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For a general overview of grain in brewing, see [http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Grain Homebrew Talk Wiki page on Grain].
==Obscure Alternative Grains==
===Acidulated Malt===
Acidulated malt (or acid malt) is often used in brewing to lower the mash pH when chemical acids (phosphoric or lactic acids) are not allowed or not desired. Acid malt is generally produced by one of three different methods. The first method to create acid malt is to hold germinating barley under anaerobic conditions for 24 hours or more to allow the lactic acid bacteria naturally found on the barley to produce lactic acid. The acidified barley is then kilned. A second method is to spray malt with ''[[Lactobacillus]]'' and then hold the malt at 50°C for 24-36 hours before kilning. The third method is to steep kilned malt in hot water at 45-50°C until the lactic acid bacteria naturally found on the malt (or sprayed onto it) produces around 1% lactic acid. The wet, acidic malt is then dried which concentrates the lactic acid to between 2 and 4% <ref name="Vaughan_2005">[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/j.2050-0416.2005.tb00221.x Enhancing the Microbiological Stability of Malt and Beer — A Review. Anne Vaughan, Tadhg O'Sullivan, Douwe Van Sinderen. 2005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2050-0416.2005.tb00221.x.]</ref>. Due to the uncontrolled nature of lactic acid bacteria used in the production of acid malt, lactic acid levels can vary from maltster to maltster and potentially batch to batch.
===Amaranth===
* [https://www.facebook.com/milkthefunkthepodcast/posts/578420892491086 Vanderbilt University's Center for Latin American Studies and Tennessee State University along with Von Seitz Theoreticales presentation on amaranth in beer.]
* [https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/plants/plants-11-00756/article_deploy/plants-11-00756.pdf Buckwheat and Amaranth as Raw Materials for Brewing, a Review.]
* [https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/9/12/1236/htm A Review of Recent Studies on the Antioxidant Activities of a Third-Millennium Food: Amaranthus spp.]
===Buckwheat===
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1655836997777841/?match=YnVja3doZWF0 MTF thread on malted vs raw buckwheat.]
* [https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/plants/plants-11-00756/article_deploy/plants-11-00756.pdf Buckwheat and Amaranth as Raw Materials for Brewing, a Review.]
===Millet===
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1747742851920588/ MTF threads on wild rice.]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1751399461554927/ MTF thread on using sushi rice and "Sacch Trois" to make a DIPA with sake-like characteristics.]
===Rye===
: <youtube width="300" height="200">4vhFfwOrIbA</youtube>
===Spelt===
===Misc===
* [https://www.facebook.com/SouthernBrewersConference/videos/881234958691358/ Matt Williams at Southern Brewers Conference 2017 on Ancient Grains.]
===Gluten-Free/Reduced===
Many of the grains listed above are gluten-free and are used in gluten-free brewing. See the links below for more information on gluten-free brewing in general.
Some sour beers have been reported by Taubman et al. to be gluten reduced, but the beer brands were not listed in the study and the exact mechanism by which they became gluten reduced is not clear. Regardless, their work showed that certain strains of ''Lactobacillus brevis'', ''L. curvatus'', and ''L. plantarum'' and a strain of ''Pediococcus pentosaceus'' were able to produce gluten reduced beers but only when they were fermented with just these strains for 35-50 days <ref>[https://www.mbaa.com/publications/tq/tqPastIssues/2018/Pages/TQ-55-1-0305-01.aspx Microbial Gluten Reduction in Beer Using Lactic Acid Bacteria and Standard Process Methods. Brett F. Taubman, Stephan Sommer, Jacob Edwards, Travis Laws, Logan Hamm, and Brenton A. Frank. 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/TQ-55-1-0305-01 .]</ref><ref>[http://masterbrewerspodcast.com/094-microbial-gluten-reduction-in-beer-using-lactic-acid-bacteria-and-standard-process-methods "094: Microbial Gluten Reduction in Beer Using Lactic Acid Bacteria and Standard Process Methods". MBAA podcast. 06/25/2018.]</ref>. Unfortunately, fermenting with just lactic acid bacteria for this long produces unacceptable flavors and is not a practical way of producing sour beer (see [[Wort Souring]]).
See also:
* [https://eckertmaltingandbrewing.com/ Eckert Malting & Brewing - a good source for gluten-free malts.]
* [https://grouseco.com/ Grouse Malt House; dedicated to gluten-free malting.]
