I'm planning on brewing a Bavarian Wheat beer next weekend using 20# wheat malt and 13# pilsner. Of the 20# of wheat, 6# is unmalted. Is it necessary to perform a cereal mash for the 6# of unmalted wheat? If I don't, will the mash even benefit from having the 6# of unmalted wheat in there or will some extraction still happen?
To cereal mash or not to...
- Thread starter mgohring
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I've been working with a lot of raw wheat lately. The geletanization temperature of wheat is within the normal sach range so a cereal mash is unnecessary. A protien rest is generally advised though.
I'm planning on doing a step mash of some sort, but not 100% on my temps at the moment though.
I have more unmalted wheat that I need to use in the near future. At what point would you deem a cereal mash necessary? I'm sure there is a point where the percentage of unmalted wheat becomes high enough to warrant a cereal mash. Is there any easy way of knowing what that is? I suppose the selection of base malt would be a determining factor. Maybe it's not a cut and dry answer.
I have more unmalted wheat that I need to use in the near future. At what point would you deem a cereal mash necessary? I'm sure there is a point where the percentage of unmalted wheat becomes high enough to warrant a cereal mash. Is there any easy way of knowing what that is? I suppose the selection of base malt would be a determining factor. Maybe it's not a cut and dry answer.
The purpose of a cereal mash is to break down, gelatinize, the starches. In this process you use heat and water, and sometimes some enzymes, to deteriorate the starches to the point where the enzymes in a base malt can turn them into fermentables. In this regard the ratio is irrelevant so long as the base malt in the regular mash has enough enzymes to finish converting itself and the cereal mash.
In wheat the cereal mash is unneeded since the starches will gelatinize at normal sach mash temperatures. The ratio of raw wheat to malted grain is important to ensure there enough enzymes to convert the wheat, which has no enzymes of its own.
Hope that helps.
In wheat the cereal mash is unneeded since the starches will gelatinize at normal sach mash temperatures. The ratio of raw wheat to malted grain is important to ensure there enough enzymes to convert the wheat, which has no enzymes of its own.
Hope that helps.
asterix404
Well-Known Member
To second this point, if you do a protean rest for a short period of time, say 20min, that would be more than enough time. Also doing a decoction mash for a Heff is recommended for both the flavor additions and to break down the huge amount of protean.
Do not protean rest for too long though as your beer will loose the ability to hold carbonation, or at least that is what happened to me.
Do not protean rest for too long though as your beer will loose the ability to hold carbonation, or at least that is what happened to me.
