carapils VS flaked barley

[ChemE]

I just used a pound of flaked barley today in an APA I brewed up. I had to abandon aerating with my aquarium pump and SS airstone since the wort was foaming like a rabid dog. I did the five minutes of carboy rocking/swirling instead since that produces a higher DO concentration anyway. 6 hours later the foam was still there! I'll be curious to see if this persists all the way through to bottle conditioning but so far I've never had a carapils beer do that.

 

[cactusgarrett]

OK so I did a side by side. I brewed a pale ale. 1 w/ 1.5# of flaked barley and the other w/ the same Carapills. Flaked barley @ $.45 or carapills @ $.85. I am pleased to say that the flaked barley is the winner in this one. Better head retention. Better body and over all a better beer. Was it that noticeable? Yep it was. The Carapills looked darker in color. The flaked barley was just as clear, but the head... WOW what a difference!

So there it is "IMHO"
JJ

To re-hash this one a little - did you notice a significant difference in flavor? I'm concerned doing a 1:1 substitution might impart a different flavor than you'd get with cara-pils. Especially with what Schlenkerla stated from Briess that:

Flaked Barley. Lends a rich grainy taste and increased head retention, creaminess, and body. Can make up to 40% of grist.

Also, how did the two compare ABV or FG -wise?

 

[smellysell]

How does the shelf life of the two compare?

Anybody know?

 

[Aspera]

Uhhh Apples and Oranges? Chew on a handful of each. Then make an extract batch with 2 lbs of each. Then add 1 lbs of each to 10 lbs of 6-row. Just look at how they are grown, harvested, malted (or not) and stored. There is little similarity of process, or product. To be generous, the chemical analysis is strikingly similar. There, I have done my part to stir up the controversy.

 

[Jaybird]

How does the shelf life of the two compare?

The grain has a much better shelf life overall. I would want to use all my flaked grains within a year, even if kept air tight. The grain will last well into 2 years under the right enviroment.
JJ

 

[thantos]

I hate to re-open an old thread but did these ever get answered?

To re-hash this one a little -
1). Did you notice a significant difference in flavor? I'm concerned doing a 1:1 substitution might impart a different flavor than you'd get with cara-pils.

2). How did the two compare ABV or FG -wise?

 

[Veedo]

Digging this one up from the dead. I am interested to see if anyone has any more input in this over the last couple years

 

[rexbanner]

Digging this one up from the dead. I am interested to see if anyone has any more input in this over the last couple years

Flaked barley will add a creamy mouthfeel in higher quantities (~1 lb). I'm not sure if carapils will as well because I've never used it in such high quantities.

I thought the main reason not to use flaked barley is that it adds a haze. I use carapils on every beer I make. Before I did, my beers used to suffer from poor head retention. Now that I do, I get big fluffy heads that take a while to go away. Medium infusion, 4-8 oz carapils, carb to 2 vol has served me well.

 

[tagz]

Old thread, but thought I would use this rather than start a new one. I have really been enjoying the flaked barley lately. Used in small amounts (~5%), it creates a nice creamy head and creates no problems with clarity (when a standard clarifying agent like whirlfloc is used). My beers have been picturesque lately, so I've been including it in essentially every brew day.

 

[dabeez]

I am half way through a hefeweisen with about 5% flaked barley. The first bottles had a wonderful fluffy head, but the results appear diminished as the beer ages.

 

[The_Bishop]

Lets drag this one up just one more time:

Just used flaked barley for 2.5% of the grain bill in an esb. Very persistent head, tremendous lacing. Also contributed to a nice body. No haze, especially with cold crashing and gelatin fining.

 

[DanMyers]

My 2 cents, Lets keep this going!

Ok so alot of people are commenting on the benefits of flaked barley and its ability to create and retain a thick creamy head.

That said someone mentioned the mashing and fermentation of certain beers (duval for example) create incredibly long lasting head with only pilsner malt.

My question is for the side by side. OP stated that he enjoyed the flaked barley more, but did the carapils create a different type of head? Would a creamy head be suitable for an IPA? The head on duval or a german hefe is not similar in any way.

 

[xpops]

My 2 cents, Lets keep this going!

Ok so alot of people are commenting on the benefits of flaked barley and its ability to create and retain a thick creamy head.

That said someone mentioned the mashing and fermentation of certain beers (duval for example) create incredibly long lasting head with only pilsner malt.

My question is for the side by side. OP stated that he enjoyed the flaked barley more, but did the carapils create a different type of head? Would a creamy head be suitable for an IPA? The head on duval or a german hefe is not similar in any way.

