LOX free malt, Viking "Pilsner Zero"

[Silver_Is_Money]

One way to potentially get into low oxygen "like" brewing without changing things (other than your base malt) might be to give the new Viking "Pilsner Zero Malt" a try. This malt has been specially modified to have zero LOX (lipoxygenase) enzymes. The various LOX types of enzymes are well known to negatively impact beers flavor, stability, and head retention. The oxidation of the intermediate products generated via lipoxygenase enzyme activity during the mash lead to off-flavors, browning, and reduced head retention. The theory behind this malt is that if you get rid of the LOX enzymes which create the very products that oxygen subsequently negatively impacts, you will get rid of many of the negative effects caused by oxygen.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with Viking, and I have no idea as to whether or not they have solved the problem of the negative effects of oxygen via this approach.

https://www.maroma.sk/docs/VIKING-PILSNER-ZERO-MALT.pdf

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

In stock in 55 Lb. bags at MoreBeer.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/v...ent=BPA Item - Brewing Ingredients|10-59|C:60

 

[Brooothru]

This 'sciencey' stuff is interesting. Never heard of LOX (lipoxygenase) enzyme. The only LOX I was familiar with was liquid oxygen. Or the kind of lox you put on bagels with a schmere of cream cheese.

The fact that the grain was modified to eliminate the LOX won't do much to attract the non-GMO crowd, but if the theory holds up in practice it might turn LOB into mainstream practice rather than a 'controversial' set of protocols. Then we'd have a whole new generation of LoDO disciples (or mere acolytes like me).

I'm interested to hear any anecdotal experiences with this particular grain, and especially any opinions or documented results from @Biltsch or the German Brewer's forum folks.

 

[sibelman]

fwiw, it does not appear that this is a GMO product. Viking says "No GMO raw materials are used."

 

[Brooothru]

fwiw, it does not appear that this is a GMO product. Viking says "No GMO raw materials are used."

So I guess they selectively bred the characteristic out of the grain? I'm not very well versed in seed-level botany or crop seed propagation. That would certainly make it more marketable and acceptable in today's environment.

It's an interesting idea and a welcome addition to the toolbox of brewers if it works as advertised. I'll withhold final judgement until "peer review" by pros and home brewers along with impressions and empirical data that support the thesis (efficacy as well as taste and performance). Anxious to hear any results.



edit: Perused the spec sheet and a couple of things stood out. The protein content and beta gluten numbers seemed a little high for a lager or pils unless you step-mashed with a protein rest for greater clarity in the finished beer. Also, the diastatic power looked 'adequate' though not abundant if there was much adjunct included in the grist. Otherwise might additional enzymes be needed?

 

[Vale71]

FYI these is not realy zero-LOX malt but merely very-low-LOX malt. Enzymes are there for a reason, namely to sustain metabolism, and barley without any LOX would simply not be able to live and its seeds would not be able to sprout. The very low LOX levels are achieved through a combination of barley selection and malting parameters. This unfortunately will also affect all other malt paramenters, b-glucan levels being the most promiment. So much so that in commercial brewing the addition of synthetic b-glucanase is practically a given to prevent filtration issues both hot- as well as cold-side.

Here is an interesting scientific paper on the subject:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jib.122
The paper concludes that flavor stability is indeed increased with the use of LOX-less (or, more appropriately, low-LOX) malt. As always keep in mind that the test brew was a Chinese rice-laden light lager, which is certainly more sensitive to LOX-induced staling than say, a dry-hopped-like-there-is-no-tomorrow IPA.

 

[Brooothru]

FYI these is not realy zero-LOX malt but merely very-low-LOX malt. Enzymes are there for a reason, namely to sustain metabolism, and barley without any LOX would simply not be able to live and its seeds would not be able to sprout. The very low LOX levels are achieved through a combination of barley selection and malting parameters. This unfortunately will also affect all other malt paramenters, b-glucan levels being the most promiment. So much so that in commercial brewing the addition of synthetic b-glucanase is practically a given to prevent filtration issues both hot- as well as cold-side.

Here is an interesting scientific paper on the subject:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jib.122
The paper concludes that flavor stability is indeed increased with the use of LOX-less (or, more appropriately, low-LOX) malt. As always keep in mind that the test brew was a Chinese rice-laden light lager, which is certainly more sensitive to LOX-induced staling than say, a dry-hopped-like-there-is-no-tomorrow IPA.

Very good information. Thanks for weighing in.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Has anyone used this Viking zero-LOX malt yet? If so, what has been your experience with it?

 

[Vale71]

Elvis appears to have left the building, if you catch my drift...

Looking at those specs I'd really advise against using this malt without a lot of low-protein adjuncts and at the very least an addition of beta-glucanase. This is basically very undermodified malt that will definitely require some special handling to achieve an acceptable product. Just the hughe amount of beta-glucans would give the beer, if untreated, a thick, syrupy mouthfeel that whilst it might be acceptable in a rye ale, would be totally out of place in a light lager.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

The specs appear to be nigh-on identical up and down the line to Viking's standard Pilsner Malt.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

There is a good article on LOX-less malts on 'BYO' which was written by Colin Kaminski, one of the co-authors of the famous brewing book titled 'Water'. Here is the link to the Brew Your Own (BYO) article. Colin specifically trialed Viking's Pilsner Zero and Pale Zero malts.

https://byo.com/article/lox-less-malts-their-impact-on-staling-and-head-retention/