Cereal mash

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seabrew8

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Hi Folks, very confusing info on cereal mashes.

Do you basically mash at around 122 for 15 minutes then 150 for 15 minutes and boil for 30 minutes?

Any gravity guidelines? I understand you should add some %10 or more barley to the cornmeal, in my case.

I assume you add the cereal mash after you mashed your barley grain. For the main boil?
 
Your question is very confusing
Are you doing a all grain brew, or a extract?
 
Any "flaked" grain from your LHBS can be added directly to the mash at your normal dough-in. Just an FYI.

I simplify when using an adjunct like grits, corn meal, raw wheat, whole rice, etc. by gelatinizing them prior to adding to the mash. I take out any intermediate steps and simply aim for fully gelatinized adjunct (water and adjunct, nothing else). My process is like this: aim for 3:1 water:adjunct ratio, bring to boil, and cook as the adjunct requires (this can vary quite a bit).

Corn (grits, polenta, meal) is easy: bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes while stirring, remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes, done (it can now be added to the main mash for conversion). You decide if you want the cooked adjunct to increase your mash temp by not cooling it at all, or if you prefer to cool it to the mash temp so the mash temp remains stable. I opt for that latter using a water bath to cool it - takes about 5 minutes.

That's how I do it anyway but there are many other ways of accomplishing the same.
 
Here's a good Beersmith article on when to use cereal mashes.

In short a cereal mash is used to gelatinize the starches in raw, unmalted, or otherwise un-processed grain products.

You'd perform the cereal mash before starting the main mash, then add the gooey cereal mash to your main mash for complete conversion to sugars.
 
Any "flaked" grain from your LHBS can be added directly to the mash at your normal dough-in. Just an FYI.

I simplify when using an adjunct like grits, corn meal, raw wheat, whole rice, etc. by gelatinizing them prior to adding to the mash. I take out any intermediate steps and simply aim for fully gelatinized adjunct (water and adjunct, nothing else). My process is like this: aim for 3:1 water:adjunct ratio, bring to boil, and cook as the adjunct requires (this can vary quite a bit).

Corn (grits, polenta, meal) is easy: bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes while stirring, remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes, done (it can now be added to the main mash for conversion). You decide if you want the cooked adjunct to increase your mash temp by not cooling it at all, or if you prefer to cool it to the mash temp so the mash temp remains stable. I opt for that latter using a water bath to cool it - takes about 5 minutes.

That's how I do it anyway but there are many other ways of accomplishing the same.
This is my approach too., although I just put the adjuncts I need to gelatinize into my slow cooker the night before - it has a temp probe - and just raise it to the gelatinization temp. As long as your main mash has enough diastatic power, you don't need to add enzymatic grains and do a multistep cereal mash.
 
Any "flaked" grain from your LHBS can be added directly to the mash at your normal dough-in. Just an FYI.

I simplify when using an adjunct like grits, corn meal, raw wheat, whole rice, etc. by gelatinizing them prior to adding to the mash. I take out any intermediate steps and simply aim for fully gelatinized adjunct (water and adjunct, nothing else). My process is like this: aim for 3:1 water:adjunct ratio, bring to boil, and cook as the adjunct requires (this can vary quite a bit).

Corn (grits, polenta, meal) is easy: bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes while stirring, remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes, done (it can now be added to the main mash for conversion). You decide if you want the cooked adjunct to increase your mash temp by not cooling it at all, or if you prefer to cool it to the mash temp so the mash temp remains stable. I opt for that latter using a water bath to cool it - takes about 5 minutes.

That's how I do it anyway but there are many other ways of accomplishing the same.

Grits can be added directly to the mash, I think most grits have been nixtamalized. Nixtamalization boils the corn in lime, so they have been boiled, masa can also be used directly, except it's too fine a grind. Many corn products have been nixtamalized, so these are easy to add, and nutritious :)
 
Grits can be added directly to the mash, I think most grits have been nixtamalized. Nixtamalization boils the corn in lime, so they have been boiled, masa can also be used directly, except it's too fine a grind. Many corn products have been nixtamalized, so these are easy to add, and nutritious :)

https://youtu.be/h9AqbDtSFNU
:D :D :D

I usually buy yellow grits (closer to polenta grind) from the health food store and they have not been nixtamalized. On the other hand, I've used Quaker Instant 5-Minute Grits (sorry Vinny) on some cream ales and those were added directly to the mash. Not all products are created equal, and as long as you know what you're working with then you'll know how to handle them. The "safe" aspect to pre-cooking adjunct is that regardless of prior processing of the grain, it will work out in the end. Last, masa is also fine to add to the mash since as long as you take care of any dough balls that develop, and there's not much need for rice hulls either. Corn in general doesn't get gummy like rice and raw wheat do.
 
https://youtu.be/h9AqbDtSFNU
:D :D :D

I usually buy yellow grits (closer to polenta grind) from the health food store and they have not been nixtamalized. On the other hand, I've used Quaker Instant 5-Minute Grits (sorry Vinny) on some cream ales and those were added directly to the mash. Not all products are created equal, and as long as you know what you're working with then you'll know how to handle them. The "safe" aspect to pre-cooking adjunct is that regardless of prior processing of the grain, it will work out in the end. Last, masa is also fine to add to the mash since as long as you take care of any dough balls that develop, and there's not much need for rice hulls either. Corn in general doesn't get gummy like rice and raw wheat do.

I think "quick" grits are better than "instant", the other kind, "slow" grits, the slow grits are possibly not nixtamalized, another word you may see is hominy grits, hominy is corn that has been nixtamalized, I have seen it in big kernels in the Peruvian section, I am think about milling that directly.
 
Just an update: I ended up using 6.5lbs canadian 2-row, 2lbs minute rice in the mash and another 1.5lbs cane sugar for the boil.

Got great overall efficiency around 80% my best to date - 20L @1.061 OG - but i also changed my crush.

I just added the minute rice to the mash straight from the box.

I might try a cereal mash down the road. It was the last 6.5lbs of grain i had left from my 55lb sack!
 
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