Using corn in mash?

Hi folks,

New to the forum, but long time home brewer. Looks like a wealth of information out here...looking forward to joining the fray!

I am working on concocting a recipe for a light lager, made in the style of that yellow fizzy swill they make in Mexico (you know to what I am referring). You may be wondering why I am wasting my time, but it is what my wife likes, and if she is going to have to deal with a basement full of brewing equipement and emergency trips to the homebrew shop, the least I can do is make her something she enjoys once in awhile.

Anyway, I've been poking around at various clone recipes out there in cyberspace, and have a few ideas. The one thing that I've read is that the folks who make Corona use corn in the mash, in what form I have no idea. That is, are they talking simple corn sugar, or are they talking something else that may need to be cooked prior to mashing (i.e., cornmeal?). Papazian even mentions in "Joy of Homebrewing" that you can use corn starch directly in the mash, but I'm a little skeptical about that.

Anyone have any ideas/thoughts on this?

Cheers!

Flaked Maize, it's pre gelatinized, you don't need to do a cereal mash.

Take a look at Biermuncher's "Cream of the Three Crops" recipe if you want something like the fizzy yellow stuff...on a well made and tasty recipe.


You might find this article helpful...

http://www.thebrewguide.com/?p=111

Corn is used in various forms, but for the homebrewer flaked maize is the easiest. Cooking cornmeal or hominy grits before mashing is the cheapest.

If you later like corn in your mash and don't mind saving money and taking the time to cereal mash then read here. If you search on the web "Cereal mash" you will find other articles on making a cereal mash.

Thanks folks! Appreciate everyone's help!

i'm assuming your an AG brewer here,
7#pilsener 2row
2#flaked corn
.5 oz cascade(60min)
.5 oz noble hops of choice(hallertau, saaz)30min
use either wlp 820 marzen or czech pilsener yeast

mash at 148 for 90 min
boil for 90min total, this is because pilsener malt contains some ugly chemicals (dms) that you want rid of

est og 1.035
est fg 1.005

extract is 3# extra light dme and 2# rice syrup solids
may need to crush a beano tablet into the fermenter to get down that far with extract

I think 10.5 oz. corn starch is like 1 pound flacked corn, because I believe corn is 65% starch. I used some in a cream ale along with some quick grits without a protein rest. It tasted like a Pabst Ale. I may try corn starch again in a better recipe but if I want Pabst I rather just go buy it.

+1 on Biermuncher's "Cream of the Three Crops".

Brain-dead easy and has loads more flavor than that "south of the border" stuff while still being VERY BMC drinker friendly.

I've used corn starch before and the results were very different than using corn....it was more like adding sugar.

Denny said:

I've used corn starch before and the results were very different than using corn....it was more like adding sugar.

Click to expand...

Corn starch is what they make corn syrup out of, no real fllavor makes it through into the beer.

I find converting actual corn into maltose contributes quite a bit of flavor.