brewing with non malted GF grain

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Legume

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I have been working on developing a process for brewing with non-malted or a mixture of non-malted and malted grains.

I have done quite a few experiments in the last 6 months trying to work this out, and feel that I have a workable protocol that is resulting in very good GF beer.

Not all of the enzymes I use are readily available to home brewers. I worked with enzymes that were supplied to me for these experiments by SEB. My goal is to popularize this technique and create enough demand for these enzymes that they become widely available to (GF) home brewers.

I will paste my protocol into the next post..please follow up with questions, comments, or suggestions for improvements.
 
Producing Gluten Free Beer with Non-malted Grains using Commercially Available Enzymes

Quality gluten-free beer can be produced without the use of enzyme-rich base malts. This document is intended to outline the process of producing fermentable wort using a grain bill where the bulk of fermentable sugars are provided by non-malted, gluten-free grains.

1. Grains

I have focused on the use of a combination of non-malted millet and buckwheat to replace “pale malt”. I have used millet and buckwheat in approximately a 3:1 ratio. There is a lot of room for experimentation with other ratios and other grains, this is by no means the “best” combination; but it has yielded reasonable results.

The whole grains to be used as “base malt” are baked in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes. The temperature and time used in roasting the grains can be adjusted to alter the character of the finished beer. At 30 minutes, I do not notice much color change in the grain, but it seems to improve the flavor profile of the finished beer. The whole roasted grain stores well; this step can be performed long before milling.

In addition to the non-malted base grains, gluten-free specialty malts are used to add flavor, color and body to the beer. Malted rice and millet specialty grains are commercially available, and are indispensible in recipe formulation. The use of (in a 5.5 gal batch) 1 to 2 lbs. of a crystal malt, 1 to 2 lbs. of biscuit or Munich malt, and darker malts as needed to achieve the desired color and flavor; is recommended.

Both malted and non-malted grains should be milled fine enough to result in a significant amount of flour, similar to the crush used in BIAB mashes. The fine crush dramatically improves extract efficiency.

2. Mash (gelatinization and scarification are combined)

This process combines the cereal cooker (starch gelatinization) and mash (scarification) steps into a single process that can be thought of as a 2-step mash that will be performed in a brew kettle. It is not recommended to use a kettle with a false bottom, as the viscous cereal mash will scorch on the bottom of the pot if not mixed continuously during heating.

•Dissolve 1 to 2 tsp. CaCl and 0.25 to 1 tsp. CaSO4 in 5 gal of reverse osmosis water. Calcium is needed for proper amylase activity, but the ratio of salts can be adjusted for the beer style.

Adjust pH of water to within the 5.5 - 6.5, using lactic acid, alkaline tap water, or food grade NaOH as needed.

•Add 4 gal room temperature, pH-adjusted water to brew pot.
Add the crushed grain (assuming a 10 to 15lb grain bill) and 20 ml thermally stable alpha amylase Termamyl [liquid] or 5 mg of SEBamyl BAP 100 [powder]. This enzyme aids in starch liquefaction, it is active in the 170 to 175 F range; and is denatured at boiling temperatures. If you are concerned about tannin extraction from the specialty grain husks, you can set them aside and add them at the end of the 175 F rest; this will slightly lower efficiency but will reduce tannin extraction.

•Heat the “mash” over high heat, stirring continuously (yes your arm will get tired) until the temperature of the mash reaches 175 F.

•Perform a gelatinization rest maintaining the temperature between 170 -175 F for 60 to 90 minutes.

•Stir well every 15 minutes during the rest. Apply heat as needed to maintain this temperature (stir while heating).

•After the gelatinization rest, lower the temperature of the mash to 140 F. This can be done with an immersion chiller or through the addition of ice.

•Adjust the mash pH to between 4.8 and 5.8.

•Add 15ml SEB amyl L (amylase), 10ml SEB Pro PL (protease), and 10 ml ViscoSEB L (cell wall carbohydrase blend), mix well.

•Perform a scarification rest maintaining the temperature between 130 – 140 F for 60 to 120 minutes.

•Stir well every 15 minutes during the rest. Apply heat (stir while heating) as needed to maintain this temperature.

3. Lauter

Because the mash involves a high temperature cereal-cooking step and is performed in a kettle, the use of a separate lauter ton is recommended.

Moving the mash into a BIAB bag supported by a lauter ton (Zap pap style lauter is fine) is an effective way to separate the sweet wort from the spent grains.

Sparge and collect the sweet wort.

Continue with the boil as usual.
 
Below is an example of a grain bill I used for an IPA (5.5 gal) using the technique described above.

