Is this grain okay for creating a Malt with?

[BrewingNoobing]

I'm trying to save money by creating my own malt.
I've read online that animal feed should be O.K for brewing. Unfortunately I won't be able to inspect this grain before purchasing. But assuming the quality is okay, will this work for creating a malt?

It's about $40 less then buying the same amount of malt;
http://www.hiprofeeds.com/products/hi-pro-rolled-barley/

The nutritional facts are listed, but I'm not sure if it's high protein or low protein.

 

[chezhed]

Protein level is in line with most two row malts....slightly higher at 12 vs 11.5
$40 less? How much is this stuff?
How are you going to malt it?

 

[BrewingNoobing]

I've found a 55LB of malt for $50,
This grain is 44LB for $10.99.

It's closer to $30 cheaper, but still.
Going to malt it myself by following a guide such as this one: http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/12/05/malting-barley-grain-at-home/

 

[chezhed]

I've found a 55LB of malt for $50,
This grain is 44LB for $10.99.

It's closer to $30 cheaper, but still.
Going to malt it myself by following a guide such as this one: http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/12/05/malting-barley-grain-at-home/

ooops...I didn't read the protein level properly on that stuff....that's 12% as opposed to protein in malted grain measured in PPM...so that stuff is SUPER HIGH protein comparatively. talk about hot break

 

[kh54s10]

I don't know much about malting but that says it is rolled. To me, that means the grains were crushed. In malting you first germinate the grain. I don't think that will happen since they were rolled.

 

[verboten]

And it's steam rolled, which looks like flaked barley

 

[Smellyglove]

Is the malt the thing you want to save money on? It's the cheapest ingredient in beer, and it has great quality if bought. I just feel that you'll end up buying stuff to get the grains malted with good enough quality.

 

[BrewerBrad82]

ooops...I didn't read the protein level properly on that stuff....that's 12% as opposed to protein in malted grain measured in PPM...so that stuff is SUPER HIGH protein comparatively. talk about hot break

Uh, protein content in malted barley is measured in percentage, not PPM.

Here is a data sheet for Briess Pilsen Malt:

http://brewingwithbriess.com/Assets/PDFs/Briess_PISB_PilsenMalt.pdf

 

[chezhed]

Uh, protein content in malted barley is measured in percentage, not PPM.

Here is a data sheet for Briess Pilsen Malt:

http://brewingwithbriess.com/Assets/PDFs/Briess_PISB_PilsenMalt.pdf

Uh...that depends on the maltster I suppose...unless one of them has a typo, which is highly possible. Wouldn't be the first time an analysis sheet I've encountered was poorly written.
But it would be more Hot Break at 12% anyway.

 

[kh54s10]

It probably could be used in brewing, but from reading this:
Features: Steam-rolled barley Benefits: Increases digestibility for feeding to cattle, sheep, and goats.

It seem it was processed rolled and crushed, and thus unsuitable for malting.

My understanding of malting is that you take whole grain, wet it until it starts to grow, then quickly dry it so it stops growing, then kiln to whatever level of malt you are trying to create.

 

[BrewingNoobing]

Is the malt the thing you want to save money on? It's the cheapest ingredient in beer, and it has great quality if bought. I just feel that you'll end up buying stuff to get the grains malted with good enough quality.

Thanks for the advice, does $50 / 55LB sound like a good price? It's the cheapest I've found via brew shops in my city.
Just wondering if I'm being too cheap.

Based on the comments it sounds like what I have found (animal feed) will not work due to it being rolled, and too high in protein.

 

[applescrap]

Bracconire if I spelled his name right buys animal feed and malts it. Says it's good. I even considered it, but my research showed a little more variance. But yeah, he has threads about how he malts it and does it to save money. He is who you are looking for.

 

[BrewerBrad82]

Uh...that depends on the maltster I suppose...unless one of them has a typo, which is highly possible. Wouldn't be the first time an analysis sheet I've encountered was poorly written.
But it would be more Hot Break at 12% anyway.

Pretty sure ppm is a typo, it happens.

Getting back to the OP, rolled barley is basically pre-gelatinized barley flakes, so they cannot be malted. The protein content is fine however, right in line with most American base malts. European and English malts tend to be a little lower in protein, generally around 10% or lower. The general rule of thumb is that if a malt is under 14% protein, it is useful in brewing.

 

[BrewingNoobing]

Thanks for the advice, I think I'm going to look for animal feed that is not rolled.
Good to know the protein content is fine

 

[BrewingNoobing]

Oh actually I forgot about Glyphosate. Is there anyway I can be sure the grain was grown without Glyphosate?

 

[BrewerBrad82]

It must be labeled as certified organic.

 

[Smellyglove]

Thanks for the advice, does $50 / 55LB sound like a good price? It's the cheapest I've found via brew shops in my city.
Just wondering if I'm being too cheap.

Based on the comments it sounds like what I have found (animal feed) will not work due to it being rolled, and too high in protein.

I live in a high cost country (Norway) and that price you're quoting is even higher than we have here for a sack (25kg). If you look around you'll see whar a sack goes for, roughly. Malting is not easy if you want good quality and repeatable results for bulk amounts (why spend several days malting for one batch?) I'd rather try saving some money on reusing yeast and buying bulk hops.

 

[BrewingNoobing]

I live in a high cost country (Norway) and that price you're quoting is even higher than we have here for a sack (25kg). If you look around you'll see whar a sack goes for, roughly. Malting is not easy if you want good quality and repeatable results for bulk amounts (why spend several days malting for one batch?) I'd rather try saving some money on reusing yeast and buying bulk hops.

Just to clarify, 55LB of malt, not grain.

I live in a very cheap city / province. However beer / alcohol prices are much higher than other provinces, but I don't think that should affect malt prices.

 

[Smellyglove]

Just to clarify, 55LB of malt, not grain.

I live in a very cheap city / province. However beer / alcohol prices are much higher than other provinces, but I don't think that should affect malt prices.

Yeah I understood that. But I still believe you'll maybe open up yet another can of "equipment-worms". How will you be malting it?

 

[BrewingNoobing]

I ended up buying the 55LB of malt. They had a sale so it costed $40.

However to answer your question, I was planning on malting at home following a guide such as this one:
http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/12/05/malting-barley-grain-at-home/

 

[Yooper]

I ended up buying the 55LB of malt. They had a sale so it costed $40.

However to answer your question, I was planning on malting at home following a guide such as this one:
http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/12/05/malting-barley-grain-at-home/

$40 is a pretty typical price for base malt, US or Canadian two-row. Malt IS a grain, it's just malted grain, so when people refer to their recipe, it will be "grain bill" or "grist". Not all brewing grains are malted, but most are. You need a high percentage of malted grains in order to convert the starch into fermentable sugars in the mash.