew alright. Some areas were thick with grass, but other sections were mostly wheat. I realized after the fact that I should have rolled over the whole area to cover the grains immediately after planting (my footprints were the first places to grow...). I did harvest a bit and was able to separate the grains from the husk, but it was too labor intensive to yield much. I didn't bother trying to malt it. It was a good learning experience, but I won't be growing grains again any time soon.

Where did you end up purchasing the raw barley corn? And, which variety/strain?
 
Where did you end up purchasing the raw barley corn? And, which variety/strain?

I purchased wheat seeds from an online vendor (can't remember which one). I think I planted spring wheat or red wheat? I know it wasn't winter wheat. Sorry I'm not much help.
 
It sounds like this is much too labor intensive for small plots. However, to satisfy my curiosity, how much does soil quality, weather, etc. effect the product? I'm mentally comparing the barley field to a vineyard and wondering if "terroir" plays a similarly important role. If not, is it simply a matter of beginning with a suitable variant, praying for good weather, and having a bit of mechanical harvesting help?

Thanks.
 
For those of you needing basic "how-to" information on almost anything agricultural (and more), I found a link a while back that has quite a bit of detail. I believe it came about from the Peace Corps and VITA people: http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/cd3wd/index.htm
The text is a little cumbersome and it may have some images out of place, but it's 13 gigs of info, I believe if you go to the home page link it will allow you to download it. Also use the search, it helps alot.

Here is the specific link to the grain harvesting/storage sections: http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/vita/grainprp/en/grainprp.htm


For those others of you wanting to make banana beer: http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/ITDG/BANBEER/EN/index.htm

Keep on brewing my friends:mug:
 
Go for it! I started growing two-row winter malting barley at home in October 2008 and, although I am still perfecting the process, it is absolutely doable on a garden scale. I currently have two plots, one that is 20'x25' and a second that is 18'x45'. If all goes well you should be able to harvest about 5 pounds per 10'x10' section, so you can grow appreciable amounts on a small scale.

The most important thing, in my opinion, is that you have to know how to garden to grow barley successfully. You have to know how to prepare the soil, control weeds and pests, water adequately, plant and harvest at the right times and with the right techniques. If you have no experience gardening, then prepare to learn before you expect to have great success. I have been gardening for 20 years and I am 18 months into what I assume is a 5 year process of learning how to grow barley and malt it successfully.

The other issues that you will have to address are 1) reaping, threshing and winnowing and 2) malting. Many folks online are all too happy to point out the insurmountable obstacles that these steps entail. Of course, most have never tried them. I keep thinking that folks around the world have been growing barley and making malt for thousands of years. You can do both at home at least as successfully as 11th century Icelandic housewives did (I say that with great respect as they were rather incredible women if the sagas are to be believed) if you understand the principles involved. I harvest by snapping the heads off the barley, thresh by rubbing the heads against a 1/4 inch piece of hardware cloth on a wooden frame and then winnow by throwing the grain and chaff up in a moderate wind from a large steel bowl -- works fine for the relatively small quantities I grow.

I am slowly populating a blog on home barley growing and malting: www.thebrownbookblog.blogspot.com. The photos are from the spring. As soon as my wife gets back from a trip I will put up ones of the now-nearly-amber waves of barley in the backyard and at our vacation home. I have photos and text that I need to post on malting. I am practicing malting 12 pound batches of store-bought barley until I have enough grain of my own. I seem to have the process down pretty well, but have plans to make a much larger kiln out of plywood, a space heater, and a box fan so I can ramp up the volume

Your main problem at this point is that you need to wait until early spring 2011 to plant way up in NH. If you want details on any aspects of home barley growing and malting (I have also made crystal malt) check back with the blog occassionally or let me know and I am happy to share.
 
Thanks all, I am interested as well, if not just to know the process. I checked out the above blog as well, great work!
 
Thanks, Lurker18! Scaling down a couple orders of magnitude, it appears that a 20' by 20' plot would yield about 17 lbs of grain. I doubt it would meet the quality requirements, but I don't mind having some unique flavors. I think I'll give it a try. Thanks!

