Flaked grain identification quiz

[camonick]

I’m pretty sure I already know the answer, but thought I’d see what everyone else thought. I’m weighing ingredients for a stout brew day tomorrow and noticed an issue with some of my grain inventory.
2 bags, both marked “flaked barley” from different suppliers, but visibly different. I’m pretty sure the pile on the right is actually oats. What do you think? It’s not a lot of $, but could affect the recipe.
Edit: Flaked barley is what I need.

 

[day_trippr]

Ugh. This is why I always make sure to have my lhbs friends label flaked grain purchases. I have the worst time between oats and barley.

But, wth, I'm gonna go with corn on the left and oats on the right.
And if I'm half right on that, maybe wheat on the right

[edit] Just re-read the OP and honestly I don't think that pile on the left is barley...

Cheers!

 

[Yooper]

I’ve never seen dark flaked barley- it looks like the one on the right. But.....that doesn’t mean it’s NOT flaked barley on the left, just that it’s darker than anything I’ve ever seen.

 

[bracconiere]

the pile on the left looks like rolled barley, not flaked....on the right looks kinda like quaker oats? but i've never bought flaked barley, but i have bought rolled from the feed store. and the one on the left looks just like it....

 

[camonick]

Upon further investigation, I believe they are both barley. I just tasted a pinch of old fashioned oats my wife has in the pantry and then tasted the pile on the right. Very different taste and texture. I’ve been using the grain from the left pile for many of my stout attempts lately and now wonder if that could be the culprit in my disappointment. I’m going to use the pile on the right this time (in the name of science) and see if there is any difference.

 

[Tom R]

Don't know what the left is, but I'd bet a pint that the right is flaked barley.

 

[Immocles]

Upon further investigation, I believe they are both barley. I just tasted a pinch of old fashioned oats my wife has in the pantry and then tasted the pile on the right. Very different taste and texture. I’ve been using the grain from the left pile for many of my stout attempts lately and now wonder if that could be the culprit in my disappointment. I’m going to use the pile on the right this time (in the name of science) and see if there is any difference.

I don't use a ton of flaked barley, but every time I have used it (from a few different sources) it has looked more like the white pile on the right.

 

[day_trippr]

See? I'm turrible with flaked grains

 

[Bramling Cross]

Like the others, the stuff on the right is clearly flaked barley as I know it. The stuff on the left seems to have an intact hull, maybe it wasn't pearled prior to the flaking process? Did you get the stuff on the left at a hippie store that is big into whole grains?

 

[camonick]

Did you get the stuff on the left at a hippie store that is big into whole grains?

No, it came from a well known online supplier, and it’s looked like that every time I’ve gotten it from them so I’ve never questioned it. I added the stuff on the right to an order I placed from a different company I’ve never used before and was surprised in the difference when I finally got around to using them. I’m going to use the stuff on the right today and see what happens.

 

[hopfenstopfen]

No, it came from a well known online supplier, and it’s looked like that every time I’ve gotten it from them so I’ve never questioned it. I added the stuff on the right to an order I placed from a different company I’ve never used before and was surprised in the difference when I finally got around to using them. I’m going to use the stuff on the right today and see what happens.

I hope this is flaked barley

 

[hopfenstopfen]

In other lighting, looks like your pile on the left.

 

[camonick]

In other lighting, looks like your pile on the left.

Definitely

 

[camonick]

I just finished my BIAB mash using the flaked barley on the right. The results were night and day compared to the last batches using the left grain. I had a terrible time getting the grain to drain, it was a slimy glue-like mess. The flaked barley soaked up my mash water like a sponge, the other stuff never did that. It’ll be interesting to see the end results when this is done fermenting.

 

[Tom R]

How much does the recipe call for?
It's about 2-1/2% of my grain bill in my APA, at that amount I've never had issues.

 

[grampamark]

As a grain farmer I was pretty sure what the grain on the left was, but I went downstairs and rummaged through my stash for confirmation. Yup. Flaked wheat.

 

[camonick]

How much does the recipe call for?
It's about 2-1/2% of my grain bill in my APA, at that amount I've never had issues.

It was a bunch (24%), I've never seen that much used before, but the person I got it from said it was a proven recipe so I'm running with it. Hopefully it wasn't a typo when he gave it to me.

 

[camonick]

As a grain farmer I was pretty sure what the grain on the left was, but I went downstairs and rummaged through my stash for confirmation. Yup. Flaked wheat.View attachment 715829

Now that is interesting.

 

[Pappers_]

From my supplier (Farmhouse Brewing Supply), flaked/rolled barley is usualy a little darker than flaked/rolled oats, fwiw.

 

[grampamark]

Look at the left photo in the OP and compare it to the attached pic of whole wheat kernels. Note that many of the flaked kernels aren’t very “squashed” and that the distinctive crease which runs the length of the kernel is visible.

If the flaked grain in @camonick ’s recipe was, in fact, wheat, it’s not surprising the mash was sticky. 24% would be a lot of flaked wheat.

 

[tracer bullet]

So, if someone doesn't mind, and I know a lot of you guys responding are experienced - I'd love to hear a little about how these taste and how to use them. Flaked barley, wheat, and oats.

Well I sorta know oats, have made a milion bowls of oatmeal, cookies, etc. and have used it in beer (though I can't say I could really tell a difference, maybe it was a silkier stout, maybe not). And rye and rice are pretty obvious. But for the flaked barley and wheat, what are they like?

I don't want to derail the thread but I thought that maybe taste could be an identifier in the future for this kind of question.