JeffOYB
Member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2014
- Messages
- 20
- Reaction score
- 2
I was thinking that most of the cost of my small batch brewing is in the malts and grains. I grow my own hops. So I thought it might be fun and thrifty to just go buy grains direct and malt them myself. Does this make any sense?
Am I right to think that the malt/grain is the biggest ingredient cost in a 5 gal kit?
So I googled and found that there are a few farmers around here who grow barley. Is there a certain kind I should look for?
I saw an old thread here in the DIY section about a guy who used "feed barley" to make his own. I've heard there is also brewer's grade, but I probably couldn't find that. Is feed grade good enough? I recall also reading somewhere that pesticide / herbicide / chems might be a concern.
Then there might be 2-row vs 6-row.
I suppose I'm not that fussy. I don't make that much. A few 5-gal batches a year. But I do like my beer to taste good! (And to be safe.) I've found that "intermediate" skill recipes seem fine to me. Heck, DIY malt might even taste better (I wouldn't be surprised).
I've lately been enjoying making my own bread, too, and find that it turns out great no matter what I do so this has given me a new interest in digging deeper into homebrewing. (Who knows, maybe I'll even someday try to grind my own flour! Or try to buy it direct somehow.)
Thanks for any barley insights!
Am I right to think that the malt/grain is the biggest ingredient cost in a 5 gal kit?
So I googled and found that there are a few farmers around here who grow barley. Is there a certain kind I should look for?
I saw an old thread here in the DIY section about a guy who used "feed barley" to make his own. I've heard there is also brewer's grade, but I probably couldn't find that. Is feed grade good enough? I recall also reading somewhere that pesticide / herbicide / chems might be a concern.
Then there might be 2-row vs 6-row.
I suppose I'm not that fussy. I don't make that much. A few 5-gal batches a year. But I do like my beer to taste good! (And to be safe.) I've found that "intermediate" skill recipes seem fine to me. Heck, DIY malt might even taste better (I wouldn't be surprised).
I've lately been enjoying making my own bread, too, and find that it turns out great no matter what I do so this has given me a new interest in digging deeper into homebrewing. (Who knows, maybe I'll even someday try to grind my own flour! Or try to buy it direct somehow.)
Thanks for any barley insights!