I'd say the exact opposite. On a small scale, you should be able to achieve improved quality. At a minimum the same as a commercial operation could produce.

We're planting a test crop of wheat in a laughably small area of our back yard at the moment. If things work out, we'll designate a bit more area next season for both Barley & wheat.

And hops, of course.
 
I haven't been on this site for a long time and just saw that there is some new interest in home barley growing for malting purposes. As I type I can look out and see my 20x50 plot of two-row winter malting barley in the rain. It is about 3 inches high and looking great. I would recommend giving growing barley at home a try even if you have a very small plot to work with. I have made crystal malt from a pound of barley seed and it was a really nice addition to a home brew. It absolutely can be done. It is much more time consuming than buying bulk malt, but home brewing is mush more time consuming than buying a case of Miller High Life. I plan to update my blog much more often now: www.thebrownbookblog.blogspot.com
 
I grew winter rye last year as a garden cover crop and let what was around the edges grow to completion. It was a lot of work just to collect enough to add to some bread but it grew well. I guess if I didn't have to work a full time job I would have more time to try a larger area but unless that happens I don't see me doing it. However, this year I planted winter wheat and plan to let some of that go too just in case I decide to try it. Our chickens did eventually figure out how to strip the rye (berries?) from the plants so it went to good use.
 
Farmers had been doing it for thousands of years before mechanical harvesters were invented..

True. But usually there were a lot of people helping with harvest. But with the size you're looking at you may only needa couple more people toget it done in a reasonable amount of time. Good luck and take pics!
 
I farmed for 30 years and am quite familiar with the modern ways....and also the olden ways.

If I was growing a garden plot in NE I would use winter varieties as much as possible.

I would treat plot area with Roundup herbicide before tillage.

Sept 25 - Nov 1 can be optimal planting time for winter varieties.

Scatter seeds on nicely tilled soil and scratch cover with garden rake. They want to be planted shallow.

Harvesting...optimal moisture is when you bite into seed and it has a nice crunch.

The method I would use to hand harvest is as follows:

Use a scythe of some sort to cut the straw just above ground level.

Gather into bunches and tie with cheap twine. (these are called shocks)

Take the shocks onto a concrete surface the smoother and cleaner the better

This step works best on a very breezy day....lay the shock out on concrete and start stomping and sliding your feet across the material. be very thorough. if the breeze is blowing much of the chaff will blow away.

now gather the straw shaking well as you do so. you can either dispose of it or use it to bed your outdoor animals.

you will be left with a pile of chaff and seeds. Scoop this pile up and place in storage containers or bags. Once you have all of your harvest to this stage continue to final step.

DO THIS OUTDOORS!!! Set up a shallow storage container in front of plain ole square box fan. Set the fan on low speed. slowly transfer your harvested material from storaged containers to the shallow pan by dribbling it in front of the fan. This step will get rid of a majority of the chaff and leave you with mostly clean seeds.
 
I'll be trying my hand at hops next year, if that goes well, I may just have to look this thread up again. Thanks for the info guys. Very informative stuff.
 
I read somewhere (and can't find it again) that historically grains were harvested earlier than is currently practised, and the grain left to stand for a period of time.

Is this the case? If so, when did the old timers (pre combine) know it was ready?
 
Luker
Thats great. 4840 sq yards per acre 1750 lb/acre

Thats 2.5 Yd2 / lb. So for a 1 yard wide row 16 yards long I would get about 16 / 2.5 or about 6 lbs malted barley

John Deere made a 6" cut combine called the 12A back in the 50's.......... There are still a few of those sitting in fence rows. They have the 2 cylinder LU engine on them, and can be pulled with about anything (not self propelled). Small and compact, and a good machine, it is unlikely that you would find a worn out one, as they were quickly replaced by the big ungainly self propelled machines. The whole machine stands about 6' tall excluding the grain tank as I recall. If I were wanting to do what you propose, I would look for one of these. I've bought them for next to nothing at farm auctions just for the engine. They aren't a great deal larger than a square baler, and you can pull one with about anything. They have everything the large machines have but on a smaller scale... a sickle bar cutter, a cylinder, sieves, straw walkers, fan, augers..... etc. Here are some photos................

