Bere beer from raw grain

[craigite]

Luckly enough to be handed a bag with 1kg of Bere.
Bere is not exactly the same as modern barley. http://www.agronomy.uhi.ac.uk/html/Bere_history.htm

Stage 1
Malting

First I soaked the grain for two hours in plenty of Luke warm water, we don't want the water to go stale.
After the soak I set it out in a tray and left that it the hall at about 16degC for about eight hours, mixing the grain every couple of hours giving each grain time to breath.
Repeated this three times until the roots were about three time the length of the grain and the shoot inside the grain was at least three quarters the length of the grain. Just split a few grains to see the length.
Next I needed to dry the germinated grain. Must ensure it does not get above about 50degC or I will loose the enzymes we need for the mash tun.
First attempt was to use the fermentation fridge set to 35,

problem was that with the door cracked open to let the moisture out it was too cool so now it's in the kitchen oven at min with the door held open with a wooden spoon.

This should be done in under 24hrs.


I'll need a drink while I wait.

A simple IPA from the beer pump.
I just use some of Vossy's tube to connect the polycube to the pump. I find this keeps the beer fresh for two weeks fine.
A bit basic, but the garage is cool and it works.

If there's interest I'll update this post all the way through to the first taste of the finished beer.
My intention is to use EKG as a full bittering hop without any flavour or aroma additions to see if I get a unique flavour from the Bere. Will keep the ABV quite low. Going to roast about 5% of grain to get a crystal to up the sweetness.

Cheers.
Neil

 

[craigite]

OK I've germinated the grain till the roots are about three times the grain length

(note I've split the grain to show the shoot is over three quarters the grain length)
then dried it at about 45degC for about 24hrs then roasted it at about 100degC for about two hours

(I've then sieved the grain to remove the roots, too much protein)
and finally crushed it.

With only 760g of malt it will be a "back to basics" brew tomorrow.

Wish me luck.

 

[Dunfie]

Thats fascinating Craigite. :clap:

Farmbrew, who lives in Freuchie, has managed to get bere in the past and has gone through a similar process to yourself.

 

[artiums_enteri]

That is really cool. Well done!

 

[rickthebrew]

Really interesting post - great stuff :thumb:

 

[Farmbrew]

Neil

That's a good set up - you'll find the extract from Bere is lower than that of 2-row (Bere is 6-row) and has a massive amount of husk. One good thing about this though is quick run-off and no stuck mash. Whisky makers with lots of automation have had probs with the husk clogging up there mash tun elevators!

The Bere adds a bitterness of it's own to the finished beer - may be from the husk (polyphenols). This is really noticeable and it's worth cutting the IBU back to compensate. Also the higher nitrogen gives a bigger fuller barley grain mouthfeel too.

As it's a high nitrogen (unselected) landrace barley the beer will be darker than you expect (it will have the "Farm Brewery" orange colour).

When Valhalla was doing tasting trials for Island Bere recipes I think they had to cut back the amount of Bere in the grist. I managed to get hold of some of their bere malt (malted at crisps) to see if their barley had been selected for brewing but it isn't - the colour and flavour was similar to the stuff I make.

My set-up uses my old bin in bin mash tun for steeping @ 10C and malting @ 10C - roughly 5-6Kg at a time. I use an adapted incinerator for drying (with a fan heater) and then annoy the "better half" by hogging her oven for days roasting.

It's good stuff for adding to Biere de Garde or Saison grists as these once used the local 6-row landrace barley malts. This gives these beers their orange tinge without using modern caramel/crystal/munich malts. I enter a Biere de garde with some homemade bere last year at bristol and got quite good marks for style!

I don't know of anybody else in Orkney using Bere in their beer since the Rae at Barony mill stopped brewing. Will you be trying an Orkney 1 Stone ale next? A bit of peated malt added to a 16lb bere malt (I think that's a millers stone) - aim for 7%ABV

Congrats - good luck with the brew!

Will keep the ABV quite low. Going to roast about 5% of grain to get a crystal to up the sweetness.

I make my crystal by taking the half dried grain and putting it in a roasting pan with foil over the top in the oven at 65C - this lets it caramalise - then after 60-90mins take foil off and raise temp to 200C and roast+turn until the kernel is glassy brown. It does taste nice!

 

[craigite]

Farmbrew, some great info in your post, thanks.
I made a "Peedie Reekie" before Christmas. About 7% and some peat smoked malt. Didn't use Bere cos I don't have any...
To be honest I'm not a fan of smoked beer, actually I doubt I'll drink it. Just hope the smokieness continues to mellow.

 

[Farmbrew]

Neil

I made a "Peedie Reekie" before Christmas. About 7% and some peat smoked malt. Didn't use Bere cos I don't have any...
To be honest I'm not a fan of smoked beer, actually I doubt I'll drink it. Just hope the smokieness continues to mellow.

So the reek wasn't as Peedie as you wanted - as it's peat smoked it may not mellow....just eat lots of smoked cheese and whisky before you drink it! :hmm:

One of the SCB members experimented with peated malt and you can still taste that phenol edge even in homeopathic amounts :shock:

Aled

 

[craigite]

OK, back to basics. With only 769g of malt I'm mashing in the oven.

Just out of interest I've checked the ph, 5.4. I've not added and water treatment and intend being light with hops to try and get the malt taste.
So far the mash is sitting at 66 :thumb:

 

[craigite]

Mash over, quite pleased with the sugar content but we'll just have to wait to see the gravity at the end of the boil. Lovely colour.
Moved mash into a small fv to recirculate with two jugs and then to sparge. Took a full ten mins to get the wort nice and clear.

Sparged with 8liters at about 75, just boiled water in kettle and stopped the heating when about the right temp, the gravity of wort at end of sparge was about 1.008

First wort hopping with all the 10g of fuggle.

Just over an hour of the boil to go :party:

 

[craigite]

Cooling time. Pan in sink method. Don't expect much break today as I am not using anything other than water, malt, hops and yeast, so no copper finings.

Got about 5.5l at 1.028
The colour didn't come out good in the pic, it's more a copper red.

Tried a test batch on Friday, same set up. I ended up with about the same volume at 1.032

Put to bed beside Fridays test.

Used skimmed yeast off Fridays batch.

 

[Farmbrew]

Neil

I don't thnik I could brew a beer with such a small amount of ingredients....congrats


let us know what it tastes like

 

[craigite]

I don't thnik I could brew a beer with such a small amount of ingredients

Actually, I'd say this is the best fun brewing I've had in a while.
When I do five gallon there's a part of me that needs it to de a real success. With this brew each stage was more a success than I could have hoped so it's been great.
I'd go as far as recommending; brew a gallon of beer with nothing more than barley, water, hops and yeast. It's made me smile