questions on gf brews

Hi im new to the forum and brewing and i had a few questions on brewing with grains here for gfbrews. So far ive made two batches of gf, all of them extract batches: a pale ale with just whithe sorghum extract, an amber with sorghum ex, brown rice syrup, and molasses. Both are delicious but are "thin feeling" compared to normal beers. Here come the questions now that a history is framed. Can i take my extract recipes ive ben using and add grains to the boil for flavor depth and feel, example: 6# sorghum extract/ 2# rice syrup/ oats and buckwheat. For a 5 gallon batch with 6-8# extracts how much grain would be good to add... maybe3# assorted grains. Does adding grains to an extract recipe help and does the extract amt need to be changed( i like higher gravity beers so if thats the main reason of balancing grains to extract then no worries) will oats help with a more mouthfeel beer or should i try a bit of lactose for mouthfeel? Thanks for yalls time and inputs

This kind of question comes up a lot here.

Do not add grains to the boil! That's true in barley-based brewing as well as gluten-free brewing. Adding grains to the boil will cause all kinds of bad things to go into your beer--starch, grain dust, tannins, beta-glucans, etc.

Now, you can steep gluten-free grains, prior to the boil, at temperatures below 150°F. However, unlike in normal barley-based brewing, where you can get specialty caramel malts that contribute flavor and fermentable sugars when steeped, in gluten-free brewing you can't buy caramel malts (or malts at all, really), so steeping the grains will NOT add fermentable sugars. You can get some grain flavor and some color, but if you steep too hot or use too much unmalted grain, you'll end up with an excess of starch in your beer, which will create haze and may add off-flavors. Unless you're planning on doing a secondary fermentation with Brettanomyces or some other wild yeast or bacteria that can eat starch, in which case, go for it.

If you want to use grains, it's best to use no more than a couple pounds per 5 gallons, unless you want to a) malt them yourself and do a minimash or make your own caramel malt, or b) you want to use an enzyme formula containing at least alpha-amylase. If you're steeping unmalted grains, they will not affect your gravity or ABV, so do not reduce the amount of syrups you're adding. And again, it's important that you keep the steeping temperature LOW, as unlike in doing a mash, you do NOT want to gelatinize the starch (aka "bring the starch into the brewing liquor").

If you just want to add body, you can get good results with both lactose and maltodextrin. I've never used lactose, but I've used up to 8 oz of maltodextrin in a 3-gallon batch, so I can safely say that a pound in a 5-gallon batch is just fine. I'd recommend starting there, and try increasing it further if it's not enough.

Thanks for the input thats just what i was asking about

Wait, what if you have a gluten allergy are you saying you can still steep barley grain??

stikolaboloni said:

Wait, what if you have a gluten allergy are you saying you can still steep barley grain??

Click to expand...

Stikolaboloni,

Barley, Wheat and Rye all contain gluten protiens and cannot be used in any way in a Gluten Free brew.
The grains that igliashon is referencing are Quinoa, Buckwheat, Amaranth, Millet, Sorghum, Teff, Corn and Rice. Oats are a hot point of contention. Though the protien in oats is not the same as that in Barley/Wheat/Rye gluten protien, the molecular makeup is close enough that it can cause a gluten reaction in some people. Additionallly, cross contamination is a much more common issue with oats, since they are commonly grown in or near wheat fields or processed with the same equipment.
When brewing with oats for a gluten free brew the best route is to use certified Gluten Free oats (which minimizes the risk from cross contamination) and make sure the GF drinker of the brew is aware that there are oats in the grain bill. Then it is up to them to decide if they will risk it.

jeremynandrew,

Just to add to igliashon's information, I've read a few threads about adding a banana or two to the primary, not so much for the flavour but the protiens to aid in mouthfeel.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f164/bottling-gf-today-165010/