First Gluten Free Beer - IPA

[dn151864]

Hi Everyone,

I'm going to be brewing my first gluten free beer next week but I have a few questions in regards to sorghum. I've read that sorghum has a pretty strong taste (some say sour?). What are the best hops to use to hide this? I was thinking of using citra since I've read that grapefruit hides it well but as of yet I have not put it in my recipe. What are your experiences with using sorghum? Does it really have an off taste (I have only done regular brewing in the past but due to health issues my doctors want me to stay away from gluten and dairy)? Are there any non-gf grains that you'd compare it to?

Below is my recipe. I haven't started working on my hop schedule yet but they will all be late hop additions and dry hopping. I'm looking to do a fruity west coast ipa

West Coast IPA - Gluten Free

6.6 lbs white sorghum syrup
1lbs 4oz candi sugar
1 lbs flaked rice
1 lbs maltodextrin
1lbs buckwheat honey
8oz candi sugar d-45
mangrove jack west coast ipa yeast
3 oz mandarina bavaria hops
2 oz loral hops
1.5 oz mosaic

Would I be better served using hops like citra and galaxy?

Thanks!!!!

 

[glutarded-chris]

My experience is nothing hides the sorghum twang. You select things that pair well with it and overpower it with hop forward. My experience is that Cascade and Amarillo pair well with sorghum, because they are are on the citrus side. Personally I did not like E.K. Goldings with sorghum based brews. I thought the earthy/grassy character did not pair well. I have not tried Citra or Galaxy. I read posts that people were not happy with Citra so I never used it.

Personally, I would:
- skip the flaked rice
- drop the maltodextrin to 1/2 lbs
- use 1 lb candy candy "syrup" with no crystallized candy sugar
- try to hit 1.060 OG

 

[dn151864]

My experience is nothing hides the sorghum twang. You select things that pair well with it and overpower it with hop forward. My experience is that Cascade and Amarillo pair well with sorghum, because they are are on the citrus side. Personally I did not like E.K. Goldings with sorghum based brews. I thought the earthy/grassy character did not pair well. I have not tried Citra or Galaxy. I read posts that people were not happy with Citra so I never used it.

Personally, I would:
- skip the flaked rice
- drop the maltodextrin to 1/2 lbs
- use 1 lb candy candy "syrup" with no crystallized candy sugar
- try to hit 1.060 OG

I've been seeing a lot of about using enzymes in the mash. Do you know of any good resources that goes more in-depth about this? How much to use, which grains to use it with, etc.? Also, do I need any for this recipe?

Also just looking for some good resources about gluten free brewing in general. Any books or websites?

 

[glutarded-chris]

For the extract batch you have you are not doing a mash so you don’t need enzymes. I would steep a pound of some roasted rice malt to add character.

Once you move to all grain, and you will, you will definitely need enzymes. Best resource is this forum in my opinion. Research gluten free all grain processes and enzymes on this forum. Also consult the Zero Tolerance club for other info. I can add some links when I am back at my computer.