PattyC

Recipes 

So I am attempting to make a GF beer for a friend with a gluten allergy. I have a copy of Brooklyn Brew Shop's Beer Making Book for small batches, which has several GF recipes in it.

You can find the sprouting and mash process here: Brooklyn Brew Shop's Beer Making Book: 52 Seasonal Recipes for Small Batches - Erica Shea, Stephen Valand, Jennifer Fiedler - Google Books

The 1-gallon recipe goes like this:

1.4 lbs. whole raw buckwheat
1.4 lbs. beets, peeled and grated
.2 lbs. rice hulls
1 cup packed light brown sugar
.1 oz. EKG
.2 oz. Amarillo
1/2 packet Nottingham
3 Tablespoons honey for bottling

I bought 3.5 lbs. raw buckwheat groats that I plan to sprout, so obviously I'm more than doubling the recipe. Does anyone have experience with any of these ingredients, besides the hops? Are the rice hulls necessary? I thought those were to prevent stuck sparges, but I'll be doing BIAB on the stovetop for my 2.5 gallon batch.

I must say I have no idea what kind of flavors this will impart with the beets and brown sugar included, but I'm looking forward to experimenting. All you GF brewers out there, help a GF newbie out!

elvestinkle

Recipes 

The rice hulls will still help the total grist from getting gummed up--I would use them as an extra measure, just in case. Just make sure to soak them first so they don't take up any of your brew water!

mloster

Recipes 

Sounds pretty good. You'll definitely get better conversion if you malt the buckwheat. So after sprouting, just make sure to kiln and remove the rootlets. I'd second the rice hulls and lots of them for that matter. I've had some real problems with buckwheat before.

PattyC

Recipes 

Great tips, thanks! I am definitely planning on malting the buckwheat. How long does it keep after malting do you think? I plan to wait until just before I brew to put them in a ziplock back and crush them with a rolling pin.

ReDim

Recipes 

You had me on buckwheat !

KevinM

Recipes 

Do you happen to know which variety of beets is being mentioned? I can imagine sugar beets, but have trouble imagining the traditional red beets.

__________________
Primary: Sake
Secondary: GF Czech Lager
Waiting to be kegged, Italian Primitivo
Kegged&Ready: GF Orange&Coriander, GF Honey Lager, GF chocolate ale, GF English ale, Island mist (zinfandel), Island mist (cbry malbec).
Bottled: Infected Mead, Dry Hard ciders, Accidental Sorghumwine, various unnamed.

mloster

Recipes 

Actually, I think traditional red beets could make for a very interesting beer, though different than what was originally intended. If I were making this myself, which now I sort of want to, I'd peel red beets, bake them in tinfoil in the oven until fork tender (to caramelize the sugars), grate them, and add them to the mash. The red would make for a fascinating color. As for buckwheat storage, it'll probably keep for a while. If you storing it for more than a week or two, I'd keep it in an airtight container. Crushing right before brewing as you said is definitely the way to go.

PattyC

Recipes 

Here's what it says in the book:

"Red beets bring additional fermentable sugars, a tangy flavor, and a gorgeous pink color -- perfect for the summer. Use young, tiny beets if you can. Their flavor is much sweeter and cleaner than that of the larger, earthier types."

Now, I have very little experience with beets in general, so any input is more than welcome!

PattyC

Recipes 

Appreciate the feedback, esp. about the beets. The book doesn't give detail on preparation other than peeling and grating, but your process sounds better to me. Thanks!

PattyC

Recipes 

Here some pics of the process as it moves along.

Buckwheat is sprouting. I soaked them for about 30 hours, draining and changing the water about every 8 hours or so.

Attached Images