My Malting Journey Begins

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panikry83
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My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

I've decided to try and malt some grains and I'm starting with corn. The process seems fairly straight forward but, any input would be appreciated.

Here goes nothing:

-15# whole feed corn, washed and rinsed three times. Basically, put the corn into a bucket, fill with water to a few inches over the grain and agitate. Dump off the stuff that floats and repeat until clean. My feed grain has Propionic Acid added to deter mold growth so, I feel this is necessary. YMMV.

-2 qts. 3% Hydrogen Peroxide diluted to 1% with tap water. I borrowed this from Bobdole's post - reasoning seems sound. Hydrogen peroxide provides a clean environment that will hopefully keep mold at bay while keeping it oxygenated. I added the 2 qts. H2O2 and 4 qts. water to the rinsed corn and agitated again.

-I capped the bucket with an airlock, wrapped it in Reflectix and, put it in a dark area in my brew room. I plan on leaving this for 24 hours. In the meantime, I'll build a screen to keep the corn on after the soak. I'll line it with paper towels and mist and turn a few times daily. Once the rootlets are ~2" long, I'll dry and mill for later use.

-On drying: Jed fashioned a neat little device out of a food dehydrator with a brew bucket on top. I plan on recreating this to dry out the grains. Further info on this as I move forward.

So far so, good (?) I'll keep this thread updated as I continue my adventures. If I'm successful, I may try other grains as well. I've heard that rye and oats tend to attract bacteria that create certain infections that can be harmful if ingested. I'll need to read up more on the processes before diving into that pool.

Anyway, any comments or advice is much appreciated, thanks!
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

Good luck, will be looking forward to hearing how it goes.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

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Well, day two. Yesterday I drained the corn and spread it out on a table ~1 1/2" deep. Table is 3x5. 15# corn. I have a towel underneath and a damp towel covering. This is all down in my basement. Ambient temperature is ~65F, I've been mixing and stirring every 8 hours or so and keeping the towels damp. So far, nothing noticeable. I'll keep this posted.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

Good luck friend! Grow baby corn, you can do it! Good to have someone around to always push you to take the next level.

When your done, I'll take100# thank you. :thumbup: :twisted:
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by Truckinbutch »

That egg will hatch when it's ready . I'm interested same as MCH . My first attempt at malting was hindered by the corn being in a damp , stagnant environment . Sprouted well and then molded .
I like the hydrogen peroxide idea .
I'm casually looking for 2 or 6 row raw barley to try malting again .
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by jedneck »

I beloeve that wheat is the best grain to learn with. No husk to hide the sproit and sprouts quick. I'll try to get a pick of my dryer nin a bit.
welcome aboard some of us are ornery old coots but if you do a lot of
reading and don't ask stupid questions you'll be alright most are
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by shadylane »

panikry83 wrote:
.... I'll build a screen to keep the corn on after the soak.....
I'll agree with that :thumbup:
And the sprouting grain will agree :lol:
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

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Just checked it again to stir and dampen - got some small white nubs! Proud papa of hundreds of small contributions to my whiskey.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

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ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:Good luck friend! Grow baby corn, you can do it! Good to have someone around to always push you to take the next level.

When your done, I'll take100# thank you. :thumbup: :twisted:
If I can do it, you can have it buddy. If this works well, I plan on building a 4x8 platform to use as a malting floor type set up.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by yakattack »

How are you planning on drying your malt?
HDNB wrote: The trick here is to learn what leads to a stalled mash....and quit doing that.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

food dehydrator set up I said above then I'm thinking double bagging it in pillow cases and doing a few cycles through the dryer on low
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

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yakattack wrote:How are you planning on drying your malt?
I was reading your thread and your cabinet looked awesome. I may go down that road when I'm more comfortable and capable. For now, I think I'll keep it simple.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by shadylane »

panikry83 wrote:Just checked it again to stir and dampen - got some small white nubs! Proud papa of hundreds of small contributions to my whiskey.
The malt is now alive :lol:
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

shadylane wrote:
panikry83 wrote:Just checked it again to stir and dampen - got some small white nubs! Proud papa of hundreds of small contributions to my whiskey.
The malt is now alive :lol:
Chit yeah!
Congrats, now you have a new hobby.

