Beer from Grape Nuts

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DoctorDuvel

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Hey, has anyone ever actually made beer from Grape Nuts (or store brand equivalent)? How different would it be from using malted grains?

:fro:
 
Be aware that a pound of Grape Nuts contains about 2300mg Na. If it was your primary fermentable, it could inhibit yeast growth.
 
Be aware that a pound of Grape Nuts contains about 2300mg Na. If it was your primary fermentable, it could inhibit yeast growth.

ah, very good point

might be suitable to find a low-sodium version or an organic no sodium one

i guess from a cost stand point it wouldn't make sense to use grape nuts, since they're very pricey, especially compared to grains from a brew store

experimenting with a small batch would be fun
 
on my very first batch, my friend noted that the steeping grains smelled like grape nuts and we pondered if it could be done. thats about as far as the idea ever went for us.
 
I remember I was watching a show on Discovery channel about brewing beer and one home brewer who had won several competitions secret ingredient was grape nuts cereal. I don't believe he was using it as the main grain, but rather a filler.
 
I remember I was watching a show on Discovery channel about brewing beer and one home brewer who had won several competitions secret ingredient was grape nuts cereal. I don't believe he was using it as the main grain, but rather a filler.

aren't there other flavors of grape nuts now, like honey or something? that just make an awesome adjunct
 
I found this thread while looking for info about brewing with grape nus. Just wanted to point everybody to these two articles:

http://***********/stories/recipes/article/indices/38-ingredients/488-confessions-of-a-cereal-brewer

http://***********/stories/recipes/...oelsch-a-altbier/1873-grape-nuts-koelsch-bier

It just seems like a little grape nuts flavor could be good in a beer. I might try it as an adjunct.
 
Hmmmm .... I don't get it. How many batches does one have to brew before it becomes unchallenging and you seek out alternative brewing methods? Whatever that number is, it must be way more than the 12 batches I have brewed.
 
I found this thread while looking for info about brewing with grape nus. Just wanted to point everybody to these two articles:

http://***********/stories/recipes/article/indices/38-ingredients/488-confessions-of-a-cereal-brewer

http://***********/stories/recipes/...oelsch-a-altbier/1873-grape-nuts-koelsch-bier

It just seems like a little grape nuts flavor could be good in a beer. I might try it as an adjunct.

good article...i can definitely see grape-nuts making for a really nice adjunct...it's going on my list of things to try...but i will try to find a health-food store/organic version of the cereal...i seem to remember a one or two ingredients in the Post cereal that i'd like to avoid
 
Hmmmm .... I don't get it. How many batches does one have to brew before it becomes unchallenging and you seek out alternative brewing methods? Whatever that number is, it must be way more than the 12 batches I have brewed.

well, just when i think i might want to start experimenting more...last night i bottled what was supposed to be a belgian ipa...and it's absolutely hideous :confused:...in hindsight, i did a couple things wrong...i don't think aging this one will help it, but i spent $30 for the ingredients, so that's why i didn't dump it right there...so yeah, definitely will be getting a couple more batches in using traditional methods before i let my mind wander into experimentation :D
 
Time to resurrect this very old thread. I brewed a beer last month using 4oz of grapenuts and 4oz of lightly toasted oats as my only specialty malts (everything else was Pale 2 row) and had a glass of it last night...

I have made some good beers and some bad beers in my time, but never a great beer until now. This is possibly the best beer I have made to date and its only 3 weeks old (2 in the primary, 1 in bottles).

If I have time this weekend I am planning a similar recipe for this weekend using 8oz of grapenuts as the only specialty grain.
 
Time to resurrect this very old thread. I brewed a beer last month using 4oz of grapenuts and 4oz of lightly toasted oats as my only specialty malts (everything else was Pale 2 row) and had a glass of it last night...

I have made some good beers and some bad beers in my time, but never a great beer until now. This is possibly the best beer I have made to date and its only 3 weeks old (2 in the primary, 1 in bottles).

If I have time this weekend I am planning a similar recipe for this weekend using 8oz of grapenuts as the only specialty grain.

recipe?
 
