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Date: 15 Sep 2006 06:17:57
From:
Subject: Barley from Whole Foods
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Can someone make an all-grain homebrew using only the grains found at a
"whole foods" type grocery store? The yeast and hops would obviously
have to come from another source, but are those grains suitable for
germination and brewing? Has anybody done this?
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Date: 15 Sep 2006 14:19:21
From: Joel
Subject: Re: Barley from Whole Foods
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<k03019454@gmail.com > wrote:
>Can someone make an all-grain homebrew using only the grains found at a
>"whole foods" type grocery store? The yeast and hops would obviously
>have to come from another source, but are those grains suitable for
>germination and brewing?
Short answer: Yes, you can brew something that comes
under a broad definition of "beer" using any grains you
want.
Slightly longer elaboration: The reason there's a large
industry that grows, malts, and kilns barley and wheat
specifically for use in brewing is because they can control
the process in such a manner as to produce grain with the
right combination of enzymes, proteins, and starches to allow
for decent brewing. If you use any random grains, you may not
have enzymes, the starch and protein content may make for
low efficiency, lots of haze, etc.
> Has anybody done this?
I haven't, though a friend brewed some rice beer, suitable
for quaffing by people who have celiac disease (intolerance
or allergy to gluten-containing grains, e.g., wheat. barley).
--
Joel Plutchak "Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and
plutchak@[...] sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea
is quite staggering." - Arthur C. Clarke
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Date: 16 Sep 2006 06:33:33
From: Adam Preble
Subject: Re: Barley from Whole Foods
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k03019454@gmail.com wrote:
> Can someone make an all-grain homebrew using only the grains found at a
> "whole foods" type grocery store? The yeast and hops would obviously
> have to come from another source, but are those grains suitable for
> germination and brewing? Has anybody done this?
Try to get a small sample and malt it first. If it germinates, then you
are safe. If you haven't done that before, it shouldn't concern you
much. Immerse the grains in water for 12 hours, drain, and spread out
on a sheet in a dark place. They should all have little peckers in a
day and start shooting roots soon thereafter. If not, you can pretty
safely assume the grain is faulty, and not your technique.
I've been able to malt feed quality wheat here, and I made a Hefeweizen
almost entirely of it. The sugar contributions were weaker, so I had to
use some extract to get into a suitable range for the style, but it
worked. I've done similar with feed corn that had been apple scented.
After the water changes, the apple scent was gone and the corn was malting.
Grains at the store for human consumption might not germinate. I assume
that a place like Whole Foods wouldn't readily sell something that
cannot germinate, but check the integrity of the kernels. I got some
barley that had been steam cleaned, and it ended up whacking the husks.
I'm testing it anyways right now but I don't expect germination.
Still 50# of unmalted barley can be put to use somewhere, and it only
cost me $7 to begin with.
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