Mixed matched grains

[frosty24]

I have another dilema! Let's say I have to mash flaked wheat and steep some chocolate malt. Do I steep the malt and the flakes together i.e. for 1/2 hr , then take the malt out and let the flakes go another 1/2 hr to complete its 60 min mash?





I'm not as think as you drunk I am!

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

I need a little more information to see if I can steer you the right way. Depending on what lovibond chocolate malt you have you may want to only use a small amount. Also I'm not sure what you are trying to make.

If you are partial mashing, i would assume that you would just throw it all in the steeping bag and steep it... However if you are trying to create a recipe all on your own and are partial mashing, just be careful with the amount of Chocolate malt you are using. A lot of unfermentables will produce not-ideal wort depending on the beer you are intending to brew.

 

[duboman]

I can only assume you also have some base malt in there as well? In reality, if you want you can simply add the chocolate malt at sparge, which would act like steeping since all you are doing is basically color and flavor contribution. Many people add specialty grains like this to reduce astringency issues that can come from dark specialty malts if not handled properly. (pH and temp basically)

 

[JimRausch]

You can actually go either way.
Assuming you are adding some base malt with the flaked wheat, right?
Otherwise the wheat won't convert and you'll end up with a sticky, hazy mess. But if you are doing a proper mash, you can add the choco malt at the beginning, which is what I tend to do because it's easy to mix it all in. However, as duboman suggests some people will wait and add the roasted malts at the end to get the color without getting much of the roast flavor. Kind of depends on what you are trying to get from them. In general, Stout or Porter, have them in at the start. Cascadian dark ale- go late.

 

[frosty24]

Table rock nut brown ale:

6 lbs.- lite extract syrup
1 lb. - Carapils malt
0.5 lb. - Carastan malt
6 oz. -Brown malt
4 oz. - Caramel malt 120*L
2 oz. - Black malt
2 oz. - Chocolate malt

My question relates to the carapils. If I wanted to replace it with flaked wheat, after some more reading, perhaps a partial mash while the heat is being closely monitered, would be in order. Am I close? I haven't seen much good happening w/ carapils, as far has head retention goes, so I thought I would try my luck w/ flaked wheat. Also I don't have a water profile of my well water, and my wife doesn't want me to spend the money on that. It's only beer she says! Anyway, in case the water might be a culprit in head retention matter. All I have is a swimming pool paper, and i have soft water. All the other stuff, I don't know.

 

[JimRausch]

Table rock nut brown ale:

6 lbs.- lite extract syrup
1 lb. - Carapils malt
0.5 lb. - Carastan malt
6 oz. -Brown malt
4 oz. - Caramel malt 120*L
2 oz. - Black malt
2 oz. - Chocolate malt

My question relates to the carapils. If I wanted to replace it with flaked wheat, after some more reading, perhaps a partial mash while the heat is being closely monitered, would be in order. Am I close? I haven't seen much good happening w/ carapils, as far has head retention goes, so I thought I would try my luck w/ flaked wheat. Also I don't have a water profile of my well water, and my wife doesn't want me to spend the money on that. It's only beer she says! Anyway, in case the water might be a culprit in head retention matter. All I have is a swimming pool paper, and i have soft water. All the other stuff, I don't know.

That's a ton of carapils. I don't recall seeing a recipe with more than 8oz. So, yes go ahead and replace 1/2 of it with wheat if you want.
But.... there's no grain in there that has any diastatic power, with the possible exception of the carapils that might have some(I'd have to look it up).
So, if you want any benefit from the wheat, or carapils, or the brown malt( the others will give you color and a little flavor) then you should add 1lb of pilsen malt or 2-row malt or pale ale malt(crushed of course) Mix everything together and hold it at a temperature of between 145-155 for 60 minutes. This is what's known as a partial mash(PM). It will help you get all the sugars out of the grains, as well as the proteins that will help with your head -the beer head that is)

 

[JimRausch]

By the way, a lot of people might say that the most important thing for good head retention is properly cleaned glassware. Especially, be wary of soap. Soap kills foam. And if you're taking glassware out of a dishwasher that used one of those magic 'rinseaids', then bingo. My favorite beer glass seldom gets cleaned with soap- I usually just rinse it real well.

 

[Yooper]

That recipe is an extract with steeping grains recipe. If you want to replace some of the specialty grains (like carapils), you certainly can. But if you add something like flaked wheat, you need to add some base malt too. Some grains require a mash, which requires some base malt to convert things like flaked wheat.

 

[frosty24]

Table rock nut brown ale:

6 lbs.- lite extract syrup
1 lb. - Carapils malt
0.5 lb. - Carastan malt
6 oz. -Brown malt
4 oz. - Caramel malt 120*L
2 oz. - Black malt
2 oz. - Chocolate malt

My question relates to the carapils. If I wanted to replace it with flaked wheat, after some more reading, perhaps a partial mash while the heat is being closely monitered, would be in order. Am I close? I haven't seen much good happening w/ carapils, as far has head retention goes, so I thought I would try my luck w/ flaked wheat. Also I don't have a water profile of my well water, and my wife doesn't want me to spend the money on that. It's only beer she says! Anyway, in case the water might be a culprit in head retention matter. All I have is a swimming pool paper, and i have soft water. All the other stuff, I don't know.