What do oats do? And how do I use them?

I'm a little confused on what oats do in a brew. I have heard that they improve head retention and make the beer thicker. I'm planing on doing a gluten free extract brew and they always come out thin, so I thought why not throw some oats in there that will thicken it up. Right?...

Should I roast them? Do I steep them? What flavors will I get?

If anyone could clear up this for me and educate me on oats it would be great.

T

I'm not sure Oats are 100% gluten free so check up on that

Oats will add some head retention, mouthfeel

To do anything useful oats need to be mashed not merely steeped. And as Schumed says I would not assume they are gluten free.

Bobs Red Mill has certified gluten free oats that I have used with no ill effects. I seeped them on a beer before and it really didn't seem to do anything. That's why I am asking. When you say "mashed" does that require a mash tun, or can I do it some other way? Also does the mash require malted barley for the enzymes, because I cant really do that.

Thanks for any help
T

tbskinner said:

Bobs Red Mill has certified gluten free oats that I have used with no ill effects. I seeped them on a beer before and it really didn't seem to do anything.

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Because if you steep a starchy, unmalted grain like rolled oats all you do is get them wet.

tbskinner said:

When you say "mashed" does that require a mash tun, or can I do it some other way? Also does the mash require malted barley for the enzymes, because I cant really do that.

Thanks for any help
T

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Mashing requires enzymes. The action of the enzymes breaking down the starch molecules into fermentable sugars is what separates mashing from steeping. Malted barley is the traditional source. As for gluten free sources I don't know if anything is available although gluten free grains could be malted. The old time moonshiners malted corn to make their whiskey.

Instant oats don't need to be mashed. Whole oat do.

Instant oats (oatmeal) provide a silky mouth feel and good head retention.

billl said:

Instant oats don't need to be mashed. Whole oat do.

Instant oats (oatmeal) provide a silky mouth feel and good head retention.

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Yes they do at least if you want to get the most out of them. Steeping may soak out a certain amount of material of which some will be in suspension in the beer but mixing in some flour or cornstarch will accomplish pretty much the same thing. You are confusing gelatinization with mashing. Cooked oats like instant or quick oats can be added directly to the mash but whole or uncooked oats (or other grain) first must be milled and then cooked to gelatinize the starch. Mashing the oats will yield fermentable sugars, complex sugars and dextrins which will provide alcohol, body and flavors to the beer. Steeping will not.

oats are pure awesome. use them in everything... everything. well, maybe not everything, but every stout... lol.

So if they don't say instant oats do I need to cook them and mill them? Then they will be able to be steeped? Or do I still need enzymes.

This is why I'm confused.

I guess I could just chew them and spit them out that would add the enzymes I need.

T

regular oats (like in oatmeal) are rolled and need to be heated to turn starches in to soluble form, this is called gelatinization and can be achieved by simply cooking (making oatmeal). Instant oats are rolled in presents of heat and water/steam and are gelatinized in this process so you can used the directly in the mash. Both types of oats should be mashed (most likely with other grains providing enzymes but im not sure about this part) to turn starches in to simple sugars. I dont have any experience with GF brewing but you should definitively try and post results, it sounds like a good idea

So I thought I would write out a process of how I plan on using the oats in a gluten free beer in case anyone else wanted to try it out or just wanted to know more about oats. Thanks for all the information so far it really help to find out what I needed to look up. If there is any information that I missed please feel free to add it. I will probably end up putting this on the gluten free page as well. I didn't realize when I first posted it that it was going to be a gluten free type of post.

1. Toast Oats (optional)
Toasting oats add an extra dimension to the flavor and adds color. However there is some who say that it loses mouthfeel and head retention.

2. Add enzymes
Enzymes are needed to break down starches and turn them into fermentable sugars. Normally in conventional brewing malted 2 row barley is added to the mash to give the oats enough enzymes to break down the starches from the barley and oats. Unfortunately as I have a reaction to gluten I can't use barley. Do to the fact that gluten free malted grains (like millet) are very expensive I am looking for alternatives. The enzymes that are needed can be found in humans saliva. So I plan on chewing up the oats and spitting them out its called mastication. I could go out and buy the enzymes needed but I’m not completely certain they will be gluten free, and one bread crumb will make my life hell for a week.

3. Starch gelatinization
It is important to gelatinize the oats, so the enzymes can break down the starches. To gelatinize the oats I will need 2 cups of water for every cup of oats. So its roughly 4.5 quarts of water to 2 lbs of oats, cooked at 60C for 20 mins. Its important to not go over 60C because the enzymes will be denatured (killed off).

4. Mash
Its time to mash. Take out the gelatinized oats (oatmeal paste) and put into a fine grain bag. Put 1 quart of water per 1 lb of oats. However I’m not really sure how much I should do considering the oats will already be wet. Bring up the water to 68C and add the bag of oats. Keep the temp between 63C - 68C for 1 hour stirring every 15 mins. Mash-out (bring temp to) 77C while stirring.

5. Sparge
Elevate the grain bag over the pot. I have a S/S grill vegetable holder that will fit over my pot. Heat 1 gallon of water to 77C and pore over the suspended oats. Next dump the wort (water now with sugar in it) in another pot and pore over the grains again. Do this 2-3 times to get all of the sugar from the oats.

6. Then continue extract brewing like normal. I’m going to add it to this brew to thicken it up.

List of links where I collected my information

Toasted Oats
Gelatinization Chart.
wiki starch gelatinization definition.
mastication (chewing to add enzymes)
how to brew video
[ame="http://vimeo.com/35571624"]BIAB (Brew In A Bag)[/ame]

hey guys. once you have cooked the oats, do you still add the oats AND the water it cooked in to the mash with the rest of the grains? or just the oats?