Homemade Victory or Aromatic type malt. Am I on the right track?

[Silver_Is_Money]

I'm suddenly getting the urge to try making some of my own kilned malts.

If I dry roast a typical North American 2-Row base malt at 300 degrees F. for 45 minutes in my oven, will the result come out something like Briess Victory or Simpsons Aromatic malt with respect to both Lovibond color and flavor? How about 60 minutes?

What is your experience here as to the best time/temperature to achieve a Victory or Aromatic type malt? Ballparking 25-30L

https://mashmadeeasy.yolasite.com/

 

[homemaltster]

Here's a good resource to get a reference point for times and temps: http://barleypopmaker.info/2009/12/08/home-roasting-your-malts/

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

That's a great start. I want to keep it simple and dry roast. I think I'll initially try convection roasting for 30 minutes at 300 degrees F. in my electric oven and see what I get. This experiment may have to wait at least a month though.

https://mashmadeeasy.yolasite.com/

 

[filthyastronaut]

I find the Amber malt described in the link above is pretty close to Biscuit or Victory in flavor and color.

 

[user 246304]

Just a note, but Victory and Aromatic malts are from different "houses," really. You might know this already but Aromatic is kind of like a steroidal munich, where temps in the drying phase of the green malt are held relatively higher and the moisture content tends to be retained more than in pale base malts. The result is deeper color, deeper melanoidin development, deeper "maltiness." I loved aromatic when used discreetly, but then I love Munich-style malts almost entirely.

Victory, Biscuit et al, on the other hand, are truly "toasty" malts, going for a different thing. Biscuit and, well...toast. I sometimes like the blend of these "toast" malts with flaked or torrefied barley in a bitter, for a "fresh fields" grain quality. But I go very easy here, just looking for that grainy, summer-field note.

Whoops - was about to post, then re-read your post, OP. I might be missing something because I think I used to use Belgian aromatic, which is a high-dried, Munich style malt. I don't know that I know much about Simpson's. Is it more in the vein of the toasted malts? Or is it similar to the Belgian, a highly aromatic, munich-style malt?

Cool you do this, silver.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Simpsons describes their northern British Aromatic malt this way: "Up to 10% Produces a Honey Flavour in Beer, Up to 20% gives Raisin Notes, Up to 50% in Mild, Porters, and Bocks enhances Malty/Fruity Notes". Average Lovibond is 23.

I don't believe it is fully to be associated with "super" Munich malts such as Dingemans Aromatic, but clearly you are right, it is more complex than a mere dry oven roasting adventure will develop, and it is also distinctly not a toasted Victory type malt, so I will re-focus and restrict my oven roasting quest to the duplication of a Victory/Biscuit style malt.

https://mashmadeeasy.yolasite.com/

 

[user 246304]

I think you're spot on with your assessment, Silver. Not the "Aromatic" munich-line I used (it probably was Dingemans), and not a dry roasted. I think your heading towards the Biscuit idea sounds perfect.

Great project. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I preheated our modern and very well temperature controlled electric oven to 250 degrees today, set it on convection, and dry roasted 1-1/2 lbs. of Briess Vienna malt for 60 minutes. Cooling it presently. The malt was poured into a pre-heated roughly 13.5" x 10" Pyrex cake pan. Stirred it rapidly only once and for only about 10-15 seconds at the 30 minute mark. Smells great! Doesn't appear to be all that much darker outwardly that the Vienna malt I started with, but I presume its character and Lovibond color have both changed significantly. Biscuit or Victory like is the hope.

Edit: I chewed a few kernels and it still tastes a bit sweet, and not at all burnt. Diastatic power has likely dropped to zero. Does anyone know a grain and water quantity combination that would work for mashing a very small amount of this in 166-165 degree water, so I can get a look-see at the color of the wort. Would 25 grams of this malt and 25 grams of a very light colored base malt (50 grams total) mashed in half a liter of water work for a quick and easy color check?

 

[user 246304]

Silver, I'm looking through some lab stuff but I fear it uses centrifuging and spectro. I could be wrong though - I'll be back.

Congrats! Would have been nice to be in that kitchen!

Edit: I just remember where I'd seen it, and it was in the Malt book by John Mallett, of the Brewer's Publication series. I borrowed it from the library and unfortunately took it back a week or so ago. I'll buy it and all in the series at some point.

I used to have the ASBC Methods of Analysis but in moves and deciding I was moving on from the industry, it got lost. Sorry I can't be of more help but I do recall Mallett talking, at least I thought so, of doing these sorts of "congress mashes" to deal with various things and one was color.

Good luck, interested to hear!

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Update, I discovered that (for me at least) malt color shades can be better determined in the shade than under bright lights. I took my dry roasted malt and did a side by side in a shady closet with a cornucopia of other of my malts, and its best color match was to Melanoidin malt. So it should be in the vicinity of about 26-28L.