* [https://www.facebook.com/coloradomaltingcompany/?fref=gc&dti=592560317438853&hc_location=ufi Colorado Malting Company has a separate facility for gluten-free malting.] <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/2276788285682706/?comment_id=2276884129006455&reply_comment_id=2276996092328592&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R4%22%7D Joe Morris. Milk The Funk Facebook thread about gluten free resources. 09/11/2018.]</ref>
* [http://www.zerotolerancebrewing.com/ Zero Tolerance Gluten-Free Home Brew Club]
** [https://zerotolerance.mywikis.net Wiki]
** [https://www.facebook.com/groups/ZeroToleranceGF/ Facebook group].
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1742361882458685/ Gluten free sour brewing with Joe Morris on MTF.]
===Unmalted Barley===
Unmalted barley can contain higher levels of manganese ions, which can lead to oxidation as the resulting beer ages. Not all unmalted grain has higher levels of manganese ions; one study found that unmalted spelt does not contain elevated levels of this metal ion <ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0023643820313372 Ionic composition of beer worts produced with selected unmalted grains. Monika Sterczyńska, Marta Stachnik, Aleksander Poreda, Katarzyna Pużyńska, Joanna Piepiórka-Stepuk, Grzegorz Fiutak, Marek Jakubowski. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.110348.]</ref>.
===Smoked Grains===
Smoked grains may contain small levels of nitrosamines, a known carcinogen <ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0278691595001166 N-nitrosodimethylamine in Spanish beers. M. Izquierdo-Pulido, J.F. Barbour, R.A. Scanlan. 1994.]</ref><ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrosamine Nitrosamines. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11/15/2020.]</ref>.
==Enzymes, Extract Potential, and Nutrients==
The following figures were sourced from [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00217-019-03372-3 "On the suitability of alternative cereals, pseudocereals and pulses in the production of alcohol-reduced beers by non-conventional yeasts." Konstantin Bellut, Maximilian Michel, Martin Zarnkow, Mathias Hutzler, Fritz Jacob, Kieran M. Lynch, Elke K. Arendt. Eur Food Res Technol (2019). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-019-03372-3.] The grains tested were; Bestmalz Pilsen malt (grain), Muntons wheat malt, Betsmalz rye malt, Muntons oat malt, Ziegler spelt sprouts flour, Ziegler brown millet sprouts flour, Keimkraft corn sprouts, Ziegler amaranth sprouts, Mälzerei buckwheat malt, Ziegler quinoa sprouts, Keimkraft lentil sprouts, Keimkraft lupine sprouts, and Keimkraft pea sprouts.
For the millet, quinoa, spelt, buckwheat, amaranth, and corn, starch amylase and protease enzymes were added to liquefy the starch. For the lentil, lupine, and pea, only protease was added. More fermentable sugars were not produced for these grains, but more fermentable sugar such as glucose, maltose, and maltotriose, could be produced with the addition of alpha and beta-amylase from barley malt. The following figures from Bellut et al. (2019) are re-posted here with the permission of Konstantin Bellut <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10220788046836351&set=p.10220788046836351&type=3&theater Konstantin Bellut. Milk The Funk Facebook group post about Bellut et al (2019). 10/11/2019.]</ref>:
<gallery mode=packed height=600px>
File:Alternative cereals fig3.JPG|Composition of real extract from different grain types <ref name="bellut_2019">[https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00217-019-03372-3 "On the suitability of alternative cereals, pseudocereals and pulses in the production of alcohol-reduced beers by non-conventional yeasts." Konstantin Bellut, Maximilian Michel, Martin Zarnkow, Mathias Hutzler, Fritz Jacob, Kieran M. Lynch, Elke K. Arendt. Eur Food Res Technol (2019). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-019-03372-3.]</ref>.
File:Alternative cereals tbl2.JPG|Enymes, starch, protein, and fats <ref name="bellut_2019" />.
File:Alternative_cereals_tbl3.JPG|Real extract, fermentable extract, and FAN <ref name="bellut_2019" />.
File:Alternative cereals tbl4.JPG|Amino acid content <ref name="bellut_2019" />.
</gallery>
==Microbial Populations on Barley==
*[https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/323403/2/Just%C3%A9%20et%20al.%202011_Microflora%20during%20Malting%20of%20Barley%20Overview%20and%20Impact%20on%20Malt%20Quality.%20Brewing%20Science%2064,%2022-31..pdf See Table 2 of this study] for a list of microbes that were found using traditional plating methods.
