National Homebrew Club Ireland

During a conversation lately at a Capital Brewers meeting the subject of Ergot came up and I thought it might be worthwhile posting something here.
Ergot is caused by a fungal infection of cereal grains. The cereal is infected by a fungus called Claviceps Purpurea. Rye is particularly susceptible to it, however barley and wheat can also be affected.
What does it do? It can cause Ergotism which can lead to deformation of limbs, gangrene, hallucinations, it was once known as St Anthony's fire, due to the burning sensation in the affected limbs. It is now suspected as having been responsible for The Salem Witch Hunt. The weather around the time of witch burning would have suited Claviceps Purpurea (a cold snap in winter followed by wet spring and summer) whole villages succumbed to Ergotism due to eating bread contaminated by infected cereals. People didn't understand and blamed the outbreak on witchcraft.
Malting production plants would be well aware of Ergot and must take precautions to eliminate it ( Ergot floats in brine while heavier malt grains sink). However it's no harm to check your grains for it before brewing with them. This is particularly important if you are growing your own grains or purchasing grains sourced from abroad.
What does it look like? I would describe it as looking like rat droppings in the malt. They have a purple to black colour and are larger that malt grains
Here's a link to a Wiki page on Ergotism which contains a good photo of Ergot in a bowl of barley. It has mostly been eliminated, but no harm to throw a cursery eye over yor grain now and again
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergotism

I first heard of this donkeys back when an episode of Dr Finnlays Casebook highligted the problem.

The local miller milled infected wheat and then every one baked the bread and half a village tripped out!

The halucinogens and the effects are vey similar to LSD

Is this purely something that infects live grain plants or is there a chance of this fungus infecting malted barley? Getting a tad paranoid about storing my grain in my damp shed!!! Never had any inkling of this as my storage drums are fairly good at maintaining the quality of the grain but no harm in checking.

Shanna

Many saints/hermits, are said to have had a lot of their visions because of ergot . 
Public information film from 1941 .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUpK9wDfqCY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUpK9wDfqCY)

Quote from: Shanna on December 06, 2015, 10:41:53 AM
Is this purely something that infects live grain plants or is there a chance of this fungus infecting malted barley? Getting a tad paranoid about storing my grain in my damp shed!!! Never had any inkling of this as my storage drums are fairly good at maintaining the quality of the grain but no harm in checking.

Shanna

It infects grass and cereals in the wild, it is a parasite and grows on the plant. It can be a concern here in Ireland for livestock as they can eat the infected grasses etc, it is supposed to be removed as part of the preparation of barley for malting and afterwards also in the dressing of the finished malt. It's no harm to know about it and can be interesting to read about. I've only heard of one instance in Irish brewing and it was in some speciality malt imported from Spain.

Thank's for the heads up,never heard of this before  :o.

Quote from: Will_D on December 06, 2015, 10:19:24 AM
I first heard of this donkeys back when an episode of Dr Finnlays Casebook highligted the problem.

The local miller milled infected wheat and then every one baked the bread and half a village tripped out!

The halucinogens and the effects are vey similar to LSD

Not necessarily a bad thing  ;D

Quote from: Greg2013 on December 06, 2015, 05:55:38 PM

Quote from: Will_D on December 06, 2015, 10:19:24 AM
I first heard of this donkeys back when an episode of Dr Finnlays Casebook highligted the problem.

The local miller milled infected wheat and then every one baked the bread and half a village tripped out!

The halucinogens and the effects are vey similar to LSD

Not necessarily a bad thing  ;D

Until your arms fall off

Quote from: Sorcerers Apprentice on December 06, 2015, 07:47:37 PM

Quote from: Greg2013 on December 06, 2015, 05:55:38 PM

Quote from: Will_D on December 06, 2015, 10:19:24 AM
I first heard of this donkeys back when an episode of Dr Finnlays Casebook highligted the problem.

The local miller milled infected wheat and then every one baked the bread and half a village tripped out!

The halucinogens and the effects are vey similar to LSD

Not necessarily a bad thing  ;D

Until your arms fall off

Ya but you get to hear colours  ???

i can touch the music ........can you feel it ?..... O0

Is this the one that forms during malting if you don't have enough oxygen in the water used to wet the grains?

Quote from: hopapotamus on December 06, 2015, 09:02:01 PM
i can touch the music ........can you feel it ?..... O0

Swing your pants  O0

Quote from: HomeBrewWest on December 06, 2015, 09:07:52 PM
Is this the one that forms during malting if you don't have enough oxygen in the water used to wet the grains?

No it grows on the plants during their cultivation on the farm

I took drugs for years but thankfully they never lobsters lobsters everywhere, Prince hopeful sausage.

- Jim spillage