Questions on mashing with rice and corn

[aapomme]

Hello all,

My friends and I have been discussing brewing with a rice and corn mash and want to get as much information on rice, corn, and Koji as possible. None of us have brewed gluten-free or with Koji before and want to avoid wasting time and money. Having read through a few GF threads, I would LOVE some extra details on the subject. In no particular order...

• Can Kame-Koji be mashed like malt barley to produce fermentable sugars?
• Would the proper enzymes be present in said mash to process corn as an adjunct (~30%), or would the corn need to be infected pre-mash?
• Could flaked rice/corn be infected using Koji, or would you need to use whole grains/seeds?
• Just learned today that Minute Rice can convert itself, which is super exciting. Any corn equivalent?

Basically we want something simple and effective to produce an extract with a subtly sweet and smooth character, to be flavored almost entirely during the hop boil. I will be eternally grateful for your responses to any/all of my questions. Cheers!

P.S: First post on HBT - wooooo

 

[C-Rider]

What in the world is Kame-Koji? Googled it and found nothing do do w/brewing or grain. What is it?

 

[insanim8er]

What in the world is Kame-Koji? Googled it and found nothing do do w/brewing or grain. What is it?

Sake.. It's used in sake... It moldy rice

 

[igliashon]

Can Kame-Koji be mashed like malt barley to produce fermentable sugars?

No. Follow the same process to make sake. There are instructions elsewhere on this site. A standard infusion mash will not work.

Would the proper enzymes be present in said mash to process corn as an adjunct (~30%), or would the corn need to be infected pre-mash?

You can use corn with koji the way you'd use rice to make sake. Again, you won't have any luck mashing it barley-malt style.

Could flaked rice/corn be infected using Koji, or would you need to use whole grains/seeds?

The koji only needs the starch and the trace nutrients present in finely-milled and polished white rice. So flakes should work just the same.

Just learned today that Minute Rice can convert itself, which is super exciting. Any corn equivalent?

No, actually, Minute Rice can't convert itself. Minute rice is pre-gelatinized and can be added directly a mash without boiling first, but it has ***ZERO*** diastatic power.

Basically we want something simple and effective to produce an extract with a subtly sweet and smooth character, to be flavored almost entirely during the hop boil. I will be eternally grateful for your responses to any/all of my questions. Cheers!

Buy rice syrup and corn syrup from your local healthfood store. The results will be identical to using some enzyme source to convert unmalted corn and rice, because *that is how these syrups are made in the factories*. They do exactly what you're trying to do--take unmalted grains, add enzymes, create a sweet fermentable syrup. In other words, you are just making extra trouble for yourself and the end result will be no different than what you can buy at the grocery store.