I've done a lot of searching and can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I recently purchased the breakfast stout extract kit from Norther Brewer and it comes with 1.5lbs of flaked oats. The kit comes with very generic instructions. I have read on here that you need to mash oats before adding them to the wort. I have never done this before and I can't find anything about the actual techique. Would someone be so kind and give me a play by play as to how I should do it? Here's the kit for reference. Thanks in advance!
It's arguably going to be the easiest way to get this done with minimal investment. Go buy a nylon 5 gallon paint strainer bag at the hardware store and you're off. You'll need at least 1.5 lbs of crushed pale malt of some sort (brewers 2 row, pale ale malt, or the like) to provide the enzymes for conversion, as the oats don't have any enzymes to convert their starch to fermentable sugar (which is what the mash is for). Go ahead and get 2# of crushed malt to assure conversion.
Assuming you want to mash at 154F using 1.25 qts of water/lb of grain: Bring 4.4 qts of water to 166F (make sure your thermometer is accurate). This is assuming your grain is at 72F or close to it. Use a pot that's not going to have a lot of deadspace in it for the mash...no bigger than 8 qts in this case. WHen your water's at 166F, put in your nylon bag, stir in the grains making sure to get rid of all the lumps. Don't spend excessive time stirring, cause your temps will drop. You should settle at a temp of about 154F. Wrap your pot in towels or put it in an oven preheated to 150F. Leave it for an hour (stir once halfway thru, if you desire).
Follow Deathbrewers thread for the rest of it and you're on your way. For the sparge, use water at least 175F, but not over 180F...it'll end up the right temp once you've drained the bag the first time.
Thanks for all the replies, they are very helpful. Buzzcraft, thanks for the write up, that's exactly what I was wondering. Hooter and connord- thanks for the info, I guess for this recipe I just steep with the barley, that's what I originally thought but then I heard other things on this website. So what's the difference between steeping and mashing in a recipe like this? If it takes mashing to convert to fermentables, what is the point of simply steeping them with the specialty grains? Thanks again for the help!
If it takes mashing to convert to fermentables, what is the point of simply steeping them with the specialty grains? Thanks again for the help!
The goal isn't really to extract fermentables. The oats just contribute a "silky texture" to the beer. Your fermentable sugars are derived strictly from the extract.
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The goal isn't really to extract fermentables. The oats just contribute a "silky texture" to the beer. Your fermentable sugars are derived strictly from the extract.
i've read arguements both ways about using oats, but i've never steeped them, so can't speak from personal experience. most things i've read suggest that the beer will be cloudy if you don't mash but, hey, it's a stout. again, no personal experience there.
if the OP wants to have a go at a mini-mash, an oatmeal stout is a good opportunity. NOTE: if this recipe is not intended to have a mash, you will have to account for the fermentables you're going to get from both the pale malt and oats and reduce the amount of extract accordingly (this will be easiest if you've been provided dry malt extract vs liquid). You can safely figure you're going to get 70% efficiency with the described method.
I think I might try the partial mash, I've been wanting to try and it seems like a good time. Is there a reason to use pale malt over chocolate/caramel malt for the mash? I was thinking about adding those to the steep already, so I could mash with them, unless there's a reason not to.
I think I might try the partial mash, I've been wanting to try and it seems like a good time. Is there a reason to use pale malt over chocolate/caramel malt for the mash? I was thinking about adding those to the steep already, so I could mash with them, unless there's a reason not to.
Chocolate and caramel malts can be steeped in any recipe, no problem, but neither have the enzymes required to convert starches in a mash. Do some searching for diastatic potential of malts and adjuncts and you'll find what you can steep versus mash. If you're not going to use a malt with diastatic activity (e.g. pale malt), you might as well just steep.
Specialty malts without extract equivalents that don't need mashing: Crystal/caramel
malts (including all the Belgian “cara-” malts), Carapils, Special “B”, all dark roasted malts (carafa, chocolate, black patent, roast barley).
Specialty malts without extract equivalents that do need mashing: Non-Enzymatic
(does not contain enzymes): Raw (unmalted) wheat, rye, rice, corn, etc., flaked unmalted grains (oats, barley, maize, rice, wheat, rye, etc.), “honey” malt, Biscuit, Victory, and Special Roast malts, brown and amber malts. Enzymatic (contains enough enzymes to convert itself): Vienna, munich, mild ale, malted rye, peated malt, Belgian Aromatic. Wheat malt.
Don't forget to adjust you extract amount down to account for the base malt that you will be mashing.
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Help with Oats in NB's Breakfast stout.
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