Getting back into brewing

studdlymurphy

Hi All,
I am wanting to get back into brewing. I used to do it a bit with kits years ago but lost interest a bit due to time constraints.
I am wanting to get back into it.
I have all the gear (I think).
The thing is I dont want to use the kits this time.
I live on a farm and have recently cut barley so have soime kept aside specifically for brewingprobably about 100kg.
What is the process that I need to follow?
Thanks

mayto

You might want to find out what type of barley you have, 2 row or 6 row suitability etc. Ther is a guide to help you with the malting process here here Drying the barley will probably be your greatest challenge. Best of luck with it.

Tube

There is no 6-row barley in Ireland, but not that that really makes any difference, as malting it is not a simple feat!

If you want to get back into brewing, and want to use Irish malt, check out the article on the front page of the site in my sig.

Tube

Also, as someone who has stood inside a kiln while 35 tonnes were being dried, the temperatures in that article are too low.

Carawaystick

As others have pointed out, malting is hard, definitely the hardest part of brewing.

If I were to look to start again
If brew a few kits, to get the hang and rhythm of sanitising and bottling and fermenting
I'd probably make my first brew straight from a kit, then try steep some grains or maybe dry hop a brew

3rd brew boil up dry malt extract and hops and then consider mashing using a brew in the bag system

I'm assuming you've a bit of land, so I'd definitely consider planting some hops for next years harvest,
In the worst case, if next autumn you'ld given up on brewing, you would be able to get volunteer harvesters of your hops. But I reckon you'ld use them yourself and plant more for 2015

By the way, 100 kg barley should give you roughly 80 kg malt and 4kg malt will give 20 l beer so 400 l beer

mayto

Tube wrote: »

There is no 6-row barley in Ireland, but not that that really makes any difference, as malting it is not a simple feat!

There is 6 row barley grown here, whether its for feed or brewing is another matter.

Tube

I should have qualified: no 6 row malting barley is grown here.