which grains best

[woodduck]

Hi guys,

I live out here in the sticks and the grain harvest is well under way. I have quite a few farmer mates that are happy to part with a bag or two of grain so I'd really like to have a crack at malting my own.

I have access to barley, wheat and rye which is great but which variety is best? I've had a bit of a look around and I'm still not sure. I know the barley needs to be a 6 row malting grade but is there some that are better than others? I've asked about galaxy and pilsner but no one knows about them. ( I'm not even sure if those names are variety names 8-} mmmm for a bloke that lives in the country i don't know much about farming, do I :laughing-rolling: )

I've never heard of a malting wheat or rye, is there such a thing? Will any variety do the job and is it best to find something with a lower protein like the malting barley is?

Alot of questions i know but I'm sure the brains trust around here will know a thing or two.

I thought this may be a good place to put up what grains you have found that are good and the one's that maybe weren't.

Thanks in advance

WD

[Meatheadinc]

Im only starting all ag, and may be wrong, but I believe most Australian barley is 2 row and is used widely in brewing
Wheat malt has a very high Diastatic power
But as far as strains.? I have no idea

[sp0rk]

6 Row is an American breed, mostly used for bland American lagers (and the sugar content is beefed up with corn and rice)
As meathead says, most (if not all, not quite sure) Aussie barley is 2 row
Pilsner traditionally is the lightest kilning grade, but there are specialty malts bred for it now
I think Commander would be the best malt that's common in SA, it's the replacement for Galaxy
And I believe it's what Barrett Burston use for their pale malt now

[bt1]

I recall that Joe whites naming is a trade mark type name applied to certain grades of malting barley. They apply their process to premium malt strain of varying varieties is how I understand it to work.

Commander is different as it's the variety name, but small planting so far as it's new~ish.

I would think any premium malting grade would therefore suit. It's about the malting process primarily. Then there's the roasting/toasting regime for crystal and cara malts.

Rye I understand to be a bitch to malt but rewarding...just like using it really.... It can develop a fungus when malted that's bloody dangerous...link for read...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot

Wheat again I think is just a grading/location issue.... ie red wheats in colder climates and specific characteristics.

I read that the grading can imply a percentage of damaged or contaminated grains or combo thereof, so a stock grade may have a higher percentage of damaged grain plus any number of contaminants at pre defined % like soil, pests, weeds, rusts and that then determines the grading.

Happy to be corrected here as it's been a loooooong time since I looked into it.

bt1

[Muppet]

I recall Mtnmoonshiner saying the rye ergot fungus can have a psychotropic reaction in humans (LSD like) And for that reason he considered it too dangerous to play with. Good luck with the others though :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Sam.]

Any barley that is going grade Malt 1 at the silos will be the go :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[bt1]

I'd be happy with MALT 3 even a few extras don't both me too much.

bt1

[woodduck]

Thanks guys :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I think I might stay clear of the rye, I tryed reading that link bt1 gave and it gave me a headache with all those big words 8-} . Would the rye be ok if it's not malted? I couldn't quite understand if it's the malting that aids it's growth or weather it can be a problem with the grain in general.

I can get grade 1 malting so that's a good start and I'll try get some flour grade wheat.

Cheers

[Muppet]

Fresh rye should be fine mate the malting process would be the issue.

[WicketNut]

I used this to work out the barley varieties

http://www.barleyaustralia.com.au/preferred-varieties

I have a mate harvesting Westminster In the next week or so. I have tried malting once before and will give it another go, but unless my drying improves, this might be the last time. :doh:

[Sam.]

At the end of the day mate get what you can get and malt it, efficiency might not be so good but who cares, not me ;-)

[woodduck]

Yer you can buy enzymes :))

Flavour is most important i guess. I'm happy with sugar heads at the minute anyway.

Thanks guys.

[Sam.]

Yer you can buy enzymes :))

Flavour is most important i guess. I'm happy with sugar heads at the minute anyway.

Thanks guys.

Mate there is usually fuck all difference between malt and feed barley, they call it what they want when they want then blend it in a big silo and put it on a boat ;-)

Most gear from SA will be fine to malt, we have good crops :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[bt1]

Wood,

Plain Rye several of us have tried many times and the consensus is it adds about 3/5 of 5/8 of F#%k all to flavour to a wash. Bland and dull are words that spring to mind.

There's a good malted rye from Beer Belly @ $4.80 a kg .. you don't need heaps unless you want a pure Rye(ie>51% content by weight). been very happy with it.

http://shop.beerbelly.com.au/weyermannr-rye-malt-5-5-ebc.html

btw both Rye and Wheat are high protein grains and need the old oil in boiler reduced wash volume to avoid puking.

I envy you, having real fresh grain at hand, if I did this would be my first choice...

http://www.montanawhiskey.com/whiskey/products/spring-wheat-whiskey/

Having tasted it, it's not hard to understand why the distillery Rough Stock is going ahead in leaps and bounds...nice balanced flavourful drop.

bt1

[woodduck]

Thanks bt,

I've been getting all my grain from beerbelly and have had no problems, their great to deal with. I might get my malted rye there and everything else from the padock.

I better get hold of some quick, it sounds like harvest is almost over with the bad year and all.

[bt1]

champ,

Don't forget they moved to Pooraka last week. Unit 3 95 Research Rd.

bt1

[woodduck]

Ah that's right, thank you.