Anyone tried using breakfast cereal in the mash?

gregblatz · 06-17-2010, 07:23 PM

I was smellng my APA last week while kegging and it reminded me of fruit loops, so I started thinking...

What about adding in some crushed up fruit loops in my next batch of American Pal Ale?

I guess it would partially ferment, maybe add some mouthfeel with any unfermentables?

Has anyone tried this? Any feedback on why it would be a bad idea?

**Revvy** · 06-17-2010, 07:26 PM

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/gap-grocery-produce-beer-experiment-69313/?highlight=Grocery+produce

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/weetabix-black-sheep-ale-clone-181324/?highlight=weetabix

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/here-me-out-count-chocula-beer-well-cereal-beer-74727/?highlight=cereal

serum67 · 06-17-2010, 07:26 PM

This local cat did it and was not impressed with the results. Take a look:

http://groceryeats.com/2009/10/26/cereal-beer-challenge/

gregblatz · 06-17-2010, 07:34 PM

OK, read through the posts and it doesn't sound like anyone had any luck with it. Maybe just a pale ale with a bowl of cereal on the side for breakfast!

**Revvy** · 06-17-2010, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregblatz

OK, read through the posts and it doesn't sound like anyone had any luck with it. Maybe just a pale ale with a bowl of cereal on the side for breakfast!

I think on a basic brewing podcast recently someone DID have luck with it. It might have even been James Spenser himself.

Rhoobarb · 06-17-2010, 07:53 PM

BYO had an article recently using several breakfast cereals. Corn flakes worked very well in a CAP the did. In fact, I plan to sub either those or grits for flaked corn in my next cream ale.

http://www.byo.com/store?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tp l&product_id=116&category_id=23

**Walker** · 06-17-2010, 07:59 PM

They changed the ingredients sometime in the last year, but PRIOR to the change the list of ingredients for Grape Nutswas (literally, not kidding):

matled barley
yeast
salt

I think it has some wheat in it now and maybe something else, but it's still largely made with malted barley.

**JJL** · 06-17-2010, 09:34 PM

I was reading about this somewhere recently. I can't remember if it was in a BYO article or some brewing book. It was just a passing refernce, but essentially the only drawback to brewing with something like corn flake breakfast cereals is that they contain additives. If you had a cereal that was pure corn flakes without added sugar, salt, preservatives, etc you should be able to mash it.

jgln · 06-17-2010, 09:52 PM

I use shredded wheat and it comes out great, however I did find I can't really notice the difference if I just mash with wheat grain so since the wheat grain is easier to mash I plan on just doing that once the last boxes of cereal are gone. Problem with shredded wheat is it tends to get stuck, that and is probably more $$$.

**Brewing Clamper** · 06-17-2010, 10:03 PM

Then I could label my beer as:

Now with more Riboflavin!