Asian Grocery Maltose

[dbsmith]

I have seen a few post questions about using the maltose found in many Asian grocery stores but have not seen any experiments showing gravity and fermentability, so I figured that I would. If I recall, the 500g container cost between $1 and $1.50.

Ingredient used: Elephant King Maltose (Best Quality), 500g (17.6 oz)

First, I combined 1.00 quart of boiling water with the 500g of incredibly viscous maltose 'gel' and let it just reach boiling before covering and allowing to cool. After cooling was complete I ended up with 1.3125 qts of solution. The measured SG is 1.136. The solution is a beautiful amber gold color and smells quite sweet.

Using a dilution equation, we can now calculate the amount to use to make a starter.

136 points x 1.3125 qts = Z quarts x 35 points
Z = 5.1 quarts

So there you have it, to make a starter solution of 1.035, you need to dilute the solution to 1.275 gallons. That is a lot of bang for your buck! The entire 500g cost about a buck and you could use it to make several starter solutions. Of course, I would probably only use this for 2nd stage starters which require multiple steps, though other on this forum have admitted to making pure sucrose starters. At least this starter would use maltose, and thus would not require the yeast to use a different metabolic pathway and waste energy by making unneeded proteins (invertase), as well as preventing possible byproducts associated with sucrose metabolism.

I'm going to ferment this solution (diluted) with some S-05 washed yeast and let you guys know the results.

Also, if this were diluted to 1 gallon the SG would be 1.045, which would make the potential be 1.041 if you want to use this in beersmith.

 

[dbsmith]

Update:

I made a large starter for a beer that is currently fermenting, and let the rest (approx. 0.8 gallons) ferment with some S-05. The OG was 1.035 and FG is 1.013, and tasted a bit dry and not pleasant (but not completely awful). I thought that it would ferment a bit dryer. I don't think that taste really matters much if the purpose of the maltose is to make a starter which will be cold crashed and the supernatant decanted off before pitching. I do wish to do another small batch experiment with an OG of about 1.050 and a little bit of hops to explore the taste a little more and verify my numbers. Will update again.

 

[dbsmith]

So I decided to do some more tests on a couple of new brands. One is from Dayat, and the other does not have a brand name written in English, but there is a small picture of the Great Wall, so that is what I will call it. Both brands created similar strength worts as the Elephant King brand, and thus approximately the same potential (1.041). It should be noted that the Dayat brand came in a 400g package, while the others are 500g. I created worts of 1.053 and 1.054 that were boiled with .120 grams of 16% AA Magnum hops for 16-25 minutes, and have them both fermenting with some S-05. I will bottle the beer and update this thread with some (hopefully not too terrible) tasting notes.

 

[dbsmith]

Update: So I bottled the beers posted above with grain bills made completely from the maltose, and a dash of hops (magnum), and some s-05 yeast. Both finished fermenting down to around typical beer FG's, though it did take a while, for what reason I'm unsure. Perhaps there is a lack of nutrients, similarly when making mead? Anyways, both beers looked and tasted pretty much the same, which is why I have only one picture. There was a clean white head which dissipated quickly. The beer tasted crisp and very much like an American light pilsner, with a little less body (if you can imagine). Surprisingly quite drinkable, though I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'good'.

All in all, the Asian grocery store maltose seems like a worthy adjunct to use, especially in lighter styles such as the American pilsner. Because of the low price and the wort-like qualities, I wouldn't hesitate using it to replace just plain table sugar in any recipe, such as in an IPA, or maybe even some Belgian styles. If using it for a starter, I would probably make sure to include some yeast nutrients as well.

 

[twalte]

Thanks for a very interesting thread. I may not brew with it, but I will definitely test it out with a starter. 3 pounds of DME run $12.00 here...your option would be 3.3 pounds for $4.50. I have an asian grocer a few miles away and will look for available brands.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Some google results show that this is made from malted rice, not barley.

MC

 

[twalte]

Some google results show that this is made from malted rice, not barley.

MC

So would this not be a good substitute for DME? I hate to quote Wikipedia, but it was the easiest source to find.

"The final product is 45% maltose, 3% glucose, and 52% maltotriose"

Here is my noob thought...is this correct?...

If the intent of a yeast starter is to get the yeast accustomed to processing maltose, it may work. However, I don't think all yeast can handle the maltotriose, so you would definitely want to chill and decant before pitching.

 

[dbsmith]

Some google results show that this is made from malted rice, not barley.

MC

Yes there is rice (probably mostly), but the maltose is made from a variety of different grains including wheat and barley as well.

 

[dbsmith]

So would this not be a good substitute for DME? I hate to quote Wikipedia, but it was the easiest source to find.

"The final product is 45% maltose, 3% glucose, and 52% maltotriose"

Here is my noob thought...is this correct?...

If the intent of a yeast starter is to get the yeast accustomed to processing maltose, it may work. However, I don't think all yeast can handle the maltotriose, so you would definitely want to chill and decant before pitching.

I always decant before pitching, but not for that reason. Here is what the brew wiki has to say about it:

"One key characteristic of yeast is their ability to ferment Maltotriose. Many studies have indicated that this is the primary factor in attenuation. Maltotriose is a trisachride and the second most common sugar in wort (13-19% of fermentables). Most yeast can consume about half the Maltotriose present. Interestingly Lager yeast does a better job of utilizing Maltotriose than does Ale yeast. In general, use a yeast rated for the degree of attenuation that you require. "

This is perhaps why it took a while to attentuate. Anyhow, the easy way around that is to mash it with your grains and let the enzymes work on it for a little bit (if using as an adjunct). Though if you were concerned about this for a starter, you could either just make a much bigger starter (~2x) or you could add a bit of amylase.

There is no doubt that for brewing that DME is a superior product. The main purpose of this experiment was to see if this was a viable, cost-effective possibility, and to see the characteristics of it.

I think that the best possible use of this stuff is as an adjunct put into the mash to allow the enzymes to work on it.