buckwheat?

Ivan Lendl · 03-07-2006, 03:08 AM

my friend just got back from russia, and he's got a big bag of russian buckwheat, that he says they eat alot of over thier. so i was wondering if it can be mashed, and if so what would the effects be? is it the same as regular wheat? does it need to be converted? it looks like little round kernels that are tan colored...

btw, he said there was alot of homebrewed stuff being drunk over thier, he had a homemade apple wine,a homemade vodka, and a beer that, a guy showed him how he opens the fermentor to, "let the flies go in there", because he said, "it adds flavor" (i bet it does).

the running joke that everyone kept saying it to him was, "drink vodka or yankee go home!" (after 10 liters of vodka he kind of got sick of it)

i traded him a 12 pack of assorted beer for a nice bottle of vodka

El Pistolero · 03-07-2006, 03:26 AM

I'm a big fan of buckwheat myself.

**Walker** · 03-07-2006, 02:18 PM

I searched on google and actually found a few references to beers using buckwheat in the mash, so my guess is that you CAN do it. According to a few of the refereces I found, you'll need to include some high-enzymatic malt in there to convert the buckwheat's starch to sugar, but...

Here's one reference:
http://www.johnnylager.com/brews.html#brown

As for it being similar to regular wheat; It is NOT. In fact, it's not even a kind of wheat at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat
(yes, I know that's wht wikipedia, but it actually agrees with everything else I saw/read.)

go for it.

-walker

Ivan Lendl · 03-07-2006, 03:01 PM

i geuss im gonna use 1-2 lbs, for some flavor. i plan on making a Russian imperial stout @ like 7-8 percent. this will be a partial mash with 7 lbs grain total, and 6 lbs. d.m.e....

heres my recipe off the top of my head without thinkng about it:
6 lbs. d.m.e.
4 l lbs. 2-row
1 lbs. buckwheat
1 lbs. crystal 60
1 lbs. roasated barley
.25 lbs. black patent
hops :
2 oz. hallertauer (60)
1 oz. cascade(50)
3/4 oz. cascade (5)
1/2 oz. hallertauer (5)

english ale yeast og 1.075, 45 ibu
gypsum
2 qt. starrter