Probably a Really Dumb Question, but ....

[WinterWarrior]

is there a way to make beer or a beer-like brew without grains? I'm thinking that what actually makes beer a beer is, well, grain!

Our family is doing Paleo and that means no grains, not even gluten-free grains (I checked).

I've got a Hard Lemonade in primary and I'll be starting a hard cider in a few days and, of course, wine -- I've got a nice sauvignon blanc kit on hold ready for me to pick up.

BUT -- is there a way to make beer without using a grain?

Thanks for looking at my dumb question!

Winter!

 

[TheZymurgist]

Sure! It's called wine. Or mead. Or cider.

 

[poptarts]

Pretty sure Budweiser does something similar.

 

[WinterWarrior]

Sure! It's called wine. Or mead. Or cider.

That's what I was thinking. There's so much alcoholic goodness to be made without grain, that I'll be plenty happy. And hubby only breaks down into tears on a twice daily basis now!

Winter!

 

[sandyeggoxj]

You could dryhop a cider. That can be fun. And add a new dimension to cider. If you do try some galaxy or calypso.

 

[TheZymurgist]

That's what I was thinking. There's so much alcoholic goodness to be made without grain, that I'll be plenty happy. And hubby only breaks down into tears on a twice daily basis now!

Winter!

HA! Seriously, if you haven't tried mead, you should. Unfortunately the commercial meads I've found are too cloying, but I've had mead from fellow homebrewers that was absolutely amazing. And dangerous. A little too drinkable...

 

[texwake]

Go to the gluten free section of HBT

 

[TheZymurgist]

Go to the gluten free section of HBT

Still made with grain...

 

[roastquake]

Molasses was a big ingredient in colonial brewing. I've used it as a main ingredient before, but always in conjunction with grain so I'm not sure how a 100% molasses brew would turn out.

I'm surprised that grains are excluded from the paleo diet, I would have thought that cavemen munched on grass seeds. I just looked at a list of "do's and dont's" and noticed that cereal grains are excluded but "nuts and seeds" are included. Grains are nothing more than grass seeds

 

[WinterWarrior]

You could dryhop a cider. That can be fun. And add a new dimension to cider. If you do try some galaxy or calypso.

Now that's something I should look into ... thanks!

I really needed an excuse to start another batch of cider ...

 

[Ash_Mathew]

Well, buckwheat isn't a grain. It's a pseudo grain. Try that? Plenty on here about malting buckwheat. Or, doing the diet you are, you can try date syrup. There was also a thread about this some months ago. Try searching for that?


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[bdh]

Now that's something I should look into ... thanks!

I really needed an excuse to start another batch of cider ...

Dry hopped mead is also quite good if you want to do a mead. Normally I find mead too sweet to really get into, but I took a tour of the Redstone Meadery last time I was in Boulder, and they make a dry hopped mead that I really liked.

 

[WinterWarrior]

Dry hopped mead is also quite good if you want to do a mead. Normally I find mead too sweet to really get into, but I took a tour of the Redstone Meadery last time I was in Boulder, and they make a dry hopped mead that I really liked.

Mead is on my To-Do list ... I just want to actually try drinking some first before I dive into making it.

 

[AGGF_Brewing]

Nutritionist here. The whole idea with excluding grains from Paleo is that they contain many anti-nutrients (phytic acid, lectins, etc) that aren't that great for the body and they are high in carbohydrates that lead some people to weight gain. And many people feel better not eating gluten containing grains. However since your interested in brewing the carbs aren't an issue. And when you malt, ferment, sour, etc grains you are breaking all of these anti-nutrients down. And it is ridiculous for Paleo gurus to say that grains are bad but eat as many seeds and nuts as you want. Grains are by definition the seeds of any member of the grass family, and all seeds and nuts have these anti nutrients, sometimes in high proportions than grains. I did paleo for about a year and never felt better than when I added properly fermented gluten free grains back into my diet.

Bottom line, don't get caught up in the rigidity of no grains with Paleo. Use it as a template, make meat and veggies the bulk of your diet, and supplement with properly treated gluten free grains and see how you feel.

 

[WinterWarrior]

Bottom line, don't get caught up in the rigidity of no grains with Paleo. Use it as a template, make meat and veggies the bulk of your diet, and supplement with properly treated gluten free grains and see how you feel.

Thanks -- and I agree with you totally! All in moderation and with common sense. I started to respond to the earlier comments and just didn't feel like bothering as it is such a personal choice & I didn't want to appear defensive ... diet is a choice that is different for every person that makes the switch. Food is very personal.

We feel so much better on paleo ... little or no joint pain for hubby and a very slow but steady weight loss for me. We're about 80/20 paleo, so we aren't rabid about it. We've read that most people today are 80/20 or 90/10. We both drink alcohol, I have a totally not-paleo-approved creamer in my morning coffee and we drink probiotic milk kefir. So, there's our 20%. LOL

I've read all about the grain debate and it depends on who you ask. No matter what anyone says, let's face it if we were "true" paleos then we'd be out there hunting and gathering. The only place I hunt and gather is my local grocery store and farmer's markets. And I plan to keep it that way!

