My attempt

[hairmist]

Three weeks ago:
So... I decided to try to brew a mini-batch of what was supposed to be an oatmeal and buckwheat stout a it over two weeks ago.
I won't bore you with the details of Murphy's law in effect when it came to the brew day it self... Suffice it to say that my first experience with gluten free brewing was that it was extremely difficult and unpredictable.

I ended up with a demi john of 4.5 litres with what looked like badly prepared and thin porridge... OG: 1078
Seeing as my expectations were below zero and things could only get better, I added yeast and l and behold, fermentation started. After a couple of days I actually had a layer of something that resembled beer (but not stout) on top of the starch porridge that filled 4/5 of my DJ. Less than two pints were not what I was aiming for so I decided that I should try adding some amylase enzyme to the already fermenting brew along with some fresh yeast, nutrient and a bit of caramel for colour... I resumed as planned and shook the DJ vigourously. Two weeks later (with more shaking every other day) was down to 1/2 the DJ of porridge with roughly 2 litres of "beer" on top.

This is probably where I should have said "Fine, I'll try to bottle what I can, it probably won't taste very well either way..."

Needless to say; I didn't.
Instead I decided that if I just gave it one more dose of yeast and amylase, it would eat even more of the "porridge" and I could end up with more than 3 litres.
I did this two days ago, but now the starchy porridge doesn't seem to drop out in the same rate (there is still some fermentation going on) and I have at the moment maybe two inches of beer on top of the starchy porridge that fills the rest of my DJ.

Can you offer me some insight as to how this might end up (I'll leave for a few days more in room temperature with my fingers crossed before a final cold break in the shack [around 10 degrees C] and bottle what I have then)
Please feel free to tell me where I went wrong and what I could have done differently if I lose my mind and decide to try this on another time...

 

[hairmist]

Today:

Well, I have now opened, poured and tasted my gluten free ale (which turned not to be anything like a stout, but never mind that).

I am pleased to say that the results were surprisingly good (considering my expectations). The last half inch should definitely stay in the bottle (as you will understand from the picture), so I will disregard the sample with the starch...
Appearance: crystal clear, deep bronze, a little bit of foam and bubbles but disappears rather quickly.
Aroma: yeasty, a bit of sourness reminiscent of an oud bruin, definite alcohol (it clocked in at 7,6 % ABV), hint of hops.
Taste: medium mouthfeel, kind of sour, hint of malt/grain, finish with definite sourness and some hops, surprisingly well balanced. Nothing in the taste indicates that this is not a "normal beer".

 

[igliashon]

Maybe if you post your recipe and brew day process, we can help...

 

[muench1]

That's an impressive red color you got there. Seconding Igliashon's request for more info.

 

[hairmist]

Okay, here is the recipe and other information:




As it is in Norwegian I'll attach a key:
Bokhvete - buckwheat
Melasse - molasses
Havre flaket - flaked oats (oatmeal)


The process:
I use BIAB, single infusion.
This time, I boiled the unmalted grain in water and added them to the malt in the bag and mashed for 60 min. at around 60 Degrees C.
When I removed the bag from the kettle, I tried to squeeze as much of liquid from the gelatinous blob that I could before boiling and adding rice syrup and hops.
I cooled the wort and transferred to my DJ, added US-05 yeast and let it ferment for roughly three weeks.
The fermentation process should be described in the OP.

I was quite pleased with the end result and might decide to try it again, with a much improved process. I've given some bottles to a couple of coeliac guinea pigs and am eagerly awaiting their judgment.
I was very pleased with the colour and appearance, but surprised that it did not turn out darker.

 

[igliashon]

Did you use enzymes on your unmalted grains? If not, your mistake was boiling them. In using unmalted grains just for steeping, you do NOT want to heat the grains to gelatinization temperature, because that will throw a bunch of unfermentable starch into your beer. Oats in particular should not be gelatinized, as they will contribute lots of beta glucans and other gummy substances. Don't use instant oats, and don't heat to above 140°F. Without starch conversion--for which you need malted grains or exogenous enzymes--your steeping grains DO NOT ADD fermentable sugars in any more than trace amounts (some grains do have trace amounts of sugars).

 

[hairmist]

I did not add enzymes during the mash (as I didn't have any). I did try adding enzymes and yeast nutrients to the fermenting wort, but I am not entirely sure how much effect this had, although it can't have hurt...
How should I have gone about to end up with fermentable sugars from the unmalted grains?

 

[igliashon]

To get fermentable sugars from unmalted grains, you need to first cereal mash (boil the grains, like you did), then cool to normal mash temp and add enzymes. Many grains, like oats, quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth, have high protein and beta-glucan content, and require more than amylase to make useable wort. You need protease and glucanase as well, which don't seem readily available on the consumer market. Rice, corn, and to an extent millet, can be saccharified with amylase alone (as long as they're thoroughly crushed), but the lautering will be difficult and you'll need to add yeast nutrient.