barley roasting.

Minbari

Minbari

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so I am gonna make a dark mild (first attempt) and I want to roast my own roasty/toasty barley for it.

so, for those who have done this. any advice/suggestions?

should I start with some pale and roast it in the oven? start with something darker, like chocolate? indirect heat? broiler?

I want that distinctive toasted flavor that you connect a dark mild with.
 
Funny you post this as I intend to oven roast some corn malt this weekend…

My Opinion —-> For a Dark Mild, I’m thinking maybe 15-20% of your base malt (Maris Otter?) in the oven at 350F for about 30 minutes…or until the kitchen smells awesome. :)
 
Megary said:
Funny you post this as I intend to oven roast some corn malt this weekend…

My Opinion —-> For a Dark Mild, I’m thinking maybe 15-20% of your base malt (Maris Otter?) in the oven at 350F for about 30 minutes…or until the kitchen smells awesome. :)
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since I have never done this, should it be really dark when finished or does the roasting give it that toasted flavour?
 
I’ve only ever done this twice, so I’m no expert.

The malt will definitely darken but I think the key is to get it out before it gets too dark. I’d be afraid of going from cookie/graham cracker to acrid in a heartbeat. I have left the timing up to the aroma in the room.
 
Another thing to look at is the inside of the kernel to check if it's darkened as well.

I had a crack at brown malt a fair few years back in the oven but the darker you go the harder it is to hit your desired colour biscuit type malts are easiest.


I'm thinking of making some brown rice malt very soon I'm thinking after the initial kilning at 150c for 2 hours I'd up the heat to 200c but keep a close eye on it.

Another way to get real dark is throw some in a fry pan and keep em moving baby:p.

I like @Megary suggestion as Marris Otter for your base.

I just had a look on the Advanced malting Gluten fre tutorial and old mate is making chocolate malt at 200c for 120mins
 
No experience, but I read somewhere that you should leave the grains sit in a paper bag for a week or so after roasting/toasting and before using them.
 
I used to roast my own victory malt. For that, if memory serves, I did 2 row in the oven on a cookie sheet @ 275 for 15 minutes, then stirred it up and left it for another 10 minutes or so.
I had read somewhere that it should rest in a paper bag for at least a day as @Trialben mentioned above. I usually just let it cool on the cookie sheet and then used it.
I'm not sure if this applies to darker roasts, but it seemed fine for the lighter toasting.
Good luck!
Brian
 
Here’s a snip from Palmer’s How to Brew regarding toasting malt. For the record, I’ve only ever toasted dry malt, never gone beyond 30-40 minutes and I’ve used the toasted grains within a day or two. Personally, I think the success of this experiment is not only a function of oven temp and time, but also the percentage of grains to toast and add to the recipe.

IMG_1095.jpeg


https://www.academia.edu/38440206/How_To_Brew_By_John_Palmer
 
Minbari said:
so I am gonna make a dark mild (first attempt) and I want to roast my own roasty/toasty barley for it.

so, for those who have done this. any advice/suggestions?

should I start with some pale and roast it in the oven? start with something darker, like chocolate? indirect heat? broiler?

I want that distinctive toasted flavor that you connect a dark mild with.
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Definitely not the broiler, it will burn.
 
Minbari said:
350°F for about 40 minutes. I think it has the right taste. So gonna try it.

View attachment 25359
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Looks great!

Is that Maris Otter? Any side-by-side photos of oven roasted vs. regular grains you can post? I would love to see the color comparison.

Also, what percentage of the malt did you decide to roast?

Sorry for all of the questions, apparently I am going to be writing a book. :p
 
Megary said:
Looks great!

Is that Maris Otter? Any side-by-side photos of oven roasted vs. regular grains you can post? I would love to see the color comparison.

Also, what percentage of the malt did you decide to roast?

Sorry for all of the questions, apparently I am going to be writing a book. :p
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Ya, I went with 1.5lbs of marris otter. That is about 25% of the grain bill.

I will have to post a comparison. Its pretty dark
 
I roasted my corn malt today which I will use in a “Mexican Street Corn Lager” (TM) on Saturday.

The roasted on the left had a distinctive popcorn odor and a nice, toasty flavor. The base blue corn malt on the right was clean, with the trademark sweetness. On brew day I hope to mini mash a set of both to see what taste, aroma and color differences show up, if any.

IMG_1099.jpeg
 
Megary said:
Did you get a nice aroma throughout the house? :)
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ya, could still smell it in the basement tonight, lol. it started out like sweet baked bread. then went kinda smokey and took on the smell of burnt toast.
 
Megary said:
I roasted my corn malt today which I will use in a “Mexican Street Corn Lager” (TM) on Saturday.

The roasted on the left had a distinctive popcorn odor and a nice, toasty flavor. The base blue corn malt on the right was clean, with the trademark sweetness. On brew day I hope to mini mash a set of both to see what taste, aroma and color differences show up, if any.

View attachment 25375
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You'll have to flick up that recipe for me Megary please?
Maybe something I could brew.

Been eyeing off the popcorn lately while out shopping and was thinking of malting some.
 
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