RiverSwillBeer
Well-Known Member
@lcasanova ..... so how would you malt that? And if you do malt that you then can crack it and mash it like you would 2 row right?
sorghum malt supplier?
- Thread starter ElDuderino
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
hahaha I have no idea, I'm looking around to see what others have posted as far as some instructions but from some of the research I've done I'll soak it for a few days, rinsing every 4-8 hours then let it germinate. After that I'll dry it, throw it in the dryer to get rid of the rootlets and such then roast it. After that I should be able to mash it like 2 row, I'm guessing, but you have to use a decoction mash to get the startches to convert because sorghum has such a high gelatinization temp.
RiverSwillBeer
Well-Known Member
hmmmm .... i have a buddy that is from south africa. He gave me a recipe for sorghum beer out of like a cookbook past down from the 30s or 40s. I dont remember how it said to handle the sorghum but I remember it had a lot of sugar in it. I will find it and see if I can add anything.
Still looking forward to removing those sprouts? he he he
Please do Josey!
Still looking forward to removing those sprouts? he he he
I am not, but throwing them in the dryer then putting them through a fan ought to help. I see what you meant now though, these suckers are small.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
ElDuderino
Well-Known Member
I'm excited that someone is going to get their hands dirty and go ahead and give malting a try. Here are some notes I've found by searching google books which pertain to utilizing sorghum:
From Handbook of Brewing page 173, "Sorghum malt starch has a gelatinizing temperature of 64 - 68 degrees C (147-154 degrees F) , 10 degrees higher than that of barley." I think the problem is that the temperature which gelatanizes sorghum's starches also denatures the necessary enzymes.
From Lost Crops of Africa: Grains By National Research Council (U.S.) Board on Science and Technology for International Development page 49, "Of all the world's ceral grains, finger millet is second only to barley in its ability to hydrolyze starches ('malting power')."
This is interesting because millet is also gluten free... May be it can be utilized to help convert sorghum. I think some of the South African opaque beers call for millet as an ingredient.
From Handbook of Brewing: Processes, Technology, Markets by Hans Michael Esslinger
Favorable malting parameters are achieved at temperatures between 24 and 26 degrees C (75-79 degrees F), which facilitate the growth of molds, however. Addition of a 0.375% mixture of borax and boric acid to soft water reduced the germ number of mold significantly.
Sorghum malts differ from barley malts in their higher gelatinization temperatures and reduced diastatic power, which can be attributed to lower B-amylase activities, while A-amylase activity at least equals that of barley malt. They are characterized by very low protein contents that might even decrease further during storage and result in diminished concentrations of soluble protein in the wort. Although the raw protein content of sorghum compares to that of barley, it can be only partially degraded into smaller fragments during mashing (as the prolamines of the Panicoideae subfamily differ from that of the Pooideae subfamily). Accordingly, the amino acid composition of wort polypeptides differs between barley and sorghm malts. However, FAN levels are in the normal range. A minimum of 5 germination days is required during malting of sorghum to ensure sufficient soluble nitrogen concentrations in the wort. This extension of the germination combined with a significantly increased degree of steeping results in elevated levels of dissolved pentosans. Therefore, the viscosity of sorghum-derived worts is slightly elevated as compared with barley malts. Moreover, sorghum malts exhibit only low diastatic activities, resulting in long saccharification times.
From Sorghum: Origin, History, Technology and Production By C. Wayne Smith, Richard A. Frederiksen page 165,
Sorghum malt traditionally is prepared at the household level by soaking or steeping the grain for 16 to 18 hours, draining, and then spreading the grain on dampened mats. The mats are covered with damp sacks and the grain is left to germinate, preferably in a darkened place, with intermittent moistening of the sacks and turning of the grain. Malting is carried out in the open or on soil platforms bordering the house. Germination is complete within 3 to 5 days and the malted grain is ready for sun drying and grinding to powder on grinding stones.
Treating with wood ash page 166
In Uganda, a traditional process used to improve the palatability of high-tannin sorghums was reported by Mukuru (1992). Cleaned sorghum grain is mixed with a slurry of wood ash. The treated grain is soaked overnight, drained, and malted. Malted grain is dried, pounded , winnowed to remove the pericarp, and ground to flour.This traditional processing, involving the addition of alkaline wood ash, significantly reduces the adverse nutritional effects of tannin in the grain and malt, and improves both protein availability and digestibility.
Sorry if this is kind of long, but I thought it might be helpful...
From Handbook of Brewing page 173, "Sorghum malt starch has a gelatinizing temperature of 64 - 68 degrees C (147-154 degrees F) , 10 degrees higher than that of barley." I think the problem is that the temperature which gelatanizes sorghum's starches also denatures the necessary enzymes.
From Lost Crops of Africa: Grains By National Research Council (U.S.) Board on Science and Technology for International Development page 49, "Of all the world's ceral grains, finger millet is second only to barley in its ability to hydrolyze starches ('malting power')."
