[beerslinga]

Here we go, lets try this link then...
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Long-Branch-Brewing-Coop/613596832067253

[beerslinga]

So the pillow case was a somewhat success. It helped separate the barley fast, just took a little dancing and some minor aggression release against the side of the house. However, when I cut the corner just the slightest bit, the pillow case started to unravel and the hole bot bigger, letting through a lot of chaff and junk. Used 2 buckets to transfer back and forth in the slight breeze we had (which was ok, almost 100F yesterday and even the wind was hot) and covered my patio with crap. Took some time but worked well. Rinsed off the rest right before my initial soak. Yielded about 1lb 12oz of 2 row and 14oz of 6 row. Some of the barley I went through was not ready to be cut, not mature, some kind of weird looking sandy bugs in the leaf closest to the head which means some got tossed, but very little. Put them on water for 8 hours, drained and let rest for 8 hours, have refilled and will sit for another 8 before draining and germinating. Keep y'all posted!

[morticaixavier]

So the pillow case was a somewhat success. It helped separate the barley fast, just took a little dancing and some minor aggression release against the side of the house. However, when I cut the corner just the slightest bit, the pillow case started to unravel and the hole bot bigger, letting through a lot of chaff and junk. Used 2 buckets to transfer back and forth in the slight breeze we had (which was ok, almost 100F yesterday and even the wind was hot) and covered my patio with crap. Took some time but worked well. Rinsed off the rest right before my initial soak. Yielded about 1lb 12oz of 2 row and 14oz of 6 row. Some of the barley I went through was not ready to be cut, not mature, some kind of weird looking sandy bugs in the leaf closest to the head which means some got tossed, but very little. Put them on water for 8 hours, drained and let rest for 8 hours, have refilled and will sit for another 8 before draining and germinating. Keep y'all posted!

you may get lower than expected germination rates. barley requires some rest between harvest and malting to get maximum germination. This is an evolutionary response so that grain seeds don't sprout on the head or immediately after maturing which is the wrong season to sprout. While malting barley is generally bred to have a minimal required lag time there is still some.

Just a heads up, you may not see the germination rates you wish with that first batch.

[beerslinga]

Read a different reply to a posting where you stated a 4-12 month resting period on average for harvested malt! Whew, jumped the gun on that one! So I am assuming that there is a BIG loss of potential yield due to the immediate malting. MAN, I love the AHA! This is so important to know. Does this resting period apply to malting wheat I wonder. I rested it for about a day. I think I will go back to the farm this week, harvest the rest of the barley. My guess based on what I removed and my yield, probably bout another 40 lbs left on site. I will thresh and malt enough to do a 5 gallon batch (another 8 lbs should do) and keep the rest of the threshed barley until November or December. Is there a certain temp or environment it should be stored in?

[beerslinga]

My ultimate goal is to open a 10bbl+ brewery where ALL the grain is sourced locally, malted and roasted on site, brewed with hops grown on premise, and enjoyed by the local community. A cross between Sierra and Rogue on a micro scale. Where the term "Farm to Bottle" really means something. Also a resource for other brewers, home and micro alike, where they can come to experiment, learn from each other and see it all in action. Collaborate,like a giant beer think tank.
I am not looking to make it rich, lol! I want everyone to feel the joy and complete satisfaction I get from brewing beer, and at least not have to scrape or scramble. The sense of accomplishment, like a masterpiece was created that everyone will get to enjoy! I want to learn, and teach. I want to provide a cool space where people can come in and drink awesome beer, mine or someone else's, watch it all take place and leave with a sense of "I could do that on a small scale, I could grow my own beer". Leave feeling like a beer geek, even though you aren't one! Plus there has to be a true beer garden! Beer stuff will be grown there, lots of extra lawn space for the family to play, bring the kids and a blanket and enjoy a pitcher of beer in the sun like at the wineries. Play some ball, throw the frisbee, a true park setting with trees and grass. Without the alligator shirts, of course
Lot's of work to go, not bothered by that at all.

[morticaixavier]

sounds like you are inspired. that's great! I know the feeling.

I'll leave the "It's harder than you think" talk for others and just encourage you to go for it.

If you saw a high degree of germination on the wheat then you are probably fine. it could well be that wheat has less need of a rest period or that the strains you are dealing with are particularly suited to a short rest. It's also worth noting that it's July and most winter wheat or barley has been mature for at least several weeks at this point. (at least here in northern california).

[beerslinga]

Yes, plenty of the "it's harder than you think" conversations.
I am located in Concord, and the farm is out in Clayton which is not far from here, in the bay area. The temps have been up and down, pretty hot for the last week.
I read online to look for the barley to be leaning to the side, a good indication that it is ready to harvest. Most, about 85% of what I cut, had this look. I will continue to malt, lots of feed stores in town as well so if I run out of the good stuff, I can try with some outsourced.

[BrewArk]

Just looked & the facebook.  I think your problems w/the first batch were likely that the grain was too green. 

I think the grain does want to vernalize.  If it were me (that's how I can postulate without knowing my ass from a hole in the ground), I'd try chilling it close to freezing for about a week and then let it rest @ ambient for another week before trying to malt it.  If I were more patient, I'd just wait a longer while.

I can say that the barley that I grew last spring sprouted when I planted it again in November.

[beerslinga]

Yes, it was very green. Unsure of what I was doing, I made the assumption that green meant fresh. It doesn't.

[beerslinga]

Posted some new pix on the facebook page. Second day of germination. Looking....ok. Funny, I had a much larger batch this time. I used 2 large pizza boxes with lids and 1 small wax to go box. The pizza boxes see slow but steady growth, but the waxed to go box had them go nuts inside

[Jeff M]

Posted some new pix on the facebook page. Second day of germination. Looking....ok. Funny, I had a much larger batch this time. I used 2 large pizza boxes with lids and 1 small wax to go box. The pizza boxes see slow but steady growth, but the waxed to go box had them go nuts inside

the cardboard would wick away the moisture, would it not?

[beerslinga]

It appears that yes, it does pull some moisture out. I have been spraying them down with a squirt bottle every couple of hours to help offset the loss of moisture during germination. I often have to use what is at my disposal, whether it be the right tool or the right now tool. However, I log all my efforts as to not repeat them. Trial and error is ok.

[beerslinga]

The next batch I am going to do should be about 15-20 pounds of raw 2-row. I think I will go down and purchase some low grade deep baking dishes for the next germination attempt. Not only did the pizza boxes sap moisture, they only let me make a bed of about 1/2 inch thick barley. From my reading, it should be about 1-2 inches to promote growth of the tendrils. Again, trial and error

[beerslinga]

So on day 4 of germination and only about 50-60 5 of seeds are sprouting. Is there any way at this point to get them to re-activate and start to sprout? Put into an different container and get em real wet maybe but not soaked?

[beerslinga]

Ok, so I have dried the barley/malt and it is now ready for kilning. Average temp, based on research, seems to be about 190 for roughly 2 hours or so. Not looking for a heavy roast so this should be enough. Now the only way to find out if it was REALLY successful, is to brew with it.