Floor Malt Brewing

[lhd7osc]

I've done my search, but I couldn't find anyone asking or talking about this.

When brewing with Floor Malt, is there anything differnt that needs to happen? Step Mashing, extended mash time etc.?

ipe:

 

[lhd7osc]

I guess to be more specific I’m brewing up a British Biters with this Malt. I guess we will have to wait and see...

 

[Gameface]

I guess to be more specific I’m brewing up a British Biters with this Malt. I guess we will have to wait and see...

No there's nothing different. Floor malted grain is very well modified and can be mashed with a single infusion mash with zero worries.

In fact, I believe single infusion mashing and batch sparging is sometimes referred to as a British style mash.

 

[lhd7osc]

Very awesome indeed. Now to get a Cask and go serious old school on it!!

 

[joshualoomis]

if using weyermann's floor malted grains, they are slightly under-modified. i have used their bohemian floor-malted pilsner numerous times with great success, but it does take more attention than other base malts.

whenever i use this malt (which i have numerous times in altbier, baltic porter, and belgian strong ales) i do a short protein rest before the sacc rest. i then use a single decoction to reach mash-out. for me, on my system, this brings out the full flavor and mouthfeel potential of this awesome grain.

these should help:

http://www.weyermann.de/downloads/pdf/Voigt_Poster_Trends in Brewing Ghent 2010.pdf

http://www.weyermann.de/eng/produkte.asp?idkat=203&umenue=yes&idmenue=0&sprache=2

 

[VladOfTrub]

"No there's nothing different. Floor malted grain is very well modified and can be mashed with a single infusion mash with zero worries."

Depends on the producer. Crisp Euro Pils and Weyermann Pils light and dark floor malt are under modified. Best Malz Pils can be decoction mashed, although the protein rest would need to be adjusted.

Knowing what's on the data sheet for the malt being used and understanding the data, isn't a bad idea. The Kolbach and SNR number or the percentage of protein, are used to determine protein rest temps and duration. Europe uses Hartong number.

Weyermann can be used in the English, single conversion, method. However, if the step mash method is used, enzymatic action can be controlled. The brewer is running the show. The English, single temperature conversion method is a take what you get method. Meaning, dump hot water at a certain temp on malt, enzymatic action is set by that one temp. If mash pH is closer to optimum for one enzyme, than the other, while resting at the temperature that someone said was OK for producing Bitter. The enzyme that's in it's optimum pH band will be doing more work. The other enzyme can slow down or stall and then, thermally denatures.

These days, I use only Weyermann light and dark floor malt in everything. When the malt is tri-decoctioned, the smooth, malt flavor is all there. Back in the 80s, Budvar under modified malt was available. The malt produced great beer, when tri-decoctioned.

If you are interested in a real good malt that will work well for Ale, try Dingemans Mouterij. I was given a sack to try. The malt is standard protein, high modified. I brewed Lager using the tri-decoction method. The final product turned out to have more of the maltiness of a real fine Ale, than a lager. The flavor was clean and smooth. The beer aged well. All brewers have something called "artistic license." I called it Ale and all was well.

 

[lhd7osc]

Great feedback, thank-you. The malt is Warminster Marris Otter.

 

[VladOfTrub]

The malt's percetage of protein is standard. But, it is slightly above standard modification. The Lintner is on the low end. When corn or rice are used, standard two row might have to be added. Because the malt is slightly over modified, a low temperature protein rest wouldn't be advisable.

High modified malt is considered modern malt. The time period when malt became modern, would have to be the same time period when the English method came into existence.

"i then use a single decoction to reach mash-out. for me, on my system, this brings out the full flavor and mouthfeel potential of this awesome grain."

Mash out is a part of the tri-decoction method and works best when the method is used.
There is a part of malt called hard starch. It is heat resistant. At conversion temperature, the starch is barely affected by enzymes. When boiling liquid is dumped into the mash. The temperature increases to the point where the hard starch will burst. When that happens, amylopectin is released. Since, the enzymes have thermally denatured, the amylopectin will not convert and ends up in the keg or bottle.

When thick mash is boiled, the hard starch will burst and amylopectin is released. Then, the boiled mash becomes gelatinized. When the boiling decoction is added back into the main mash, it increases the mash temperature to a conversion temperature. During the conversion rest, the enzymes will convert amylopectin. The conversion temperature determines whether, fermentable sugar or non-fermentable sugar are produced. When beta is active, maltose, maltriose and B-Limit dextrin are produced. When alpha is active, non-fermantable sugar and A-limit dextrin are produced.
When it comes time to mash out, very little starch is left. That is the reason why the tri-decoction method produces greater yield than other brewing methods, and the reason why mash out works.