"jdog2050" wrote: So, it seems too good to be true. Like, a roaster would be awesome because you can set a specific temp--computer controlled--AND it tumbles the seeds/grain, so everything is evenly roasted.



Seriously, if this works a lot of specialty grain issues would be solved.

I don't see why it wouldn't...but you may need to get a 'nice' roaster that can handle the temperature/volume we're looking for.

"gordsellar" wrote: Also, just make sure you give the roasted grains a few weeks for the volatiles to waft away, or you'll get nasty off-flavors... so sayeth Randy Mosher.

I'm kind of interested in experimenting with this. The oatmeal stout I made is just getting nice after a few weeks in the bottle, but when i made it i toasted the oats and didn't let them sit at all (roasted them 9pm, threw them in the sealed mash tun with the rest of my grain, mashed the next morning). I got some pretty funky smokey/roasty flavors that were a bit unpleasant at first but have since become a sort of toasted chocolate that i'm very very happy with.

"gordsellar" wrote: Also, just make sure you give the roasted grains a few weeks for the volatiles to waft away, or you'll get nasty off-flavors... so sayeth Randy Mosher.

I've read this also. The few times I've roasted my own, straight out of the "kiln", they've smelled quite pungent. After a week they mellowed out.

"jdog2050" wrote: So after reading up on this, it looks like a specialized coffee roaster basically *is* a malt roaster. Thing is, the holes in a coffee roaster may possibly be slightly too large. So you'd probably need to add in an extra steel or copper mesh tube. After that, shit, you can roast malt to your heart's delight.

Funny, I just bought one of these about a month ago, for coffee. I got the one in Korea because I didn't want to deal with a transformer when I used it. The wife called and talked to the local distributor and got it for 700k won I think. I guess for specialty grains it may work but it only holds about 8 oz. I would want something like the Behmor 1600, cheaper and holds more. The other way to go for small amounts is a hot air popper, many people roast coffee that way. Just make sure the vents are on the side and not the bottom.

I haven't seen the Behmor here, only the Gene which is made here. The Behmor sells for ~$300 in the states and would require a transformer. But as it has a capacity of double the Gene at about half the price it would seem worth the added effort, IMHO. The Gene is a air roaster, not sure that is what you would want to roast barley because it may dry the grain more then you would like. I would try a small batch with a $30 air popper first and see what the results are before investing 5 or 6 hundred in a coffee roaster.

The Behmor is just a drum and a heating element. Toaster over, BBQ rotisserie, a drum, and a little time. If you can't get a rotisserie guess you cold turn by hand, not sure how long it takes.

I found this site to have good information.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.details-behmor.php

They have a video and if you scroll down to the bottom there's a link to the manual. They also have a rating if the good and bad points of the systems.
I did see that the Behmor doesn't have a temp control, just different power levels. The Gene is adjustable, not sure if it has a time limit as I have not needed to go past the 15 min it starts at, normally hit cool before that. If you have enough money to spend you can always go with Gene 1200, ~$6000.