Fix the mix...Adjunct accidently mixed with main mash.

Need some help here. I went to my LHBS with a grain bill for a Wit. I thought it was pretty obvious that it was a adjunct brew recipe, and even commented that this would be my first try. I was browsing the pretty toys in the shop while the guy went in back to get my grains. He brought out a big brown bag nicely taped shut and I paid and came on home. I opened it today to start preparing for a brew day tomorrow to find that he mixed all my grain into one package! I see this as my fault for assuming he would give me each grain in separate bag, so I'm not planning on taking it back or complaining.

So, any idea what I can do with grain bill? Here's the bill (both mixed into one bag):

Adjunct mash:
3 lb Unmalted Wheat
2 lb US six-row

Malt mash:
3 lb US two-row
1 lb Munich malt

I was also adding 1 lb of oatmeal to the adjunct, but it isn't in the bag.

I was thinking I'd need to divide the grain into thirds and save 2/3rds of it. Then I'd buy 2 lbs of unmalted wheat to add to 1/3 and get wheat / malt ratio of the adjunct and then buy the 4 lbs of malt for the Malt mash. If the recipe works out I've still go enough adjunct for two more batches.

Any concerns about the diastic power of the two-row and Munich malt in the adjunct? I'm still confused about what is happening in the adjunct and why boiling isn't denaturing the enzymes anyway.

Any other thoughts on how to save the grain?

I'm confused. Why do you think you need to separate the grains into two mashes? Domestic pale malt both 2 and 6 row has plenty of enzymes so conversion would not be a problem. By "adjunct mash" do you mean "cereal mash"? A cereal mash is only necessary with raw grain. If your wheat is either flaked or torrified a cereal mash is not needed. Just mix it all together with hot water and mash away.

I was talking about a cereal mash for raw wheat and oatmeal. The recipe comes from Randy Mosher's book "Radical Brewing" (page 207) and calls for the raw grains to be stepped up through rests at 122, 150 and finally boiled. The boiled mash is added to the protein resting malt mash to bring the temp up to ~156F.

But you bring up a good point. The guy at the LHBS seems to know what he is doing, so I took a closer look at the grain. Looks like he gave me torrified wheat instead of raw wheat (which is likely why he mixed them.)

Well, I guess I'll try to adjust the recipe for that little curve and see how it goes

Red Clay said:

I was talking about a cereal mash for raw wheat and oatmeal. The recipe comes from Randy Mosher's book "Radical Brewing" (page 207) and calls for the raw grains to be stepped up through rests at 122, 150 and finally boiled. The boiled mash is added to the protein resting malt mash to bring the temp up to ~156F.

But you bring up a good point. The guy at the LHBS seems to know what he is doing, so I took a closer look at the grain. Looks like he gave me torrified wheat instead of raw wheat (which is likely why he mixed them.)

Well, I guess I'll try to adjust the recipe for that little curve and see how it goes

Click to expand...

That sounds more like it. Maybe some do but I don't know of any HBS selling raw wheat. You are also going to be good to go with supermarket oatmeal. It can be added to the rest of your grain bill. The only exception to this is steel-cut oats. Those are usually imported from Scotland or Ireland and are not flaked. Steel-cut oats would have to be cooked to gelatinization before mashing as would raw wheat berries that you might buy at a natural foods store.

Yeah, I was going to use steel cut oats when I was boiling the mash but knew that I'd need instant oats if I don't precook. I'm sure it's nothing, but using "instant" anything in an all grain recipe seems wrong

And thanks for the advice. It got me to think a little which isn't the easiest thing to do sometimes!

Even cooking "instant" oats don't hurt and in fact can
only help with the genatilization of the oats.
Using 6 row with wheat malt could also use the rests you planned due to the
protien contained it the malts you are using.