The correct type of corn product to use as an adjunct....

[NickThoR]

When using corn as an adjunct, and employing a cereal mash, what is the best kind of corn product to use?

I know you can purchase flaked corn at the lhbs, but I am talking about using straight cornmeal.

First question is to whether the "enriched" part of the typical cornmeal matters? ie, the Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid that is added to most corn meal. Does this stuff matter?

The other is about degermed corn, which i read has oils n stuff, which is bad for brewing. Is that true?. Is most corn degermed? if it says whole grain corn meal does that mean the germ is included?

So, to those of you who have used cornmeal successfully, what specific style/type did you purchase? Was it enriched, or degermed?

Thanks!

side note- any reason i cant cereal mash rice at the same time as said cornmeal?

 

[Yooper]

You can use popped popcorn (not kidding!), flaked corn, grits, cornmeal, cracked corn etc.

For the cereal mash, I wouldn't use popcorn as I'd add that right to the mash, but the other types of corn can be cereal mashed if you want to do that.

 

[NickThoR]

thanks Yooper! I assume from that response I should just rdwhahb... Ill just grab whatever cornmeal is the cheapest, and enjoy the vitamins they so graciously have added to it!

 

[helterscelter]

You can use popped popcorn (not kidding!), flaked corn, grits, cornmeal, cracked corn etc.

For the cereal mash, I wouldn't use popcorn as I'd add that right to the mash, but the other types of corn can be cereal mashed if you want to do that.

When you say popped corn are you talking about raw unpopped popcorn or are you talking about popped popcorn? If both what is the difference in flavor/??

 

[Steveruch]

You could try malted corn and not have to worry about a cereal mash.

 

[beermanpete]

When you say popped corn are you talking about raw unpopped popcorn or are you talking about popped popcorn? If both what is the difference in flavor/??

She said, "popped popcorn". If you don't pop the corn first it will need to be milled and cooked in a cereal cooker before adding it to the mash.

 

[Yooper]

When you say popped corn are you talking about raw unpopped popcorn or are you talking about popped popcorn? If both what is the difference in flavor/??

She said, "popped popcorn". If you don't pop the corn first it will need to be milled and cooked in a cereal cooker before adding it to the mash.

Yep. Pop the popcorn in an air popper, and use it in the mash. It sounds like a joke, but I swear it's not!

It works like flaked corn, in lightening the body, increasing the ABV, and providing a light corn flavor (in larger amounts).

 

[Jwin]

I know a guy, Suho here on the boards, that makes a popcorn cream ale regularly. It works.
Again, air pop, no oil.

 

[IslandLizard]

Just do NOT mill (unpopped) popcorn kernels on a grain mill. It will ruin it, and worse.

 

[wishingiwasfishing]

I've got a cream ale fermenting right now.

When thinking about adding corn into my first cream ale...I did a little research and tasting. I wasn't impressed with the flaked corn flavor...very blah. So I came across some talk about being able to use popped corn in the mash.

This is the route that I went. I've got some local popcorn, from a farmer in central Illinois that's really pretty good. When it's popping, it smells more like late fall sweet corn than popcorn.

To pop the kernels I treid our electric (dome) popper with no oil. The seeds just heated up and started to darken...did not pop. What did work is putting only enough kernels to cover the bottom in a single layer, of a brown paper lunch bag. Fold the top opnening of the bag three times and microwave until the popping stops. This worked really good...and no oil used.

I'm not sure what the correct next step was. But I just busted up the kernels by crunching them in bare hands...then mixed the broken kernels with the rest of the grain.

Wort was really interesting tasting...I can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[helterscelter]

Color me intrigued. Never would have thought to do that

 

[Jwin]

You can just add the popcorn directly to the mash, from what Suho has told me. He put two or three 5g buckets in a mash once, IIRC.

 

[wilserbrewer]

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