Malt dryer

[japsinok]

Needing a malt dryer to complete malting some blue corn (described in another thread, "My blue corn adventure"). I just used a few things lying around the shop/garage, so it cost me nothing. I made two screen racks that fit inside an old acrylic housing from a less than successful project (housing a 3D printer I built; the housing caused the Z motor to overheat). I suspended the racks 12" off the bottom so that heat from a 1500W space heater can blow from the bottom side. On top, there is a 14" inline 900 CFM fan pulling the (heated) air through the malted grain.

It's not perfect because I have to lift off the housing to redistribute the grain.

Will post an update soon on how well this works since I will begin drying tomorrow.

[skow69]

I did almost the same thing except mine was a plywood cabinet with one side hinged and latched for a door. My fan was only 5 inches and I cut some holes at the bottom for air to enter. You didn't say anything about a thermometer. You definitely want one. I stuck one through the top to sample the air above the trays. IIRC you want 110 -120F. I had to cycle the fan on and off to stay in range. And I put my 1500 watt heater on LO so about 800 watts. Of course that will all depend on where you keep it, the time of year, etc. That's why you need to monitor the temperature. Too low and it won"t dry. Too high and you denature the enzymes.

It worked like a champ for small batches.

[japsinok]

Thanks for the feedback, skow, especially on the best temp to try to achieve. I have a digital combo temp/humidity gauge that I plan to put inside. Since the top is clear acrylic, I'll be able to see it to monitor those two things easily. I also have a long probe turkey fryer thermometer that is accurate at low temps. I can drill a hole through the top and insert that into the grain to see if the internal temp of the malt is different from the air temp, but checking the temp in the lower rack will be difficult the way it is set up at the present.

I have not decided where would be best to set it up. Right now it will likely be used where it sits, on the on the SS table on the patio. In winter it can be set up easily in my garage. I will have to determine how far to put the heater from the opening to get the right temp, but that will be determined empirically. But since I do a lot of this work outside, I have begun to contend with the inevitable ....mice! I certainly don't want them stealing my malt!! So, might have to move it to the garage anyway.

[yakattack]

So here is a simple and relitivly cheap solution for your dryer to control the heat. It's called and ink bird temps ture controller. I use one in my malt dryer. Connect your heat source to it and it auto switches your heat on and off to achive you're preset temperature. It keeps it with 2 degrees so it is pretty accurate. Cost me 50 canadian with shipping. It will also run a cooling system as well but you don't need that for the dryer.

Now the most important thing is having enough fans. You want as much air to be pushed or drawn through the green malt as possible. This is the what facilitates 95 percent of the drying.

Anyways however you get her all set up you're going to love having malt available at a redicilous cheap price. Good job mate.

Yak

[Cu29er]

.

Drying malt is really to enable transport, storage, and grinding with conventional dry mills. Get a Corona-style grinder off Amazon for $25, often used to make tortilla 'masa' from wet corn, and try grinding green malt directly, no drying.

.

[japsinok]

Thanks for the tip, Yak. As it turns out, I already have on hand a couple of these temp controllers that can be set to regulate either hot or cold. Wasn't even thinking about using that, so thanks for the suggestion. This one is not wired, but I have another that is already set up to use. i'll still need the humidity sensor inside the chamber, but this should greatly simplify the temp control.

Cu, thanks for the suggestions. I did in fact recently get a Corona for grinding corn (and whatever else that lies ahead). I have lots of ideas in my head, including green malt, but also smoking malts using various woods, so drying and removing roots/acrospires will be a part of that adventure.

[yakattack]

With that much air flow you really don't need any humidity control or even a way to measure. Simply know your starting weight dry. Then your wet weight and weight again to get drying weight. When you're close to the starting weight youre dry enough to store and grind.

[japsinok]

Ah, good point! I will probably still insert the humidity sensor and see if there is a correlation between moisture in the air and dry weight relative to starting weight, such that humidity might give me a good sense of when I am close to starting weight, 10# in this case.

Now, I need to make a side door for easy access to insert/remove the trays.

[yakattack]

If you already have it no reason not to incorporate it.
I'm thinking its time to start more malting myself lol. Even though I have like 75lbs of wheat and barly that I malted waiting to be used.

[skow69]

I hate mice. Almost as much as fruit flies.

[japsinok]

Now those mice are getting so bold that they don't even run when I come outside. I think they believe this is all their grain, but I'm about to begin my mouse control program.

But back to the topic, this afternoon I loaded the corn malt into the dryer after weighing. Original dry weight was 10#, wet weight going into the dryer is 19#. Turns out I would need a much larger heater than 1500W if I'm to get the temp up to 110F. That 14" fan pulls so much air through that the heated air is not in the chamber long enough to raise the temp above 90F. But I'm moving so much air through the grain that it is drying very quickly. Convection at 90F and 900 CFM may get it done. If not, I'll have to put a speed control on the fan to try and get the heat up by slowing the air movement; no biggie!

[yakattack]

Just remember to stir the grains once in a while. It will speed up the drying process.

Sounds like you're well on your way.