Millet (very lightly toasted) 11 lbs
Buckwheat (Toasted) 1.6 lbs
Crystal Rice malt 1.5 lbs
Biscut Rice malt 0.8 lbs
James Brown Rice malt 5 oz

OG was 1.060
FG was 1.011

It turned out very well, I am thoroughly enjoying it.
If I had it to do over again I would increase the Biscut Rice malt to 2 lbs, and the James Brown rice malt to 8 oz.
 
This is interesting. Just guessing, it looks like you are getting around 80% efficiency. That's very good. Especially since you have no diastic malt in there. That's a lot of enzymes though.

How is the beer/ wort clarity? How thick is the mash? Would it be a problem for a false bottom?

I wonder how the taste profile compares to using malt. Keep us updated if you find out anything else or homebrewers can get their hands on these 'zymes.
 
I'm curious, why not just mash like traditional brewing methods? Why mash in the kettle? Sound like an amazing recipe, I'm going to try it for sure. My fiancé is celiac and while I have made some great sorghum beers, there more like a mead than a beer.
 
The beer (I have been sticking to IPAs for developing this protocol), is crystal clear.

The mash starts out thick like glopy oatmeal.
You need to keep stiring the thick mash as you are heating it up to 175, to prevent scorching.
I think a false botom would prevent adequite stiring and result in a nasty burnt mess on the botom of the pot.
The mash thins consiterably(almost immeditely) when the enymes are added for the 140 sac rest.

I bet you could do the high temp serial cooker step in a regular pot, and then transfer to a pot with a false botom for the 140 degree sac rest and lautering...that might be worth a try.
 
I figured as much. I have a RIMS so I would infuse to 175F and then wait to turn the recirc on during the 140F rest.

I would just use time and ice to drop the temp. Do you need to apply direct heat? I would think an infusion would work just as well.
 
I think an infusion would work just fine.
I just use a pot, so I am heating the water in the same pot anyway... no reason to waste the time/heat so I throw it all in at the begining. With your set up I would think an infusion would work well.
 
I just bottled a citrus american "wheat" style beer made using the mash schedule described above. I used a mixture of malted and unmated grains, but still stuck to the same schedule.

I have only tasted it flat and room temperature, but it is outstanding.
Malty, cloudy, thick mouthfeel, tropical fruit aroma... just what i was going for.

If I had it to do over again I would cut the rice bran to 1/2 lb. It has a similar contribution to oats...adds protein and oil, giving the beer body and making it cloudy. I like the rice bran and will use it again, but at a lower rate.
I would also use more citrus zest...maybe the zest from 12 oranges.

4.5 gal batch:

Munich Millet (grouse) 5.00 lb
Buckwheat(lightly Toasted) 3.50 lb
Biscut Rice 1.75 lb
Tapioca Starch 14 oz
Crystal rice 13 oz
Rice Bran 1.00 lb

Magnum Hops 0.50 oz FWH
Branched Chain Amino Acids (NOW Foods) 0.50 Tbsp 60 min
Fermax Yeast Nutrient 2.00 tsp 15 min
whirlfloc tab 0.50 tab 15 min
Citra Hops 0.50 oz 5 min
Coriander (whole) 1.00 tsp 1 min
Zest of 6 oranges (whirlpool) when temp <180 F
Citra Hops 2.50 oz (whirlpool) when temp <180 F

US-05 yeast (1 packet)

SG 1.066
FG 1.012
 
This is the most encouraging information I've read to date regarding GF brewing and I commend Legume for his experimentation and documentation. Both of my initial concerns (cloudiness and high FG) appear to be non-issues which is great. I'm finally going to try GF brewing using this technique once I can acquire suitable enzymes. What gap did you use to mill your grain (both GF and non-GF)?

The only aspects that are new to me are using RO water and having to manage the pH. How vital are each of these parts of the process? Can RO water be purchased? As far as pH, will basic pH strips suffice or is more complicated equipment required?

Thanks again!

ps. If you can continue to post your recipes and results using this process to this thread that would be much appreciated. It would also be helpful if you clearly differentiate malted and unmalted grains in the recipes you post. Some of the ones posted so far, I'm unsure.
 
Termamyl is available from anapolis homebrew.
you can substitute the gulcoamylase (used in the 140 F rest) with AMG-300, also available at anapolis homebrew.

The celulase is probably not absoloutly critical, but it seems to help. You could go without it, or get some from a scientific supply company (sigma) but it will be pricy.

The protease could probably be substituted with one of the many available protease diatary suplements that come in pill form...search Amazon, you will find protease pills for use as suplements.