This is interesting because millet is also gluten free... May be it can be utilized to help convert sorghum. I think some of the South African opaque beers call for millet as an ingredient.
From Handbook of Brewing: Processes, Technology, Markets by Hans Michael Esslinger
Favorable malting parameters are achieved at temperatures between 24 and 26 degrees C (75-79 degrees F), which facilitate the growth of molds, however. Addition of a 0.375% mixture of borax and boric acid to soft water reduced the germ number of mold significantly.
Sorghum malts differ from barley malts in their higher gelatinization temperatures and reduced diastatic power, which can be attributed to lower B-amylase activities, while A-amylase activity at least equals that of barley malt. They are characterized by very low protein contents that might even decrease further during storage and result in diminished concentrations of soluble protein in the wort. Although the raw protein content of sorghum compares to that of barley, it can be only partially degraded into smaller fragments during mashing (as the prolamines of the Panicoideae subfamily differ from that of the Pooideae subfamily). Accordingly, the amino acid composition of wort polypeptides differs between barley and sorghm malts. However, FAN levels are in the normal range. A minimum of 5 germination days is required during malting of sorghum to ensure sufficient soluble nitrogen concentrations in the wort. This extension of the germination combined with a significantly increased degree of steeping results in elevated levels of dissolved pentosans. Therefore, the viscosity of sorghum-derived worts is slightly elevated as compared with barley malts. Moreover, sorghum malts exhibit only low diastatic activities, resulting in long saccharification times.
From Sorghum: Origin, History, Technology and Production By C. Wayne Smith, Richard A. Frederiksen page 165,
Sorghum malt traditionally is prepared at the household level by soaking or steeping the grain for 16 to 18 hours, draining, and then spreading the grain on dampened mats. The mats are covered with damp sacks and the grain is left to germinate, preferably in a darkened place, with intermittent moistening of the sacks and turning of the grain. Malting is carried out in the open or on soil platforms bordering the house. Germination is complete within 3 to 5 days and the malted grain is ready for sun drying and grinding to powder on grinding stones.
Treating with wood ash page 166
In Uganda, a traditional process used to improve the palatability of high-tannin sorghums was reported by Mukuru (1992). Cleaned sorghum grain is mixed with a slurry of wood ash. The treated grain is soaked overnight, drained, and malted. Malted grain is dried, pounded , winnowed to remove the pericarp, and ground to flour.This traditional processing, involving the addition of alkaline wood ash, significantly reduces the adverse nutritional effects of tannin in the grain and malt, and improves both protein availability and digestibility.
Sorry if this is kind of long, but I thought it might be helpful...
boshek1001
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2011
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
Chinese hard liquor (baijiu) is made almost exclusively out of sorghum. Sorghum is steamed and put in a pit dug in the ground. Then they sprinkle a bunch of dry yeast on top and cover the pit with mud and let it ferment in the grains for a month. Then they uncover it, dig the grains out, and steam them again, this time collecting the steam, which is something like 60% alcohol. Then they put the grains back in the pit and repeat the process several times until the alcohol content of the steam is around 40%.
I don't think they malt the grains before steaming them initially, and I don't understand where in the process the starches in the grains get broken down into sugars that the yeast can eat, but maybe this description would be useful to someone who knows a little bit more about the science than I do. I'm definitely interested in figuring out how to brew with sorghum, although from what I've heard it gets extremely sticky when heated and results in stuck mashes if you're not careful.
I don't think they malt the grains before steaming them initially, and I don't understand where in the process the starches in the grains get broken down into sugars that the yeast can eat, but maybe this description would be useful to someone who knows a little bit more about the science than I do. I'm definitely interested in figuring out how to brew with sorghum, although from what I've heard it gets extremely sticky when heated and results in stuck mashes if you're not careful.
Greetings from Argentine
I'm a craft maltster and make sorghum malt, this 2016 i will process 15:000kg, and wil process 20.000kg in 2017
When i started to make this malt, 2 micro-breweries of sorghum beer started here: Straus from Rosario (Santa Fe state) & Antigua from La Plata (Buenos Aires state)
Makes a nice pale ale. Home brewers usually make beer with divided mash (Schmitz technique), micro-breweries use enzymes because its more easy when procesing large volumes
Excuse me for a poor english
Satu
[email protected]
I'm a craft maltster and make sorghum malt, this 2016 i will process 15:000kg, and wil process 20.000kg in 2017
When i started to make this malt, 2 micro-breweries of sorghum beer started here: Straus from Rosario (Santa Fe state) & Antigua from La Plata (Buenos Aires state)
Makes a nice pale ale. Home brewers usually make beer with divided mash (Schmitz technique), micro-breweries use enzymes because its more easy when procesing large volumes
Excuse me for a poor english
Satu
[email protected]
