Enzyme Question

[jrobidoux]

I have a brew coming up that contains much and more adjuncts than is probably smart, and I don't exactly trust my mashing procedure in terms of efficiency that much, so I was thinking of throwing some enzymes in my mash as an insurance policy. Anyway, I saw on here somewhere a guy adding "papaya enzyme" to a tertiary, which he said contained "papain, amylase, proteases, lipases and cellulases" which for whatever reason he thought was just grand for his witbeir. So my question is, can I use such a product in my mash? (LHBS does not sell the typical "amylase enzyme" I see at online homebrew stores) And if it will help my conversion, how much should I be using? Thanks for the help in advnace

 

[JonK331]

Usually standard 2-row will have enough diastatic power to convert the adjuncts. Post the recipe and we'll be able to help. If there are in fact more adjuncts than the base malt will convert, it might be better to just tweak the recipe. Also, if you are using a whole lot of crystal malt, enzymes won't help all that much as a great deal of the starches have already been converted into non-fermentable sugars.

 

[jrobidoux]

Well, in truth, this is a gluten free recipe with which I am using some buckwheat that I malted as my base (have tried posting in the gluten free forum, but no one is ever paying attention over there). My enzyme question mostly stems from the fact that I am not too sure that my buckwheat can even convert itself. Recipe actually will look something like this (1 gallon batch since this is probably not very likely to go well)

1# Malted Buckwheat (mashed)
.5# Unmalted Roasted Quinoa (mashed)
.5# Roasted Canned Pumpkin (mashed)

1/2 cup brown sugar (boil)
Willamette hopping (boil)
Dash of pumpkin spices (flameout)

(This is a small beer, I know, just trying to get a feel for these ingredients mostly)

Any thoughts anyone might have in regard to this are greatly appreciated.

 

[pjj2ba]

I would not use papaya extract in a beer. This is typically used as a meat tenderizer as it contains a lot of proteases that break down the proteins in meat. It will do the same thing in a beer, break down the proteins. Proteins are very important in the body of beer, and for head too.

I would try to find some amylase from some source - if you find that your home malting is not providing enough enzymes to do the job. Generally the higher the starch content of a given seed, the more amylase it will have. Some seeds have little starch and lots of protein and oils instead (peanuts, beans, etc.) and these don't have much in the way of amylases

 

[jrobidoux]

So is there some seed I could add to my mash that would help things out? Also, will the addition of Brown Rice Syrup possibly help out the problems with this recipe?

 

[JonK331]

I'm sorry but I have no idea about the diastatic power of buckwheat. However, this thread suggests that malted quinoa has the enzymes needed to convert:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f164/all-roasted-malted-grain-gf-porter-247469/


maybe you need to malt some quinoa? I'll be interested to hear what others say about this.

 

[BBBF]

I've made a GF beer from homemalted buckwheat. I believe that it can fully convert itself, but with all the effort that goes into the malting and GF brewing process I prefer to add extra enzymes.

Of course, you are going a step further and trying to convert a high percentage adjuncts, which I don't think will work. It is a small batch, so you can still say #&@% it, and try anyways.

I know somebody that experimented with papaya, but I'm not sure how much would be needed. Also, the enzymes are mostely in the skin and if you are using it as a fruit addition, you are more interested in the meat.

If you're looking to purchase enzymes online, here is something that I haven't found anyone else selling.
Convertase Enzyme, Beer Brewing Enzymes, Beer Additives at the Grape and Granary