Extract, using quick oats, no grains to mash

[mac_1103]

As does Hamburger Helper.

That would be the same word, right? Anyway, I try to avoid conversing with inanimate objects. Especially when I'm in the middle of a meaningful discussion with a fictitious person.

 

[Quentin Nelson]

So how come there are extract kits like this one that have flaked oats them? I've never seen any that mentioned adding enzymes, so are those kits just going to be kind of weird?

Good question Hank!
All those other specialty grains have been roasted dark, with or without a previous mash conversation. They are all the sort of adjuncts I add at the end of a normal mash for flavor and color. Except the flaked oats... the UNMASHED oats would contribute a lot of haze and unconverted starch. I would probably never brew a recipe like this. Too much superfluous sugary junk for my taste. And I’d prefer my bourbon on the side with one ice cube.

 

[Bobby_M]

Not sure if it was mentioned yet but you can also use malted oats if you're willing to steep them in a smaller container of water at about 150F (aka, mash them).

 

[VikeMan]

I've read a few times in this thread that oats increase head retention. That is wrong, oats actually decrease head retention after a certain threshold has been reached and at no point they increase head.

True. I'm not even sure there's a threshold, really. Oats are rich in lipids, which is a foam killer. A small amount of oats in a grain bill won't necessarily result in unsatisfactory foam retention, but I'd bet a paycheck that all else being equal, even a small amount of oats will result in less foam than no oats. It's largely about the proportions of "foam positive" to "foam negative" compounds.

 

[mac_1103]

I'd bet a paycheck that all else being equal, even a small amount of oats will result in less foam than no oats.

Does it matter if they're malted, or is this false advertizing?

 

[VikeMan]

Does it matter if they're malted, or is this false advertizing?

I think it's a little less clear with malted oats. My subjective experience is that they are not as bad for foam as unmalted oats, but maybe "neutral" at best. If I had to hazard a guess as to why, it would be that malted oats effectively undergo a protein rest during malting, increasing the ratio of their foam positive medium-ish proteins to foam negative lipids, as compared to unmalted.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

True. I'm not even sure there's a threshold, really. Oats are rich in lipids, which is a foam killer. A small amount of oats in a grain bill won't necessarily result in unsatisfactory foam retention, but I'd bet a paycheck that all else being equal, even a small amount of oats will result in less foam than no oats. It's largely about the proportions of "foam positive" to "foam negative" compounds.

Yeah, I recall brewing an Oatmeal Stout with 1 lb of flaked oats (I think I started with the Northern Brewer kit). I thought jacking that up to 2 lbs would get the ABV where I wanted it and boost the body. The head retention tanked. I then added 1 lb of wheat into the next batch. That seemed to help bring the head retention back, but at this point the beer was a bit out of balance with not enough roast for the extra 2 lbs of grains....but I liked it so I just called it an Imperial Oatmeal Porter. I need to brew that recipe again.

Speaking of "foam positive" and "foam negative"...I was on a webinar recently with Charlie Bamforth (the King of Foam). He said that while Crystal malts have been found to be foam negative, this property results in less foaming during the brewing process which can result in better foam in the final beer (he indicated that some of the foam negative properties don't make it through to the final beer).

 

[Miraculix]

True. I'm not even sure there's a threshold, really. Oats are rich in lipids, which is a foam killer. A small amount of oats in a grain bill won't necessarily result in unsatisfactory foam retention, but I'd bet a paycheck that all else being equal, even a small amount of oats will result in less foam than no oats. It's largely about the proportions of "foam positive" to "foam negative" compounds.

I think the theory behind the threshold was that the yeast is happily munching on the lipids and incorporating them into their cell walls, up to a certain amount. But those which are left over would be problematic, that's true.

 

[mac_1103]

So use malted oats to make your starter and dump the whole thing in?

 

[Miraculix]

So use malted oats to make your starter and dump the whole thing in?

Using oats in a starter would be actually a really good idea. Oats promote yeast health big time. I've read that and after reading I've made experiments and the same beer with just 10% of the grist replaced with oats finished a few days earlier than the normal beer.