Beano -- who needs it?

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brian_g

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I know that some people add Beno or amalase enzyme to the beer to help dry it out. My first all grain finished pretty dry. OG 1.044 FG 1.004
This was with 2 lbs of Crystol 40L.

It wasn't exactly what I was going for, but I learned some things. First, I need to cover the cooler with a blanket or towel to help hold the heat in. Second, I need a higher sparge temperature. I did a batch sparge at about 155F. So the enzymes just kept doing their thing. The sparge water was sitting in the cooler for probably 45 mins or so.

In any case, if your looking to have a very dry / low carb beer, why mess with beno and not play with your mash? I'm bet if I wanted I could get my FG even lower. I bet if I did a two hour mash at 145-150, the FG would be lower still.
 
I have never targetted a dry beer, but I plan to make a Kolsch style beer soon, so I will remember this post when I do. I think I will probably not do a 2 hour mash though, probably only 1 hour and a half. What yeast were you using btw?
 
I know that some people add Beno or amalase enzyme to the beer to help dry it out. My first all grain finished pretty dry. OG 1.044 FG 1.004
This was with 2 lbs of Crystol 40L.

It wasn't exactly what I was going for, but I learned some things. First, I need to cover the cooler with a blanket or towel to help hold the heat in. Second, I need a higher sparge temperature. I did a batch sparge at about 155F. So the enzymes just kept doing their thing. The sparge water was sitting in the cooler for probably 45 mins or so.

In any case, if your looking to have a very dry / low carb beer, why mess with beno and not play with your mash? I'm bet if I wanted I could get my FG even lower. I bet if I did a two hour mash at 145-150, the FG would be lower still.

Changing you mash schedule would be preferable to using beano without a doubt. Some people have used Beano because it helps dry out a beer, but there is just not a lot of control when you use it. You can easily take a beer below FG of 1 using Beano.
 
One more thing, I didn't adjust my gravity for temperature. I'm guessing it was around 70F when I took a gravity. It wasn't any hotter then 80F in the house. So the FG was probably 1.005 and could have been as high as 1.006. Either way it's still fermented pretty dry and I believe more could be accomplished with mash temps.
 
Changing you mash schedule would be preferable to using beano without a doubt. Some people have used Beano because it helps dry out a beer, but there is just not a lot of control when you use it. You can easily take a beer below FG of 1 using Beano.

I read a thread about using beano, and one of the problems people had was a fermentation the went on indefinitely. They were adding beano to the primary or secondary. It's like the beano works slow, but just keeps on going. It seems to me that you want to be able to stop enzyme activity before fermenting. Otherwise, there's a risk of bottle bombs or you have to wait forever before bottling.

I think a person could accomplish the same thing with the mash by making the right adjustments.
 
I'm brewing a saison today and am a little concerned about not getting a low enough FG using WLP 565. I thought about adding beano to the mash but instead I think I will just mash low (146*) with a thin mash, mash for 2 hours, and have a big starter of WLP 550 ready to pitch five days into fermentation. I am pitching a half gallon starter of 565 Saison yeast. Hopefully that will get me where I need to be without adding amylase enzymes.
 
I'm brewing a saison today and am a little concerned about not getting a low enough FG using WLP 565. I thought about adding beano to the mash but instead I think I will just mash low (146*) with a thin mash, mash for 2 hours, and have a big starter of WLP 550 ready to pitch five days into fermentation. I am pitching a half gallon starter of 565 Saison yeast. Hopefully that will get me where I need to be without adding amylase enzymes.


Report back your results, I'd like to know what can be accomplished with mash temps. personally, I wasn't shooting for a low FG, I've been overcompensating for a mistake with my first mash (partial). My first mash was done at 185F. I don't think I got much enzyme activity. Very high FG. So the last couple of mashes I made sure enzyme activity is happening. Although, I overdid it a bit. I still learned some things.
 
