Flavor of Cracked Corn as an Adjunct in Cream Ale/US Adjunct Lager

[iamninjabob]

Saw a bag of cracked corn at 12$ for 50lb (https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-cracked-corn-50-lb), and I couldn't help but see if I could use it for brewing. My local brew shops sell their flaked corn for ~2$ a pound so .24 cents a pound makes it so I cant not look further into it. Seems like I would expect to see at least a 5% drop in sugars from the corn, but it's totally doable. The question is does it taste any good? Or does it even matter if I'm using it at 10-20% of the grain bill?

I've found a good bit on the forums about if it's possible, but I don't see many talking about the results. I'd love to know if anyone's tried this and if they regretted it or not. If not I'm going to have to give this one a try for myself.

Steps I've found for using cracked corn in a typical beer mash:
If possible grind corn for better extraction
Acid rest @ 104F for 20min
Protein rest @ 130F for 20-30min
Sacc rest @ 149-155F for ~60min with barley or strait enzymes

Sorry if there's already a 200 page thread on this topic. If you can point me to it I'm happy to remove this post. I just don't see many people talking about the flavor of their results only if they can or cant use it.

 

[bracconiere]

i've tried feed store cracked corn, i think they use fungicide on it. and it tastes like "feed store" grain.....and you'd have to use barley malt to convert it or enzymes...and do a cereal mash first to gel the starch because corn doesn't gel at mash temps....


on the plus side if you think that's good, you can get whole barley for the same price and malt your own barley, tastes fine!

 

[bracconiere]

i should add, that's my experience with cracked corn....i've never tried malting whole corn, but it'd still have to be cereal mashed first i believe. might taste better though?

(i've malted and brewed with whole oats too, kinda grassy in the glass....but damn during the boil it smells like heavy cream!)

 

[iamninjabob]

i've tried feed store cracked corn, i think they use fungicide on it. and it tastes like "feed store" grain.....and you'd have to use barley malt to convert it or enzymes...and do a cereal mash first to gel the starch because corn doesn't gel at mash temps....


on the plus side if you think that's good, you can get whole barley for the same price and malt your own barley, tastes fine!

Thank you! This is he honest answer I was hoping for. I figured as much since like I said no one seems to mention how it tastes just that you can.

 

[bracconiere]

Thank you! This is he honest answer I was hoping for. I figured as much since like I said no one seems to mention how it tastes just that you can.

you know i've seen people spend a week, building a yeast starter, not much harder to malt barley.....

 

[bracconiere]

oh, and feed store wheat doesn't taste good either.....

 

[marc1]

oh, and feed store wheat doesn't taste good either.....

I've used it to make sprouted wheat bread that was very dense but tasty. The sacks of wheat I get are very clean compared to the barley.

 

[bracconiere]

I've used it to make sprouted wheat bread that was very dense but tasty. The sacks of wheat I get are very clean compared to the barley.

i don't care for animal feed grade wheat....even when i malt it, it just tastes like animal feed. (i've somewhat started thinking any grain with-out a husk gets treated....)

edit: i see you live in ohio, is that actually "feed grade" or are you buying straight from a silo, before there's a difference?

 

[marc1]

i don't care for animal feed grade wheat....even when i malt it, it just tastes like animal feed. (i've somewhat started thinking any grain with-out a husk gets treated....)

edit: i see you live in ohio, is that actually "feed grade" or are you buying straight from a silo, before there's a difference?

The sacks come from the Amish feed store where I also get the rest of my chicken feed

It's a large crisp paper bag that just says something really simple on it, like "wheat".

I don't think they grow it on site, but according to the labels they do manufacture the powdered chicken feed mix on site.