Factors which affect the germination;
1. Temperature the optimum temperature should be between 14 20C, controlled by a flow of
air through the bed upwards.
2. Moisture the degree of steeping of around 35 % is necessary for the germination to start and
then after the dry steep the degree of steep should be increase to 44 46%
3. Airflow, ventilation and recirculation of air to ensure good oxygen supply during the early
parts of the germination which essential for the enzyme production.
4. Germination time usually 4 to 6 days.
I have read many different opinions about soaking the grains, but most call for some time under
water, then some time with the water removed, until the grain begins to sprout. I basically did
what I could around my busy work schedule, but it turned out to be approximately 6-8 hours wet
followed by 6-8 hours dry and so on. I stirred the grains whenever I could, and within about 24
to 48 hours they started to "chit", which is when the first tiny root begins to protrude from the
seed. At this point I gave the barley one final rinse and then dumped it into three trays. Actually,
two trays and one large wooden salad bowl (I have to work with what I've got). I covered the
grains with loose plastic wrap; so that dust and bacteria would hopefully not fall into the grain
from gravity (you can also use tin-foil). Many people use large clay pots for this stage, since they
are porous and can absorb any extra water, but, once again, I just used what I had available,
During this stage of germination it is very important to stir the grains at least a couple times a
day, as they actually produce heat during the process. This warm, moist environment is a perfect
place for mold to grow, and if that happens you pretty much have to throw everything out and
start again. I read online that the inside of a germinating pile of barley can exceed 104 degrees!
(About the temperature of a jacuzzi) All I can tell you is that when I stirred up my grains, I
scooped barley into my hand and could definitely feel a noticeable warm sensation! So just stir
them as often as you can, and if your grain starts to smell like it's rotting, it probably is. The
germination of barley should take anywhere from 3-5 days. If you work full-time, like me,
starting the process early in the week (like Monday night) will allow you to perform all your
drying and kilning on the weekend, when there's more free time. This is important, since I would
not reccomend leaving the oven unattended while at work. You want to dry the barley and stop it
from growing when the leave shoot (acrospire) is 75% to 100% the length of the kernel. But
when the acrospire begins to grow, at first it grows inside the kernel! So the only way to find out
it's length is to break open a few seeds and gently pull out the shoot. Another good indication is
if the roots have developed up to 2 or 3 times the length of the seed - at this point the acrospire is
usually at least 75% in length. Also, I noticed that once in a while you will find a kernel that has
burst open and the acrospire is actually shooting out the side. It is very rare, like some kind of
mutant or something, but it does allow you to easily see the length of the acrospire without
breaking open any seeds. You can eat a few seeds at this point - they should have a sweet flavor this means the starches have begun their conversion and it's time to dry the barley and lock in all
that
flavor!
Barley is the seed of the barley plant, it is a grain that is similar to wheat in appearance. It is
harvested mostly in the United States and in Europe. Specific types of barley are used in the
production of different types of beers, each strain imparts a unique characteristic taste and body
that is suited for different beers. Malted barley is barley that has been allowed to germinate
(sprout) to a degree and is then dried. This is accomplished industrially by increasing the water
content of the seed to 40-45% by soaking it for a period close to 40 hours. The seed is then
drained and held at a constant temperature (60 F) for close to 5 days until it starts to sprout. The
barley is slowly dried in a kiln at temperatures gradually rising to 122 F for lighter malts and 220
F for darker malts. This kiln drying takes about 30 hours. Finally, the rootlets from the partially
germinated seeds are removed. The germination process converts starch, the seed's stored energy,
into simpler sugars used in its initial growing stage. The conversion of starch to sugar is
accomplished by diastase enzymes that the seed produces during this process. The germination
and drying stages capture fermentable sugars, soluble starch, and the diastase enzymes for beer
brewing. Malted barley is the eventual source of the fermentable sugar consumed by the yeast.
The next step to prepare the malted barley for brewing is termed "mashing." It is a process of
grinding the malted barley into granular sized pieces. This ground malt is mixed with water in
order to dissolve the starch, sugar and enzymes within the malted barley. The temperature of the
"mash" is then raised to 150-160 F, the temperature at which the diastase enzyme is most active.
The conversion of starches to sugars is completed and the husks and spent grains are filtered
from the mixture. The remaining sweet liquid is termed "malt extract." And is a suitable
ingredient for beer.
Steeping the Raw Barley
The first step in home malting is to steep the barley in water to begin the germination process.
Start with a large bucket that can handle the grains plus enough water to float all of the grains.
Add water until all of the grains are floating, and let the grains sit in the water for 2 hours.
Remove the grains from the water (a strainer is good for this) and let the grains air out and dry
for about 8 hours. This step is important as if you leave the grains in the water they will drown
and eventually die.
After the grains have dried for about 8 hours, steep them again in a clean batch of water for
another two hours, and dry them again for 8 hours. You will likely have to continue this for a
third cycle. Within 24 hours of starting, you should see small roots start to grow from the base of
the kernel (called chits). Stop your cycles of steeping and drying once you have 95% of the
grains germinated.
You should have added approximately 40-45% moisture (water) at this point. Assuming you
started the dry grains with ~9-10% moisture content, adding 35% moisture will result in a weight
gain as follows: 1 kg of grain has ~100 g of water before steeping. Adding 350g of water (45%
water content) results in a total of 1.35kg. So if you started with a given weight of grains, you
can stop steeping when the grains weigh 30-35% more than when you started.
Germinating the Grains
The grains must now be germinated in a cool, slightly moist, but well ventilated area to grow the
small leaflet inside the grain called an acrospire. This generally takes 2-5 days. The ideal
temperature for germination is 64F, or about 18C. You want to keep the seeds cool, spread them
out well and moisten them periodically with a little spray mist. The germination process
generates heat, which can lead to bacteria or mold growth so its important to aerate the grains
and turn them every few hours in a cool location to avoid infction. Many early malters actually
spread the grains on a concrete malting floor to keep them cool and make it easy to turn them
periodically. You continue malting until the small leaf (acrospires) within the grain is
approximately 80-100% of the length of the grain. Note that the acrospires is inside the grain, so
you need to actually split the grain open with a knife or razor blade and look for the white leaf
that is part of the endosperm and attached to the rootlets. Typically the external portion of the
rootlet will be about 2x the length of the grain when it is finished, but checking the actual
acrospire length is the best method to determine when to stop.
Drying the Malt
Drying the malt can be difficult as it requires a steady temperature of between 90-125F (3150C). Drying at a higher temperature will destroy the enzymes needed for mashing. If you are
fortunate enough to have an oven with temperature control that can go this low, then leaving it in
the oven for ~24 hours is an excellent way to go. In some cases, even the oven light is sufficient
to reach the 90F temperature needed, though it may take some time to finish.
If you live in a sunny dry climate, sun drying is also an option. Some care is needed to keep birds
and other small scavengers away, but you can leave it out in the sun for 2 days which should be
sufficient to dry the malt.
A third option is to use an actual food dehydrator. Inexpensive home food dehydrators are
available for as little as $30-40 and work quite well.
You are targeting a finished moisture content of approximately 10%. Assuming you have not
lost much material in the first two steps, this would mean the finished weight of the grains with
their rootlets attached should be close to the total weight of the unmalted grains before you
started the steeping process. Recall that we started with about 10% moisture content in the
original unmalted grains. Therefore you can stop drying when the grains plus rootlets weight are
back to approximately their original unmalted weight.