Personally, we do avoid all grains because of hubby's joint issues. Him not having joint pain is more important than making beer when we can make cider & wine instead!

 

[Osedax]

Totally not a nutritionist here. Just putting it out there. Gluten is a massive inflammatory. Many people claim to have better joint health and less bloating when going on a gluten free diet. This info is directly from my osteopath. Obviously, not eating grain eliminates a huge chunk of gluten. Could be what's helping. Again, not a specialist.

I'm in the camp of 'do what makes you feel good'. If it works keep doing it.

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[CanadianBacon]

Molasses was a big ingredient in colonial brewing. I've used it as a main ingredient before, but always in conjunction with grain so I'm not sure how a 100% molasses brew would turn out.

I'm surprised that grains are excluded from the paleo diet, I would have thought that cavemen munched on grass seeds. I just looked at a list of "do's and dont's" and noticed that cereal grains are excluded but "nuts and seeds" are included. Grains are nothing more than grass seeds

They use molasses in making rum mash for distilling so that could be a start for what it might taste close to and there are atlest 3 different types of molasses and they ussualy are not labeled well so you would need to research the tastes of them all. Some taste very burnt and strong.

 

[WinterWarrior]

They use molasses in making rum mash for distilling so that could be a start for what it might taste close to and there are atlest 3 different types of molasses and they ussualy are not labeled well so you would need to research the tastes of them all. Some taste very burnt and strong.

I don't mind molasses in small doses -- it's an acquired taste!

I'm fine with using evaporated raw sugar cane. Especially since most of it gets eaten by the yeast.

 

[jeffz]

I've tried a lot of combinations out of a desire to make the most-Paleo-friendly carbonated & hopped beverage that satisfies my cravings for beer. I can give you a summary of what I've tried and the results:

• 100% honey, boiled like wort, and then bottle-carbonated like beer, can result in something that looks and tastes beer-y but ultimately the body is too thin. I can dial in color by using dark buckwheat honey, which also brings a malty taste to the party, but ultimately these beers were unsatisfying. No head on them and they go flat very soon after pouring.
• Honey + rice syrup gets a little better. It can make for a nice light-bodied replacement for a beer. But emphasis on LIGHT. My experiments inevitably invited comparisons to a more aggressively hopped Corona. And yeah, I know rice is a grain. Using buckwheat honey as the honey helped some with depth.
• 100% sorghum: that gets discussed to death here. Good for a hoppy pale ale or IPA, in any other kind of beer there's going to be grapefruit/citrusy "twang" taste that lots of folks find unappealing depending on style. Plus sorghum is sort of a grain?
• Sorghum + buckwheat honey seems to mitigate the "twang" some, and lets me use buckwheat honey much like regular brewers use crystal malt to add some darker color and sweeter depth to brews. This is my favorite option for quickly making a good drinkable beer. But I favor strongly hopped IPAs that play well to these ingredients.
• Rice syrup + molasses was just "meh". I think I tried honey and molasses too, and ultimatley just decided never to use molasses in my brews. There's always a dark metallic yucky flavor that I just don't like. Maybe in a stout, but I don't drink stouts much.
• Sweet potato + honey: made by "mashing" sweet potato as one would for all-grain brews then straining to get wort. This was actually really tasty and resulted in good mouthfeel and head. But ultimately I'm not sure it was THAT superior to sorghum+honey, certainly not better enough to be worth the extra effort.

Jeff

 

[Osedax]

FYI; The sorghum used in gluten free brewing is actually molasses. It comes from the cane not the grain. Not sure if that helps any.

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[Legume]

The sorghum syrup normaly used in gluten free brewing is made from unmalted sorghum grain (mashed with fungal enzymes). It is diffrent from the sorghum molasses made from sweet sorghum cane.

 

[Osedax]

They use both. Breiss has both. The 45DE stuff is grain and the 60DE is pressed cane (molasses). Sorghum molasses is much more gross than the unmalted stuff. This is coming from a guy who grew up in the south too. On a side note; Anyone want 50# of 60DE Breiss sorghum syrup?

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[roastquake]

They use both. Breiss has both. The 45DE stuff is grain and the 60DE is pressed cane (molasses). Sorghum molasses is much more gross than the unmalted stuff. This is coming from a guy who grew up in the south too. On a side note; Anyone want 50# of 60DE Breiss sorghum syrup?

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Is it the same consistency and flavor as sorghum syrup you get for biscuits? I may be interested

 

[Osedax]

I think it is a bit thicker and I don't think it tastes as well. I honestly don't know if it's even any good. I've had it for about a year. I made one batch with it and use it for starters. That's it.

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