Beerbrewer1 wrote:[color=blue]
> Pat Kennedy wrote:[color=green]
>> Anyone ever sucessfully malted at home? Any ideas on what would be
>> needed to do it at home with a reasonable amount of inconvenience. I
>> understand the process but I am looking for a way to simplify it so I
>> could try it at home. Would it really be that much cheaper to brew a
>> batch with home malted barley? I am a little sketchy on single row vs.
>> other types of barley and modified vs. unmodified grains. I wouldn't
>> have a problem doing step infusion mashes if that would work better on
>> home malted barley. Any info or insight would be appreciated.[/color]
> Pat,
>
> I think the malt bill needed to malt your own grain is too
> excessive for the homebrewer. Even for a small batch of beer you would
> need to lay the grain out in a single layer of your oven and keep
> turning it. This is after you've let it soak and start the germination
> process. Again, I'm not saying it can't be done, it's just too labor
> intensive for the homebrewer.
>
> I think a better approach for you to try would be to try getting
> the lightest roast you can find and roasting it at home some more. This
> would afford you the control to go as dark as you like.
>
> The types of barley you use is an entirely different topic. People
> could go on for days talking about the difference in single, two and
> six row malts. Then go on for a few more days with the adjuncts like
> rice, corn, wheat, oats, ect...
>
> Good luck and good brew to you.
> Tom Woods
>[/color]
OK, I have the "stupid newbie question of the day" for you: Why is the
malted grain oven-dried before crushing it? Couldn't a brewer just rinse
off the sprouted barley, and run it through a meat grinder?
I can guess there'd be a "grassy" taste, but other than that...?
You'd have all of your enzymes and sugars, anyway.
I'm sure someone, somewhere, has tried this and can tell me why it's a
very, very bad idea. ;)