* See this video presentation by Bart Lievens at the 2015 Belgian Brewers Conference:
::<youtubewidth="300" height="200">5mttD027PMU</youtube>
===Mash and Wort===
====Malt Inoculated Wort====
In 2016 and 2017, Dr . Matt Bochman or of Indiana University and Jeff Young of [http://blueowlbrewing.com/ Blue Owl Brewing] conducted an experiment to map the microbiome of wort that was inoculated with several harvest years and harvests varieties of malted barley. Using DNA sequencing, they analysed analyzed the microbes present in 110°F wort that was inoculated with crushed malted barley and incubated at 110°F for 0 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours. The 7 malted grains that used to inoculate the wort were:
* 2015 Breiss Merit 57
* 2016 Weyermann Barke
The grain samples before inoculation hosted a large variety of microbes, but immediately after inoculating the malted grains into 110°F wort, all of the grain samples were dominated by ''Weissela cibaria'' (ranging from 92-99% across all samples), a Gram-positive lactic acid bacteria that is in the same order but a different family as ''Lactobacillus''<ref>[https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/docserver/fulltext/micro/161/4/914_mic000053.pdf Genomics of Weissella cibaria with an examination of its metabolic traits. Kieran M. Lynch, Alan Lucid, Elke K. Arendt, Roy D. Sleator, Brigid Lucey and Aidan Coffey. 2015. DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000053.]</ref>. All but one of the grain samples also had a much smaller but not insignificant population of ''Salmonella bongori'' (1-4% across all samples), which has been associated with non-lethal food poisoning <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmonella_bongori#Pathogenicity_and_epidemiology "Salmonella_bongori". Wikipedia. Retrieved 06/15/2017.]</ref>. There were also trace populations of other bacteria such as ''Enterobacter'' spp., ''Pantoea'' spp., ''Erwinia'' spp., and ''Lactococcus lactis'' in most of the samples. There was a significant ''L. lactics'' population in the 2016 Weyermann Barke, as well as ''Enterobacter aerogenes'' <ref name="blueowl_2017">[https://experiment.com/projects/mapping-the-sour-beer-microbiome/results "Mapping the sour beer microbiome". Matthew Bochman and Jeff Young. Experiment.com. 2017. Retrieved 06/15/2017.]</ref>.
After 24 hours of continued 110°F inoculation incubation in the wort, all but 2 samples were almost completely dominated by ''Weisella cibaria'' (98-99% across all samples). The 2016 Weyermann Barke also had a small 5% population of ''Lactococcus lactis'' (5%). The 2016 Breiss Merit 57 was significantly different than the other grain samples, and was the only sample with a very large population of several species of ''Lactobacillus'' (38% ''Lactobacillus reuteri'', 23% ''Weissla cibaria'', 15% ''Lactobacillus delbruekii'', 12% ''Pedioccocus pentosaceus'', 8% ''Lactobacillus fermentum'', and 3% ''Lactobacillus helveticus''). This data indicates that ''Lactobacillus'' is generally not the dominant organism when inoculating with grain samples at this temperature, despite popular belief. It was the thought of the authors that ''Lactobacillus'' species might dominate at lower or higher temperatures, but more studies are needed to show this. In addition, only a very small population is required to begin with on samples that do, and once inoculated into wort at 110°F, their population will increase significantly <ref name="blueowl_2017" />.
After 48 hours, ''Weissella cibaria'' continued to dominate all of the grain samples except the 2016 Breiss Merit 57 (note that the 2015 harvest of Breiss Merit 57 was dominated by ''Weisella cibaria'', indicating that the barley variety is not the determining factor of which microbes might be dominant, but that the harvest year is more important). Two samples, the 2015 Breiss Merit 57 and the 2016 Blacklands Endeavor, also saw an increase in the population of ''Shiggela sonnei'' (2.5%). The ''Salmonella bongori'' was still present in samples after 48 hours, but decreased to less than 1% <ref name="blueowl_2017" />.
Some of the organic acids and alcohols were also measured in this experiment. Most of the samples created fairly high and similar levels of lactic acid, followed by a smaller amount of acetic acid, and then followed by trace amounts of citric, pyruvic, malic, and succinic acids. The 2016 Breiss Synergy had much more lactic acid, acetic acid, and noticably noticeably more succinic acid the all the other samples. It also had considerably more ethanol produced, indicating that a heat tolerant wild yeast may have fermented this sample <ref name="blueowl_2017" />. [[Butyric Acid]] and [[Isovaleric Acid]] were not measured due to the difficulty in measuring these acids at the lab that was used <ref>[https://wwwdrive.facebookgoogle.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1660708117290729/open?comment_id=1661783767183164&reply_comment_id=1664682886893252&comment_trackingid=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R2%22%7D 1x6du2SvT2msELpMoW8TH5ecv9nz5dDJ8SqrI8y00GeI Edwards, John. Milk The Funk facebook group. 04/24/2017.]</ref>.
