Do malted grains taist different?

[tbskinner]

I kinda feel like this is a stupid question but im asking it anways. If you convert the starches in grains with enzymes will they taist the same as malted grains in beer? I've looked and I can't seem to find the answer.

 

[duboman]

Are you asking if you can discern the imparted flavor to the beer simply by tasting the mashed grain?

I would say yes as if you simply taste the raw malt when you buy it you can get an idea of the taste and flavor it would impart.

This is a good way to learn about the different malts available and what they add to a beer.


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[tbskinner]

No im asking, if you make a beer with sorghum malt extract and then you make a beer with sorghum grain that has been gelatinized and had alpha enzymes added to it so the starches are turned into sugars, will those beer taist the same?

 

[duboman]

Got it, sorry, can't answer that question.


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[Osedax]

Some say yes and some say no with sorghum. The malting process chemically alters the grain. Personally, that's why I say Bard's is better than Red Bridge.

You can really tell the difference in grains like millet. Igliashon did a bunch of experiments with this and says malted is the way to go.

 

[igliashon]

Well for starters, you can't replicate the flavor of crystal malt without malting a grain, and at least with millet, the flavor of the roasted grain is also quite different. I notice it less with buckwheat and sorghum; there may be some difference, but the flavor of buckwheat is so mild it's hard to tell, and with sorghum you get "the taste" no matter whether you malt it or not.

But yeah, malting does alter the chemistry (protein content in particular), and mashing makes a difference as well. I'm going to post some more details on this later, but I did a trial recently comparing the flavor of millet malt that has been gelatinized at high temperature without mashing first, and then adding enzymes to it, vs. millet malt that has been mashed at 163°F first. There is quite a difference in wort flavor and clarity and hot break behavior, even though both pass a starch test.

 

[tbskinner]

Thanks for the info. I want to make a bunch of one gallon batches with essentially the same ingredients except for the grains. I was thinking, try out different grains and different combinations of grains would give me a base line of what grains taisted like in gluten free beer. So maybe now I'll try them malted and unmalted as well.