Here is the recipe -

8.5lbs Pale 2-Row
4oz grapenuts
4oz flaked oats, toasted at 325F for 30 minutes a week earlier

1oz fuggle @ 60
0.5oz fuggle @ 30
0.5oz east kent @ 20
0.5oz fuggle @ 10
0.5oz east kent @ 5

2oz Maple Syrup @ flame out
1/2tsp Irish Moss @ 10
1 tsp Yeast nutrient @ flameout
Nottingham Yeast

Mashed at 153 for 60 minutes (75% eff), 4.5 gallons (OG: 1.059, FG: 1.010).

2 weeks in the primary at 66F
 
Last year at the great taste of the Midwest, Daves brew farm in Wilson WI had a breakfast beer. If I remember correct 20 or 30% was grape nuts. I do remember it had a great flavor.
 
20% eh? Maybe I should up this weekends recipe to use 1lbs or more of Grapenut cereal?

The current recipe is running

6lbs 2-row pale (I may scale this up to 7 or 8lbs, haven't decided if its going to be a mild yet or not)
0.5 lbs Grapenuts cereal (May scale up to 1lbs or higher)

1.0 oz Fuggle @ 60
0.5 oz East Kent @ 30
0.5 oz East Kent @ 10
 
I want to use just grapenut cereal as the only 'specialty grain' for this batch as it will help define the flavour it imparts easier.

I milled up my grain the bill it looks like this:

7.5lbs Pale 2-Row
1.5lbs Grapenuts cereal

Hopefully will brew tomorrow or Saturday!
 
I want to use just grapenut cereal as the only 'specialty grain' for this batch as it will help define the flavour it imparts easier.

I milled up my grain the bill it looks like this:

7.5lbs Pale 2-Row
1.5lbs Grapenuts cereal

Hopefully will brew tomorrow or Saturday!



Sweet! Did you actually mill the grapenuts cereal? You probably wouldn't need to since it's not really a "whole grain" it's already been milled and processed...etc. They just mimic grain in terms of size and shape.

I'm excited to hear the results.
 
I am just finishing up the boil now. I did not mill the grapenuts though one thing I found using that much was I got a lot of doughballs and had to really stir it to break them apart initially.

I am also unsure how much gravity points the grapenuts is going to add to the final product. I guess I will know shortly!
 
Oh and here is the recipe:

Grains/Adjuncts

7.5 lbs 2-Row Pale Malt
1.5 lbs Grapenuts Cereal

Hops

1.0 oz Fuggle @ 60 min
0.25 oz Fuggle @ 20 min
0.25 oz Fuggle @ 15 min
0.25 oz Fuggle @ 10 min
0.25 oz Fuggle @ 5 min

Misc

1 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ Flame out
1/2 tsp Irish Moss @ 10 minutes
Nottingham Ale Yeast

Mashed at 154F for 90 minutes.
 
I mashed the cereal with the rest of the grains.

It would appear that grapenuts do add gravity to the beer. In my initial BeerSmith calculations I used Flaked Oats in place of Grapenuts and it seemed to work well. I pretty consistently hit 75% efficiency and was pretty close to that this time. I double milled my grain for this batch which could explain the slightly higher efficiency.

The original gravity was 1.061, with 4.2 gallons of wort.
 
I don't know if using the grapenuts makes this a specialty beer or not. If its just considered another grain I think this is close to an ESB or maybe an English Pale Ale? I guess I won't know until I see the colour.
 
After looking at the BJCP Guidelines - it would fall under the:

Unusual adjunct or unusual fermentables (e.g., maple syrup, honey, molasses, sorghum) part of a Specialty beer with a English Pale Ale base category probably. You said it added to your SG so it's a fermentable. But it also gives flavor so it could be an adjunct as well.

I can't wait to hear the results though. I love grapenuts. BTW - if you love grapenuts and want a pretty decent dessert...

Grapenut Pudding Desert:

2 vanilla pudding mixes
Skim Milk
1 tub of cool whip - regular, lite, or fat free
1-2 cups of grape nuts


Mix together as you are making normal vanilla pudding per the directions. Next add the cool whip...then add the grape nuts. Refrigerate for a few hours...it'll still be crunchy but good. If you want them soft, then wait 12hrs+....freakin awesome and good! The grapenut flavor takes over and you have a slight vanilla flavor mixed in. It's always popular at get-together parties. Enjoy.
 
I took a couple gravity readings, one on Friday and one yesterday and both read 1.020 but there is still some signs of fermentation. Its pretty cool in the basement and I mashed a bit on the high side. Hopefully it will drop a few more points, but there is still a lot of time between now and bottling.
 
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