My Beano experiment

Some 4 weeks ago i have brewed what was supposed to be an 11 gal batch of my house American wheat with US-05. Well I had some spills and boil-overs and I landed up with 9 gal of wort with SG 1.050.
So I decided to try a Beano experiment. I split up the batch into 5 gal of SG 1.050 in one fermenter and 4 gal + 1 gal water (SG 1.044) in the other fermenter. I also added three pills of crashed Beano into the second fermenter.
After 3 weeks I took the FG reading and checked the alcohol level and calories of those 2 beers using this site: ProBrewer.com: Beer Specifications Calculator
Here are the results:

Fermenter #1: SG=1.050, FG=1.004 (!), Alc 6.3%, Kcal: 161.
Fermenter #2 (w/Beano): SG=1.044, FG=1.002 (not much difference), Alc. 5.5%, Kcal: 141.

As far as the taste goes, the Beano beer is dryer, but not much different then the "normal" beer. The beer without Beano tastes better, but the one with Beano is still drinkable.
Honestly, I think that I won't try using Beano in fermentation anymore. The only way I can see how it may work is if you like a "lite" type cream ales or something similar.

Since you diluted the OG of beer with the beano, I'm not sure I get the point. The dilution obscures the effect, if any.

My understanding was that you need a beer with lower AG if you want to use Beano. Otherwise you would get too high alcohol, destroying the taste of the beer. Was I wrong?

No, it's just that for a proper test you need to start both fermenters at the same OG.

I guess you're right. But on the other hand, I didn't want to end up with an undrinkable beer. I just wanted to see if I could make a decent beer with lower SG, how low will the fermentation go, how much alcohol, is it going to be a "low-cal", what about the taste, etc.
What really surprised me was that after all there wasn't that much difference in FG. I was expecting more difference with Beano.

Scooby_Brew said:

What really surprised me was that after all there wasn't that much difference in FG. I was expecting more difference with Beano.

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But that's my point, you don't really know how much difference there was because you didn't start both beers at the same gravity.

In a scientific test, the "control group" has to be the same as the "experimental group", otherwise the results don't mean anything.

FWIW, I'm not trying to be an ass.

Amylase Enzyme is about as cheap as Beano but works a lot better if you want to get the FG waayyy down. Amylase Enzyme - 1.5 oz. - Rebel Brewer

I've used Beano in the mash on a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. Jamil Z. says to add it in the mash (90 min at 148F), NOT the fermentor. That beer went from like 1.070 down to 1.006.

I think that if the "regular" beer went down to 1.004, then the Beano version would be very similar. Beano will help you chomp down sugars if you get stuck at 1.020, but it can't get your beer lower than 1.000.

Beano makes it low carb.

Ive used beno in the primary and it give a higher abv and a lower body. Realy if your useing malted grain i wouldnt use it but i once did a beer with 70% unmalted wheat and corn starch and the beno in the primary made it a very nice light beer. Any way that just my 2 bits.

ghpeel said:

I've used Beano in the mash on a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. Jamil Z. says to add it in the mash (90 min at 148F), NOT the fermentor. That beer went from like 1.070 down to 1.006.

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Apparently this is what Mr. Wizard also said, but someone on these forums said that they are wrong, and Beano actually has a different enzyme in it, different from the one used by the big breweries. Beano's enzymes actually die in mashing temps, so you have to use it in the fermenter.
I can't find that post right now, but it really looked like whoever wrote that post new what he was talking about. Maybe it was the guy with the "Dog Wash Brewery"?





Edit:
I found the post I was talking about, it's from David 42 and it's in this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/when-how-use-beano-112926/

david_42 said:

Mr. Wizard has a few things wrong.

1. Beano is not amyloglucosidase, it's Alpha galactosidase.
2. Amyloglucosidase (which is used commercially in brewing) breaks down at 40C (104F), not 175F.
3. Alpha galactosidase breaks down at 56C (about 135F).
4. If you use Beano and pasteurize the beer at 135F for 15 minutes, the Beano is de-natured. You can prime and add yeast safely to carbonate.

Beano, in the secondary, is not a good idea unless you are shooting for BMC lite. Or you monitor the beer closely and heat-treat it at the right point.

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Ohhhh ok, thanks for finding that, Scooby_Brew.

Jamil's THE MAN but he could definitely be wrong about Beano in the mash. With my own beer, I used Beano in a 90 min 148-146F mash with 100% Pilsner and I used a quart starter that had been stepped up twice.

My beer ended up at 1.006, but truthfully, that could be because of all the other factors and NOT the Beano. An experiment is needed!