[japsinok]

Thanks! Yep, I have stirred several times already, mainly to check the progress. I definitely need to build a side door that enables me to pull out the trays without disassembling the thing. As it is, it's not too much of a nuisance to pull off the fan and raise the housing. Though a door to remove the trays will make mixing the grain trivial. But all in all, not so bad for a Saturday afternoon project that cost me nothing, and was done without plans.

[The Baker]

Back in the day my father worked stacking 3 bushel (180 lb.) bags of wheat at the railway station awaiting transport. Hundreds, probably thousands of bags, with the lower ones forming steps to the top (dunno how they finished the stack!)
There were tin barriers at the bottom maybe 3 feet high to keep out the mice (plagues were common).

But the mice got in anyway, ate grain from the bottom bags and the whole stack collapsed.

Geoff

[japsinok]

They can certainly get into anything. I hope some of them met their maker when that stack collapsed!!

[japsinok]

The malt dryer is working exceptionally well. I put the heater up against the housing and sealed leaks so that all (most) of the air must pass through the heater. But with so much air flow, nothing around the heating element gets hot, or even warm. This morning I stirred the grain and set it back up. Temp was up to 103F inside the dryer when I left for work. I think the wet grains that restrict airflow keep the temp on the top rack low. With the malt now getting drier, greater air flow is able to enable the higher temp. I have the controller set to 110F, in case it actually reaches 110F inside the dryer today.

[skow69]

Congratulations! Now you've got me all fired up. I've got plenty of barley. I think I'll start some soaking today.

Now all you need is a handy way to knock off the little roots. I think my best plan involved something like a pillow case. Shake the hell out of it and then dump it out on a screen. It worked all right but there must be a better way.

[japsinok]

Yeah, the current plan is to use put that malt inside a pillow case and beat it. I have a small parts cleaner that uses vibration of walnut husks to clean metal. But its capacity would only be 1~2 lbs, so not very practical.

I was thinking of making some kind of small metal drum with small holes that rotates horizontally, similar to a rock tumbler, but with holes and large enough to hold 10# when half full. Just fill and tumble. The chaff would fall through the holes, which would also create edges to break off the roots/acrospires. But for now .....pillowcase!

[yakattack]

That's a simple one. Take your malt and put it in a bucket. Take drill with mixing paddle ( paint stirrer motor mixer ect ) and give it a good going over. Then take outside and use I
Either wind or a fan and pour between 2 buckets. Rootlets and chaff will blow away. Grain will fall inot second bucket. Very fast way to deal with it.

[japsinok]

Thanks for the tip, Yak. I will definitely try it that way. So simple!!

[skow69]

Yak, do you have any problem with the mixing paddle grinding up the malt kernels in the process? I mean making them small and light enough that they blow away with the chaff?

[yakattack]

Skow- not really. My bucket and mortar mixer I use is the same one I use to smash apples, but because the grain is small it doesnt really break the grains up. all your really doing is getting it moving at a pretty good pace and the movement removes the rootlets if they are dry enough. The chaff and rootlets come off pretty easily even if you were to just rub them together in your hands.

For about 10 lbs you would prob only need to have it running for about a minute to remove 90 percent or more. Then its just seperatting them outside.

[skow69]

That is a lot faster than the pillow case method. I will give it a try.

[japsinok]

Thanks for the tips, Yak and skow. Used the mud mixer this evening and it was a breeze (literally). What started out a week ago as 10# of blue corn dried down from a wet weight of 19# to 9# after about 30 hr in the new dryer. I had to mix then separate several times to get most of the roots and acrospires separated out. I positioned a big fan and dropped the grain/chaff through the air stream. Worked like a champ and it smells fantastic. Not to mention, there is just something earthy and good-feeling about running your hands through grain that you've malted. But I think the feeling is satisfaction.

I'd start the next malt but I have to go out of town, to the Great Lakes state, next week so it will have to wait.

[skow69]

Agreed. I like the idea that I can do everything involved with that bottle of whiskey except grow the grain. And if I was still out on the farm, I'd do that, too.

[japsinok]

I'm with you 100%. I grew up on a small farm in the Piedmont of NC, but now live in a bit more of a suburban environment. Nevertheless, my mother once said of me that "you can take him away from the farm, but you can't take the farm away from him". I'd be growing the grain too, if I only had the space.

[japsinok]

Well, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. I did some salvage today and brought home some goodies for my hobby, including a heavy duty DC motor and controller for a mash mixer (described in another thread). But I also came upon some stainless steel racks that I can use in the malt dryer I made last week. They just happen to be a tiny bit shorter and the exact same width as the wooden trays I made to fit inside the acrylic box. The new SS trays appear never to have been used and are thinner such that I can fit three of them into the dryer in the same space as the two that fit in it previously. The screen has a finer weave in the new trays so I hope they do not obstruct air flow too much.

A 60qt SS pot that I also salvaged, which also appears never to have been used, sits on the ground in the bottom photo. All in all, a good Saturday. And it's about to get better because I've got about 8 gallons of blue corn to strip.

[raketemensch]

Dang, dude. Nice haul.

[japsinok]

Dang, dude. Nice haul.

Thanks! Sometimes, you just get lucky. Days like today don't come along very often, at least not for me!!

[skow69]

Score! !