What does the proper crush for wheat look like?

slnies · 01-23-2008, 03:19 AM

What does the proper crush for wheat look like. I am having issues. All of my wheat batches keep coming out grainy smelling. There is a hint of taste but mostly smell.

I do recirculate for a long time to get as close to clear as possible. I have been told though that that is part of the style. I thought that the haze was only supposed to be when the beer was cold or the yeast strain that you use doesn't flocculate well, or both. So I can only assume that I have not yet, hit the right crush.

Please set me straight!!

uglygoat · 01-23-2008, 03:29 AM

wheat is supposed to be cloudy, like you steeped your boxers in the kettle.

anyhoo, wheat doesn't have much of a husk, so just crack it, don't turn it into powder.

some folks put rice hulls in the mash when they use a lot of wheat, i've never done that, but i shy away from wheat mashes.

Kaiser · 01-23-2008, 03:55 AM

mine looks like this:

slnies · 01-23-2008, 04:07 AM

So crushed, but not a lot of flour. HMMM....
That helps a great deal. I think that my crush is still to fine. Am I right in thinking that I should have some clarity? Not crystal, but almost see through?

Kaiser · 01-23-2008, 05:15 AM

I don't think that the tightness of the crush affects clarity of the beer. I generally crush very fine and my beers come out fairly clean.

Protein haze is part of the wheat character. But what do you mean with grainy smell? Is it a faint smell of cooked corn?

Kai

slnies · 01-23-2008, 10:43 AM

Ya, I guess you could call it that. Although I wouldn't call the smell faint. It is definitely present. The taste is there too, but after the first two sips it is unnoticeable. Keep in mind the brew is not done fermenting yet. I don't think that this will affect the grainy flavor or taste, I can only hope. So protein haze is present in the wort at mash temperatures. HMMM... well that is good to note.

southern brewer · 01-23-2008, 12:46 PM

My first all grain had a grainy smell to it as well but it came out very good in the end. Doesn't smell like grain after i bottled it and started tasting it a week or two later.

Kaiser · 01-23-2008, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slnies

Ya, I guess you could call it that. Although I wouldn't call the smell faint. It is definitely present. The taste is there too, but after the first two sips it is unnoticeable. Keep in mind the brew is not done fermenting yet. I don't think that this will affect the grainy flavor or taste, I can only hope. So protein haze is present in the wort at mash temperatures. HMMM... well that is good to note.

So you said that you had cloudiness in the mash-runnings. Those are not a concern. Most brewers recirculate (drain a few qts and put them gently back to the mash) a few times to make sure it runs faily clear and w/o chunks. But don't sweat it if if doesn't become very clear and even a few chunks once in a while won't hurt much.

Regarding the corn smell, this is DMS and you should get rid of it through your boil/chilling procedure. Search for DMS in this forum and you will get lots of info on it.

Kai