The experiment concluded that using grain to inoculate wort could potentially be done so in a controlled manner, producing predictable and consistent results. It was stated that more studies need to be conducted to explore the variability in brewing process such as temperature and incubation times. For example, while the ''Weisella cibaria'' dominated at 110°F, it is reported that it doesn't tolerate temperatures above 113°F, and ''Lactobacillus'' might dominate at temperatures around 90-95°F or maybe at temperatures above 113°F <ref name="blueowl_2017" /><ref>Private correspondence with Jeff Young by Dan Pixley. 06/29/2017.</ref>.
Various concerns on possible cross contamination associated with the methodology of the referenced experiment have been discussed with the authors on [https://wwwdrive.facebookgoogle.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1660708117290729/ open?id=1x6du2SvT2msELpMoW8TH5ecv9nz5dDJ8SqrI8y00GeI this MTF thread].
See also:
* [https://experiment.com/projects/mapping-the-sour-beer-microbiome/results "Mapping the sour beer microbiome" by Matthew Bochman and Jeff Young.]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1722624404432433/ ASBC presentation by Jeff Young.]* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/2163890653639137/ Jeff Young's microscopy testing souring wort with grains at different temperatures.]
===Spent Grain===
==Miscellaneous==
===ASBC Hot Steep Malt Sensory Method===
The American Society of Brewing Chemists created a method for malt sensory analysis that is more accurate for evaluating malt flavors than performing a [https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/EvJp0NBz6r/congress-mash/ congress mash] or simply chewing malted grain. The method is simple and can be done at home<ref>[http://blog.brewingwithbriess.com/malt-sensory-methods-you-can-perform-in-your-own-home-or-brewery/ Poirier, Cassie. "Malt Sensory Methods". Briess website. 02/08/2016. Retrieved 07/26/2018.]</ref>:
# Heat distilled/RO water to 65°C (149°F).
# Pour the mixture through a coffee filter; leave for 30-45 mins to fully extract.
# Cool the wort to room temperature and serve no later than 4 hours from the preparation time.
# Notes:
::* Evaluate base malts as 100% of the sample, specialty malts with 50% of the specialty malt and 50% of a base malt, and dark-roasted malts with 15% of the dark-roasted malt and 75% of a base malt.
::* If different samples are being prepared, clean the mill to avoid cross-contamination of differently flavored malts.
::* Pour the entire sample into the filter at once so that the grains settle; filter paper should not have any aromas.
The result is wort that serves approximately 6-8 people and is ideal for evaluating aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, and color of specific malts.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2PKFSJKcRA BeerSmith interview with Andrea Stanley and Lindsay Barr on how the hot steep method was produced, and how this sensory method is being used to identify flavor differences in barley variety, malt variety, etc.]
* Breiss video demonstrating the Hot Steep Method:
: <youtubewidth="300" height="200">NJWRpihU84Y</youtube>
===MBAA Podcasts===
* [https://brewingbeerthehardway.wordpress.com/ Brewing Beer the Hard Way (home malting)] see also his [https://www.youtube.com/user/francois4050/videos Youtube channel].
* [http://scottjanish.com/dextrins-and-mouthfeel/ "Dextrins and Mouthfeel", by Scott Janish; a review of the science of dextrins and mouthfeel in beer, and an experiment.]
* [http://blog.brewingwithbriess.com/cold-extraction-of-malt-components-and-their-use-in-brewing-applications Briess blog article on a thought provoking perspective on using cold steeping methods in brewing by Dan Bies.]
===Malting and Growing Barley===
* [https://brewingbeerthehardway.wordpress.com/category/information-on-malting-and-growing-barley "Information on Malting and Growing Barley", resource listing on Brewing Beer The Hard Way blog.]
==See Also==
===MTF Posts===
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/3444365878924935/ Link and discussion about a Pellicle Mag article about Sugar Creek Malts farmhouse malts.]
===Additional Articles on MTF Wiki===
* [[Alternative_Bacteria_Sources#Culturing_Lactobacillus_From_Grains|Culturing Lacto From Grains]]
* [http://byo.com/stout/item/328-brewing-with-wheat "Brewing With Wheat", BYO article from September 1996 by Jeff Frane.]
* [https://brewingbeerthehardway.wordpress.com/ "Brewing Beer the Hard Way" - blog about growing barley and home malting] and [https://www.youtube.com/user/francois4050/videos youtube home malting videos].
* [http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Malting101/Technical_Presentations.htm All Breiss Technical Presentations.]
==References==