Flaked Maize substitute?

I am brewing a cream ale ("Weed Feed & Mow" from Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil) soon and my LHBS is out of flaked maize. Its the last ingredient I need to brew this.

1) I work in a grocery store and we don't sell flaked maize, but we do sell a granular variety of maize. Will this work?

2) Will substitution of grits or polenta work as well?

2b) If substituting with grits or polenta, how does the quantity scale? Recipe calls for 1lb flaked maize, do I add 1lb grits/polenta?

3) Recipe calls for WLP001 yeast. I have a vial, but would WLP080 (cream ale) work better?

Thanks for any feedback.

Use grits. Pound for pound they should be the same as flaked maize. If you're using regular grits you need to cook them first (no salt!). I've used grits as a substitute before with no problem. Probably you can also use instant grits without precooking them, just like you can directly use quick oats to sub for flaked oats, though I've never used them in brewing. (To quote My Cousin Vinny, "No self respectin' Southerner uses instant grits.")

I've used grits, corn meal and popcorn. I've never even used flaked corn.

Regular grits, rice or oats must be cooked to convert the starch prior to addition to your mash. If you are using instant grits, or oatmeal, you can add them directly to your mash as the conversion has already be done. The same is true for minute rice, it can be added directly to your mash.

I have never used grits as a replacement for flaked maze, but it is interesting to hear that others have. I hope with good results.

Salute!

I use corn meal, cooked with water until it is a mush, then added into the mash, never used flaked corn so far.

cereal mash:
http://www.ingermann.com/cerealmash.html

wlp001 is good but i highly recommend the cream ale blend. try to keep it in the low 60Fs

Freezeblade said:

I use corn meal, cooked with water until it is a mush, then added into the mash, never used flaked corn so far.

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When you cooked it you used the dry weight from the recipe correct?

Wikipedia says corn meal is made from corn maize. I am asuming this is fine to use?

Corn = maize = the stuff with yellow seeds on an ear which comes from America.

Meal is a result from processing maize, like "flaked" or "grits" or whatever. Meal is ground-up maize.

Bob

Buy a 5lb bag of Quaker "quick grits." Exactly the same in terms of usage/mashability and costs like 2 bucks.

You could just use corn sugar (dextrose). I'm guessing you'd want about 3/4 of a pound, or just use whatever you need to hit your O.G.