I just recently brewed up a batch of my Red Ale. It was a ten gallon batch that I mashed at low temp for 75 minutes. I mashed low due to the large amount of crystal malt in the grain bill. Anyway the mash started at 151 and dropped to 147 then I fly sparged for 1 hour and 15 minutes without a mashout as my mash tun was full. OG was measured at 1.066 temp and distilled water corrected. I pitched two packages of US-05 Dry yeast and one week later it's at 1.008! That's 7.7% ABV!
 
I read a thread about using beano, and one of the problems people had was a fermentation the went on indefinitely. They were adding beano to the primary or secondary. It's like the beano works slow, but just keeps on going. It seems to me that you want to be able to stop enzyme activity before fermenting. Otherwise, there's a risk of bottle bombs or you have to wait forever before bottling.

I think a person could accomplish the same thing with the mash by making the right adjustments.


You are correct that Beano does work slow, and you really do not know when it is going to stop. A brewer should never start a batch with the thought of using Beano in the beer. Beano should only be used as a last desperate measure trying to save a batch.
 
You are correct that Beano does work slow, and you really do not know when it is going to stop. A brewer should never start a batch with the thought of using Beano in the beer. Beano should only be used as a last desperate measure trying to save a batch.

I guess it's hard for me to see how a batch could be so bad that it's worth the uncertainty of beano and yet not so bad that it can't be fixed. My first few batches I tried to "fix" them. I'm becoming of the mindset that it's almost always better leaving it alone.
 
I think I am a little unfamilier on my mash 101, but using context clues can I assume that a lower temperature, longer mash time will yield a lower FG and basicly a stronger dryer beer?
 
I guess it's hard for me to see how a batch could be so bad that it's worth the uncertainty of beano and yet not so bad that it can't be fixed. My first few batches I tried to "fix" them. I'm becoming of the mindset that it's almost always better leaving it alone.

I totally agree. I have never used Beano in a batch. I think too many times people try to "fix" there brews only to make things worse. If it is infected and undrinkable then pitch and get back to brewing. Leave your brew alone and enjoy it, even if it is flawed.
 
I guess it's hard for me to see how a batch could be so bad that it's worth the uncertainty of beano and yet not so bad that it can't be fixed. My first few batches I tried to "fix" them. I'm becoming of the mindset that it's almost always better leaving it alone.

Adding sorbate will stop the yeasties. Once the beano hits the target FG, add sorbate, then keg. NO BOTTLING with sorbate as the bottles will never carbonate naturally. I have not used beano or sorbate, but I would try it just to say I did, once.

I let most of mine go without fiddling, but many I mess with. I consider it experimental, plus I just have to play with them all the time; I consider it part of the fun.
 
I think I am a little unfamilier on my mash 101, but using context clues can I assume that a lower temperature, longer mash time will yield a lower FG and basicly a stronger dryer beer?

Read this, it explains.

How to Brew - By John Palmer - How the Mash Works
and

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Mashing Defined

But yes varying your temperature affect your FG. If you mash on the higher end you end up with a sweeter beer. If you mash on the lower end you get a dryer, higher alcohol beer.

This has to be done within reason. Too high and you'll destroy the enzymes. Too low and there wont be enough enzyme activity to convert the starches. If you go to either extreme you could end up making an O'Douls clone.
 
Beano was recommended by Jamil as a tip for doing his Belgian Strong Golden Ale.
 
why mess with beno and not play with your mash?

Because Beano can breakdown complex sugars that the mash enzymes can't. Both alpha and beta amylase are self-limiting. If you want a low-carbohydrate beer, alpha galactosidase will do the trick.
 
Jamil's advice is to use the beano IN THE MASH, not in the fermentor. I did all his tricks on my Belgian Strong (Beano and extract in mash, low mash temp, high fermentation temps, big starter) and it ended up down at 1.005 from a starting grav of abut 1.077. Dry!
 
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