Gluten Free Amber Ale (partial mash)

[glutarded-chris]

Gluten Free Amber Ale (partial mash)

This recipe turned out really great so I am posting it. I do a partial mash to offset some of the sorghum LME, to add character and to keep the mash a little more manageable. I think the recipe is solid but I did not get very good efficiency so that is where I will be looking for improvement in later batches.

I think the Buckwheat is useful to add head retention. I suspect that the dark roasted millet is the most critical for the flavor of the batch. If the Buckwheat munich is omitted, not sure what to replace it with. I will keep these proportions for future batches because it worked really well.

5.25 gallon batch (intended to give about 5 gallons after racking off the trub)

Partial mash grain bill:
2 lb Buckwheat pale malt (cereal mashed before adding to main mash)
2.5 lb millet pale malt
0.75 lb Millet dark roasted malt
0.75 lb Buckwheat munich malt

Other (times assume 3 to 3.5 gallon boil):
5 lb Briessweet LME (3.3 lb @ 60 min, 1.7 lb @ 15 min)
1 lb Belgian Candy Syrup 5L (@ 15 min)
0.5 lb Maltodextrin (@ 15 min)
0.5 lb 100% Buckwheat Honey (@ 15 min)
1 Whirlfloc tablet (@ 15 min)
5 teaspoons Yeast nutrient (@ 15 min)

Note: for a full volume boil, only the honey, whirfloc and yeast nutrient would be added late, the other fermentables would be @ 60 min.

Hops:
1 oz Cascade @ 60min
0.5 oz Cascade @ 15 min
1 oz Cascade @ 0 min
0.5 oz Cascade (Dry Hop)
1 oz E.K.Goldings (Dry Hop)

1 packet Safale US-05 yeast

Fermented 72F to 76F (1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary)

OG: 1.060
FG: 1.013 (~6.2 abv)

 

[dantzerman]

Hi, I just did a simpler version of this but used enzymes as I am not able to get these grains malted. My alcohol was low and I figure I just need to optimize my enzyme process to break down all of the starches. Or add them to the fermentor as I just read on another post;

I do have a question here.

My (mostly Buckwheat) beer which tastes great in the bottle and has great head retention (possibly confirming your head retention findings) was cloudy. I could not lauter/filter any better (actually my lautering was lousy as it kept clogging). The beer was cloudy as I put it into the fermentor and it was cloudy in the bottle and in the glass. Any help here?? Thanks

 

[glutarded-chris]

I don't have any experience with unmalted grain, but there are threads on this forum on that subject if you have not already read them.

I cereal mash all of the buckwheat before adding to the main mash because it just turns to goo otherwise. I use a large voile mesh bag because even with cereal mashing and bringing enzymes forward with a decoction, it still gets stuck sometimes with just a manifold.

My wart always ends up a little cloudy as I think it is very difficult to get complete conversion with the buckwheat. I usually ferment for 1 week in a primary and 2 weeks in a secondary and it will often be a little cloudy when it first goes into the keg. Usually get crystal clear after a 2 weeks of conditioning. I forgot to add the whirlfloc tablet one batch and it took a long time to clear in the secondary, so I definitely recommend using whirlfloc and/or other finings.

I have never put amylase in the fermenter but have read on this forum that others do to get extra starch processed. I have read that the amylase powder needs a low temperature to do its thing and is most commonly used with wine making. Seems a little weird to have amylase working at the same time as fermentation, but if it works and does not give off flavors, great. I would do some research on that and maybe give it a try.