H.W.

12A.jpg


12A2.jpg


12A3.jpeg


12A4.jpg
 
I read somewhere (and can't find it again) that historically grains were harvested earlier than is currently practised, and the grain left to stand for a period of time.

Is this the case? If so, when did the old timers (pre combine) know it was ready?

They probably used the same test I do, the bite test. Take one kernel and bite down on it. Too soft you let the wheat mature a bit more. If it is kind of hard to bite you can swath it and combine it when it dries the rest of the way. Bigger farms will straight combine it and they need it more mature. A lot of them use a dessicant agent to get it drier before they start.
 
There was a seminar at this year'a NHC, I think it was called " Pouring the perfect Pint", where the speaker basically made got into his own barley, hop growing, wild yeast harvesting, etc. he touched up well on the success and difficulties he ran into, especially with growing and harvesting his own grain. If you get the opportunity, I'd suggest watching/listening to that seminar for a starting point to help guide you in the best direction and avoid any unwanted costs


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
"The Perfect Keg: Sowing, Scything, Malting & Brewing My Way to the Best-Ever Pint of Beer" by Ian Coutts






Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Thank you the book looks like a great read.

Just ordered the book. Hope to make grain to beer next year. Planting 2,000 sq ft conlon now. Purchased the seed from Johnny seed Co.. Planted hops last May did not flurish but second year will be better.
 
More photos of old pull type combines................ Many of them were made other than the 12A, but it's the one I'm most familiar with. They are quite small, and would be just plain fun to fix up and use............ but perhaps you don't get into that sort of thing. I love the photo of the John Deere 11 behind the John Deere A.............it brings back memories of a good friend ........an old farmer that just loved to drag old equipment like that out and use it just for old time's sake. They do just as good of a job as the new high dollar stuff...... just slower. Compared to binders and thrashing machines, and throwing bundles on a wagon and hauling it to the thrashing machine running stationary on a flat belt, these are high tech, and easy to use.

Seems that I'm about the only one who thinks this would be fun..........but I've been involved in agriculture in one capacity or another all my life, and spent countless hours at farm auctions, dragging all sorts of interesting things home. I've worked on the antique stuff....... and the new stuff.

H.W.

ACpull.jpg


mhclipper.jpg


McCormicPull.jpeg


Case75.jpg


Gleaner.gif


A&A.jpg
 
I am so inspired by this post. I just drank the most amazing torpedo pilsner with brand name Beer Camp and decided that I wanted to become a beer connoisseur and make my own beer. It is 45 IBU and made with New Zealand hops. Until I drank this beer, I didn't even know what a hop was, no kidding. After a bit of studying, I can't wait to start making my own beer. Tell you what though, I'm going to drive to New Leaf market in Tallahasee, Fl and buy organic barley, hops, and yeast to start my learning process. I am stoked. Can u fellas give me some starting pointers in the home grown beer making fun? Being a lady, I'll bet I'm unique, but I can't wait to get started. . .
 
The way I started, and many start, was with a kit. Then slowly transitioned to all grain brewing.

I've found that with each level of sophistication, your beer quality drops for a while until you sort out your system. It can be frustrating, but stick with it.

I recommend you get a couple of books. One that explains the styles and process at a basic level and another more technical guide.

When I started all grain brewing, I would make a batch of pale wort without any hops, and then make 1 gallon batches using different hop regimes and varieties. This way you get a very good handle on how hops contribute to beer.

I did the same with yeasts for similar reasons.

I would also recommend you start training your palate. Maybe get together with a small group and meet once a month to sample good commercial example of classic styles. Maybe even get your hands on a tasting kit that will help you identify flaws, and infections in your own brews.

Good luck and have fun! :tank:
 
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