Is a cereal mash necessary?

[AImhoff]

I've been making a blonde ale with basmati rice. I boil the rice, then add it to the mash and have been getting great, crisp beers.

Does gelatinazation of the rice starch occur if I boil it?

 

[stpug]

Yes. Your method is good.

 

[AImhoff]

Why do so many articles from reputable sources insist upon a cereal mash?

 

[stpug]

That's a very good question, and one I don't have an answer for. As for gelatinization temperatures of cereal grains, while they definitely vary by grain, they do not require any enzymes to full gel - time and temp is all that's needed. Once gelled, those starches can be introduced to an enzyme-rich mash and the enzymes (provided there are enough) will convert the starches. I stopped doing cereal mashes many years ago; I simply boil my adjunct to gel-point, adjust particle size if desired, and add to mash for conversion.

 

[BrewerBrad82]

Boiling the starchy adjuncts is essentially the exact same thing as a cereal mash. A traditional cereal mash uses a slight bit of malted barley to convert any present starches before boiling. As long as you have sufficient diastatic power in your mash, I see absolutely no reason to add barley malt to a cereal mash whatsoever. Just boil the starches for a half hour and add to the main mash. By directly adding the boiled starches to a mash, the mash temp will raise, so this is a convenient way to conduct a step mash. For a single infusion mash, conduct your starch adjunct boil before the main mash is created, and allow the boiled starches to come down to your intended single infusion mash temp. Mash in your barley/wheat etc, and simply stir in your boiled starches and off you go.