I know others have been sucesfull with only the Termamyl and AMG300, it is possible...but I highly recomend adding protease if you can find some.

I am also looking for a relaible supply of celulase and protease, so I can continue working on this process once my supply is gone.
If anyone finds a supplier of celulase and protease, please post your source!
 
Oof. Cellulase is QUITE expensive. I'll attempt to use the Termamyl, AMG300, and protease (also a bit expensive). Hopefully I'll get solid OGs and FGs.

What about the importance of using RO water as well as managing pH? Also, what mill gap would you suggest?

Thanks for clarifying the minutiae :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I use RO water because my tap water is terrible, any water that you would normally brew with will be fine.

I mill everything with a corona type mill so I dont have an exact setting, but I grind rather fine...to a texture that is a mixture of fine grits and flour....It is good exercize!

Measuring and adjusting the pH is critical, I failed the first 2 times I atempted this type of process due to mash pH that was outside of the range for the enzymes. They will not function well if the pH is to high or to low.
My tap water is very hard and very alkaline, I was not able to make this process work using my tap water.

Now that I am using RO water I add some calcium chloride and gupsum but this usually drops my pH too low, so I end up adding a tiny bit of food grade NaOH to bump up the pH before the 140 F rest.
 
Also, if you end up using AMG 300, I think its optimum temperature range is a little higher...be sure to check the literature and choose your rest temp acccordingly.
 
Thank you for posting your experiment /research. My 80 yr old dad has celiac and Im attempting to find a recipe or at least a method to come up with something he can drink. My only bump in the road being the fact the gf beers hes had in the past all used sorghum and he absolutely does not the aftertaste it gives .
 
Hi Legume,

I have a question about the dosage of enzymes you are suggesting to use. Here in Europe we have different options with enzymes so I managed to get Termamyl SC (alpha amylase) and Saczyme (aminoglucosidase). The set of the two enzymes is primarily suggested to be used in distilleries, but it should work well for my purpose as well, I assume. The dosages that are recommended by the supplier are however, different (lower) to what you were recommending above.

For Termamyl it is suggested to use 0.4 litre per 1 ton of grains, and for Saczyme 0.8-1.0 litre per 1 ton of grain. In my case, when brewing with 4 kg of unmalted grains (millet+buckwheat 3:1, according to your suggestions), the dose would be 1.6 ml and 3.2 ml, respectively. You are suggesting 20 ml of alpha amylase for a 4 galon batch, which is kind of similar amount of wort I am hoping to collect today. Have you got any rationale for using the suggested dosages? Any thoughts would be very helpful.

This is my first batch of GF brewing; I have to switch from normal brewing as celiak disease has appeared in our family and I do not want to contaminate our house with gluten-containing dust from barley malt.

Producing Gluten Free Beer with Non-malted Grains using Commercially Available Enzymes

Quality gluten-free beer can be produced without the use of enzyme-rich base malts. This document is intended to outline the process of producing fermentable wort using a grain bill where the bulk of fermentable sugars are provided by non-malted, gluten-free grains.

1. Grains

I have focused on the use of a combination of non-malted millet and buckwheat to replace &#8220;pale malt&#8221;. I have used millet and buckwheat in approximately a 3:1 ratio. There is a lot of room for experimentation with other ratios and other grains, this is by no means the &#8220;best&#8221; combination; but it has yielded reasonable results.

The whole grains to be used as &#8220;base malt&#8221; are baked in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes. The temperature and time used in roasting the grains can be adjusted to alter the character of the finished beer. At 30 minutes, I do not notice much color change in the grain, but it seems to improve the flavor profile of the finished beer. The whole roasted grain stores well; this step can be performed long before milling.

In addition to the non-malted base grains, gluten-free specialty malts are used to add flavor, color and body to the beer. Malted rice and millet specialty grains are commercially available, and are indispensible in recipe formulation. The use of (in a 5.5 gal batch) 1 to 2 lbs. of a crystal malt, 1 to 2 lbs. of biscuit or Munich malt, and darker malts as needed to achieve the desired color and flavor; is recommended.

Both malted and non-malted grains should be milled fine enough to result in a significant amount of flour, similar to the crush used in BIAB mashes. The fine crush dramatically improves extract efficiency.

2. Mash (gelatinization and scarification are combined)

This process combines the cereal cooker (starch gelatinization) and mash (scarification) steps into a single process that can be thought of as a 2-step mash that will be performed in a brew kettle. It is not recommended to use a kettle with a false bottom, as the viscous cereal mash will scorch on the bottom of the pot if not mixed continuously during heating.

