Oats!

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thanantos

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Gentlebrewers,

I have purchased a two pound bag of quick oats from my local health food store and want to use them in my next brew.

However, I am VERY confused about the process itself. Am I mashing them with some sorghum syrup? Cook them first? Toast them first? Rice hulls?

HELP!!!!!

Here's what I bought:

Bobs-Red-Mill-Quick-Cooking-Oats.jpg


Any help would be appreciated, and just so you know I have only ever made extract based beers. I have 0 experience in all grain.
 
Well, without some diastatic enzymes all these will add to your beer is a bunch of unfermentable starch. I wouldn't know what to tell you with regards to gluten free brewing, I don't know the diastatic power of the grains involved. If you can't use barley then your best bet might just be to eat the oats :p

good luck!
 
Okay. Don't panic. Here's what you do to get the best results from steeping the oats.

First: preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Second: thoroughly rinse the oats in some cold water. They will absorb it and swell a bit. Drain off any excess water and spread on a cookie sheet while still wet.
Third: spread oats on a cookie sheet...you may need two cookie sheets to do 2 pounds.
Fourth: bake in the oven at least until dry and aromatic; stir them every 10 minutes or so. It will take a while, maybe up to an hour. If you're making a darker beer, toast them until they darken to the desired level.
Fifth (optional, for dark roasted oats): place in a paper bag out of the way and let sit for at least a week before brewing. You are allowing the harsh burnt flavors to waft away, resulting in mellower flavor. Unnecessary if you only toasted them until dry.
Sixth: when ready to brew, steep the oats in hot water; temperature is irrelevant, you're not mashing them, they have no enzymes. Steep for 30 minutes to an hour, and strain out. I recommend using a large grain bag.
Seventh: add your extracts and proceed as normal. Do not expect to get anything fermentable out of the oats, regardless of whatever your brewing software tells you.
Eighth (optional): make bread with some of the "spent" oats!
 
Okay. Don't panic. Here's what you do to get the best results from steeping the oats.

First: preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Second: thoroughly rinse the oats in some cold water. They will absorb it and swell a bit. Drain off any excess water and spread on a cookie sheet while still wet.
Third: spread oats on a cookie sheet...you may need two cookie sheets to do 2 pounds.
Fourth: bake in the oven at least until dry and aromatic; stir them every 10 minutes or so. It will take a while, maybe up to an hour. If you're making a darker beer, toast them until they darken to the desired level.
Fifth (optional, for dark roasted oats): place in a paper bag out of the way and let sit for at least a week before brewing. You are allowing the harsh burnt flavors to waft away, resulting in mellower flavor. Unnecessary if you only toasted them until dry.
Sixth: when ready to brew, steep the oats in hot water; temperature is irrelevant, you're not mashing them, they have no enzymes. Steep for 30 minutes to an hour, and strain out. I recommend using a large grain bag.
Seventh: add your extracts and proceed as normal. Do not expect to get anything fermentable out of the oats, regardless of whatever your brewing software tells you.
Eighth (optional): make bread with some of the "spent" oats!

Perfect! Thanks man!

BUT, since you brought it up....what if I DID want to get some fermentables from the oats? Is there an enzyme cocktail that would work? Mash with sprouted/malted sorghum?
 
Do you need to bake quick oats? I thought you can skip the cooking and the protein rest with these and just put them in with the mash?
 
WoodlandBrew said:
Do you need to bake quick oats? I thought you can skip the cooking and the protein rest with these and just put them in with the mash?

No, baking/roasting is to alter the color and flavor I think.
 
Yeah, the baking is for color and flavor. I actually usually don't recommend the use of quick oats for steeping in GF brewing, precisely because they are pre-gelatinized and thus their starches are so much more soluble. If you're not converting them, you DON'T want the starches to go into solution. Better to use rolled oats, steel-cut oats, or whole oats--much less trub, same flavor.

If you want to get fermentables out of oats, you'll need the stuff beljica's got...oats are extremely rich in proteins and beta-glucans, and my attempts to convert them with just amylase has been nightmarish--it's like sparging with a milkshake instead of water. You need beta-glucanase and protease or else it's not even worth the bother.
 
The zymes also make it so you can fly sparge with out getting stuck. You should get a little cooler and make a tun igliashon!
 
Ah, the man himself. Glad you popped in here. I tried to PM you, but your PM box is full.

What enzymes do I need and where do I get them?
 
Promalt is what I use extracting sugars. The beta glucanase helps free up some starches and helps with filtration in the mash. It actually changes the consistency in the tun after a good ten fifteen minutes. Next time I brew I'll check into video taping it or something for youtube.
 
Well, Like I said I can't PM you because your box is full. If you could tell me how to get some I would appreciate it.

Also if you could give some idea here as to your mash process that would be great. Even just what type (BIAB, decoction, etc.)
 
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