Maybe down the road experiment with kilning or roasting.
Drying with an oven can really produce different whiskeys.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by Truckinbutch »

MichiganCornhusker wrote:
shadylane wrote:
panikry83 wrote:Just checked it again to stir and dampen - got some small white nubs! Proud papa of hundreds of small contributions to my whiskey.
The malt is now alive :lol:
Chit yeah!
Congrats, now you have a new hobby.

Maybe down the road experiment with kilning or roasting.
Drying with an oven can really produce different whiskeys.
Good advice , in it's self . Let him eat the apple one bite at a time . :wave:
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by Fart Vader »

I'm looking forward to see how this turns out.
I have repeatable excellent results with wheat.

I tried both corn and barley (feed grade) without much success. Once they sprouted it just smelled awful. Threw the whole shebang out.
I still have a bag of corn waiting to be experimented with.

Keep us updated.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

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Corn is all chitted (?), some acrospire growth is apparent. Smells sweet/grassy. Started another 15# using a different method for experimentation. So far, so good. Wish I could get pics to post - I've never had luck doing that on this site over the last two years. Anyway, moving on...
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

On a similar note, where would I find feed barley/wheat? My local TSC doesn't have it.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by jedneck »

The Mennonite amd Amish scratch an dent stores roumd here have wheat. Feed mill for barley, oats n corn.
welcome aboard some of us are ornery old coots but if you do a lot of
reading and don't ask stupid questions you'll be alright most are
big help
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

jedneck wrote:The Mennonite amd Amish scratch an dent stores roumd here have wheat. Feed mill for barley, oats n corn.
Next time I'm down your way I'll have to pick up a bag of two
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by jedneck »

http://shop.honeyville.com/products/grains.html/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
I have also heard good reviews from other members here about honeyville. Not sure if the grains a viable for malting though
welcome aboard some of us are ornery old coots but if you do a lot of
reading and don't ask stupid questions you'll be alright most are
big help
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

jedneck wrote:http://shop.honeyville.com/products/grains.html/
I have also heard good reviews from other members here about honeyville. Not sure if the grains a viable for malting though
Thanks there Jed, I'll be enjoying a porterhouse later tonight, I'll think about ya.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by Truckinbutch »

I'm going to check Amish country over around Grantsville, MD/Springs , PA for grains . Will keep you posted when it happenes .
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

Drying my first 15# of malt, rootlets are ~1" long, made the contraption Jed has with a food dehydrator under a bucket with the bottom cut out, we'll see how it goes, if it doesn't work for some reason, my wife okayed the use of the dryer as long as I don't burn the house down and clean up after myself if I make a mess. I'll take the plunge if I have too but hopefully the dehydrator works. As always, I'll keep you updated.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

I find it revolting that this thread has no pictures. I'm finding it a little too convenient. :problem:
"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
panikry83
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

panikry83 wrote:Corn is all chitted (?), some acrospire growth is apparent. Smells sweet/grassy. Started another 15# using a different method for experimentation. So far, so good. Wish I could get pics to post - I've never had luck doing that on this site over the last two years. Anyway, moving on...
Also, I text you a pic like 20 minutes ago lmao
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

Also, I like the H2O2 method of soaking better, if anyone was wondering. The just water smells like dirt - but not in a good, grassy way. The H202 soak smelled sweet and good grassy the whole time. Hope I don't mold my next 15#. Good thing feed corn is cheap.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

First 15# dried and all the debris removed. Mix of 24 hours on the dehydrator and a 2 hour dyer cycle did the trick. The process is fairly straight forward, I'd recommend anyone who is interested to give it a go. You don't need anything fancy to really get started. Just a few buckets, some feed corn, and time. I'll keep at it, getting better each time.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by hellbilly007 »

Good job, Panickry.

What kind of H2O2 are you using? The stuff found almost everywhere or the kind sold at hydroponic shops? I'm only asking because it was mentioned before that the common H2O2 has a preservative in it.
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Re: My Malting Journey Begins

Post by panikry83 »

my standard pharmacy H2O2 is preservative free and 3%, diluted down to 1% with regular tap water
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