&#8226;Dissolve 1 to 2 tsp. CaCl and 0.25 to 1 tsp. CaSO4 in 5 gal of reverse osmosis water. Calcium is needed for proper amylase activity, but the ratio of salts can be adjusted for the beer style.

Adjust pH of water to within the 5.5 - 6.5, using lactic acid, alkaline tap water, or food grade NaOH as needed.

&#8226;Add 4 gal room temperature, pH-adjusted water to brew pot.
Add the crushed grain (assuming a 10 to 15lb grain bill) and 20 ml thermally stable alpha amylase Termamyl [liquid] or 5 mg of SEBamyl BAP 100 [powder]. This enzyme aids in starch liquefaction, it is active in the 170 to 175 F range; and is denatured at boiling temperatures. If you are concerned about tannin extraction from the specialty grain husks, you can set them aside and add them at the end of the 175 F rest; this will slightly lower efficiency but will reduce tannin extraction.

&#8226;Heat the &#8220;mash&#8221; over high heat, stirring continuously (yes your arm will get tired) until the temperature of the mash reaches 175 F.

&#8226;Perform a gelatinization rest maintaining the temperature between 170 -175 F for 60 to 90 minutes.

&#8226;Stir well every 15 minutes during the rest. Apply heat as needed to maintain this temperature (stir while heating).

&#8226;After the gelatinization rest, lower the temperature of the mash to 140 F. This can be done with an immersion chiller or through the addition of ice.

&#8226;Adjust the mash pH to between 4.8 and 5.8.

&#8226;Add 15ml SEB amyl L (amylase), 10ml SEB Pro PL (protease), and 10 ml ViscoSEB L (cell wall carbohydrase blend), mix well.

&#8226;Perform a scarification rest maintaining the temperature between 130 &#8211; 140 F for 60 to 120 minutes.

&#8226;Stir well every 15 minutes during the rest. Apply heat (stir while heating) as needed to maintain this temperature.

3. Lauter

Because the mash involves a high temperature cereal-cooking step and is performed in a kettle, the use of a separate lauter ton is recommended.

Moving the mash into a BIAB bag supported by a lauter ton (Zap pap style lauter is fine) is an effective way to separate the sweet wort from the spent grains.

Sparge and collect the sweet wort.

Continue with the boil as usual.
 
Hi Strevlas,

I started using those enzyme concentrations based on a conversation I had with the sales rep from one of the enzyme manufacturers. The concentrations I started with worked very well, so I have not experimented much with reducing them.

I am sure that you could make great beer with less enzyme, especially if you were willing to adjust mash times and the fineness of your grind.
 
Legume, thanks a lot for your quick reply. I initially used the amount recommended by the manufacturer, but then I started worrying about the starch conversion efficency with so little amount of enzymes, and added more. I will adjust the dosage according to the results from this batch.

As someone has pointed out earlier, the information you share is very stimulating for GF brewing.

Hi Strevlas,

I started using those enzyme concentrations based on a conversation I had with the sales rep from one of the enzyme manufacturers. The concentrations I started with worked very well, so I have not experimented much with reducing them.

I am sure that you could make great beer with less enzyme, especially if you were willing to adjust mash times and the fineness of your grind.
 
Termamyl is available from anapolis homebrew.
you can substitute the gulcoamylase (used in the 140 F rest) with AMG-300, also available at anapolis homebrew.

The celulase is probably not absoloutly critical, but it seems to help. You could go without it, or get some from a scientific supply company (sigma) but it will be pricy.

The protease could probably be substituted with one of the many available protease diatary suplements that come in pill form...search Amazon, you will find protease pills for use as suplements.

I know others have been sucesfull with only the Termamyl and AMG300, it is possible...but I highly recomend adding protease if you can find some.

I am also looking for a relaible supply of celulase and protease, so I can continue working on this process once my supply is gone.
If anyone finds a supplier of celulase and protease, please post your source!

So far I have been able to brew drinkable beers following the process described by Legume (many thanks again!) without using celulase and protease, but the wort was sort of gummy (especially after the boil) which did not make my brewing enjoyable, so to speak. Now I have at hand Warrior Enzymes Max - a blend of enzymes for improved digestion, which contain also those two types of enzymes. However, I am not sure how much to add to a 5 gal batch. The seller indicates the following information: Amylase 28690 U/g, Lipase 1225 U/g, Lactase 4760 U/g, Celulase 290 U/g, Protease 7650 U/g. The unit U, according to Wikipedia, means that 1 U (μmol/min) is defined as the amount of the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of one micromole of substrate per minute. Each pill has 150 mg in weight. I neither want to use insufficient amounts nor waste the enzymes. Any suggestions?
 
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