I just recently brewed a black IPA and used 1/2 lb of flaked barley for this purpose! I hope it's suitable, lol

so it's a big debate of 1 vs other...I wonder if anyone uses 1/2 of each in their brews? how would that work out I wonder?

 

[Schlenkerla]

Just used a pound a flaked rice and flaked oats recently for generally the same reasons.

I wanted it lighter with head retention.

 

[Jaybird]

I am BLOWN away at how many customers absolutely will not try the Flaked Barley. I just sell them Carapils and move on. Those who are in the know, well...Are in the know I guess...LOL

I personally don't use Carapils and haven't in YEARS in my personal batches. I think since I started this thread to be honest... Hmmm go figure.

Cheers
Jay

 

[The_Bishop]

Funny thing is, when I bought it I was told that I'd have a haze. The crystal clear beer in my glass says otherwise.

The head retention and lacing are outstanding. I can see flaked barley having a place in a lot more of my brews.

 

[Kblandfo]

How can an extract brewer take advantage of flaked barley? I have read that it needs a mash. My process for steeping grains is to get my water to about 150F (6.5 gal) and let the grains sit for 30-35 mins. Dunk the bag around pull it out and let it drain a bit and then proceed to boil. Would this process allow me to utilize flaked barley for head retention?

 

[youreanimpulse]

How can an extract brewer take advantage of flaked barley? I have read that it needs a mash. My process for steeping grains is to get my water to about 150F (6.5 gal) and let the grains sit for 30-35 mins. Dunk the bag around pull it out and let it drain a bit and then proceed to boil. Would this process allow me to utilize flaked barley for head retention?

You will need to mash it. Luckily, this almost exactly matches your current process. 150 is a good temp, but make sure it's that and not "around" it. Use an equal part of 2-row base malt to the weight of all of your specialty malts, all in the same bag. Let it go 60 mins (insulated if you can, you want to maintain that temp. I put my partial mashes in a warm oven.). Then swirl it around, take the bag out, squeeze if you like, and move on. So it adds a little bit of time but no extra effort. Try it out!

 

[Schlenkerla]

FWIW- If I ever mash with an adjunct I always have an equal amount of 6-row to throw in to boost the enzyme.

6-Row is higher than 2-Row when it comes to enzymes.

 

[Denny]

FWIW- If I ever mash with an adjunct I always have an equal amount of 6-row to throw in to boost the enzyme.

6-Row is higher than 2-Row when it comes to enzymes.

These days the diastatic power of 2 row and 6 row is so close that it doesn't matter which you use. 2 row will have plenty.

 

[Schlenkerla]

These days the diastatic power of 2 row and 6 row is so close that it doesn't matter which you use. 2 row will have plenty.

Old habits are hard to break.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Sorry, double post due to server connection issues.

What's the SRM for flaked barley? Less than 3?

I'd use it over carapils or dextrine malt just because if this thread.

I think a lot of recipes just call for it due to the fact it adds body and mouth feel with virtually no color or taste impact. Has the amount of enzyme in the grist been part of the consideration verses using flaked barley? I think so.

More importantly, dextrine malt doesn't require mashing like flaked barley. This probably gets to be the preferential choice since its good for beginners who do extract with grains or partial mash.

Flaked barley is an adjunct vs base grain. Even though it's barley. General rules of thumb about about limiting the amounts of adjuncts and going with more base grains has been my mindset.

I guess if you're doing all grain it's a toss up. The cost difference is not significant at a five gallon batch size. To the OP question, people also just follow a recipe and stick to what they're use to using.

 

[Denny]

There is no point in adding anything to increase foam until you do the tests in this article to determine the source of the problem....http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/35-head-retention/697-getting-good-beer-foam-techniques

 

[The_Bishop]

I used it to increase the body in an ESB. The dense, hard-to-kill head is an added bonus. Cost, too.

 

[HomebrewPadawan]

Rise from the ashes all mighty Phoenix Thread!

I found this thread while thinking of adding some flaked barley to a saison I'll be brewing shortly. After reading this article Denny linked,

There is no point in adding anything to increase foam until you do the tests in this article to determine the source of the problem....http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/35-head-retention/697-getting-good-beer-foam-techniques

I still think I'll go ahead and try the brew with ~5% flaked barley. I'm thinking a slightly smoother/fuller body will play nicely with the dry peppery, earthy notes of the saison yeast. If the flaked barley adds some "LTP1 and protein Z" for a potentially better head, even better!

Cheers HBT!