Raw White Wheat instead of White Wheat Malt?

[Carolina_Matt]

My first BIAB was a Blue Moon clone kit (Lunar Shock from Morebeer). They use 5 lbs of White Wheat, and it came out great. The instructions don't say which White Wheat they use, and I didn't think to write it down.

I bought some bulk grain and hops so that I can re-create some kits for less money. When I brewed the Blue Moon clone a few weeks ago, my efficiency was horrible and I missed my OG by quite a bit. I just realized that I bought Briess Raw White Wheat. I'm assuming that the kit used Great Western White Wheat Malt, rather than the raw stuff. Is there anything I can do to get better efficiency with the raw wheat? Or should I just use a little bit of it in other batches, for head retention, and stick to White Wheat Malt in future batches of Blue Moon?

I'm new to using bulk ingredients instead of kits, and had no idea these were much different products. I thought it was a similar malt by two different companies (like Briess 2-row vs Great Western 2-row).

 

[Miraculix]

My first BIAB was a Blue Moon clone kit (Lunar Shock from Morebeer). They use 5 lbs of White Wheat, and it came out great. The instructions don't say which White Wheat they use, and I didn't think to write it down.

I bought some bulk grain and hops so that I can re-create some kits for less money. When I brewed the Blue Moon clone a few weeks ago, my efficiency was horrible and I missed my OG by quite a bit. I just realized that I bought Briess Raw White Wheat. I'm assuming that the kit used Great Western White Wheat Malt, rather than the raw stuff. Is there anything I can do to get better efficiency with the raw wheat? Or should I just use a little bit of it in other batches, for head retention, and stick to White Wheat Malt in future batches of Blue Moon?

I'm new to using bulk ingredients instead of kits, and had no idea these were much different products. I thought it was a similar malt by two different companies (like Briess 2-row vs Great Western 2-row).

You need to boil the raw wheat to gelatinise the starch. Google cereal mash!

 

[IslandLizard]

Use flaked white wheat. It's pre-gelatinized, doesn't need a cereal mash.

Just make sure your average diastatic power of the grist is at least 35°Lintner for full conversion. Better if a bit higher, like at least 45°L, for faster, more thorough conversion in a 60' mash. When in doubt, do an Iodine test or run a small test batch (~1 pound).

BTW, Wit beers are typically brewed with 40-50% or more flaked wheat.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

Thanks! I can't believe I didn't know the difference between the various options. But at least I figured out why my efficiency was so bad on that batch.

I went through my cell phone pictures and realized I took a picture of the kit right before I brewed it. The Morebeer kit did come with Great Western White Wheat Malt. My wife loved that beer, so I'll probably stick to that going forward. In the meantime, we have about 5 gallons of <4% beer to get through.

 

[Miraculix]

Thanks! I can't believe I didn't know the difference between the various options. But at least I figured out why my efficiency was so bad on that batch.

I went through my cell phone pictures and realized I took a picture of the kit right before I brewed it. The Morebeer kit did come with Great Western White Wheat Malt. My wife loved that beer, so I'll probably stick to that going forward. In the meantime, we have about 5 gallons of <4% beer to get through.

A session beer can be nice too!

 

[IslandLizard]

The Morebeer kit did come with Great Western White Wheat Malt.

What other grains are in that kit, especially base malt(s)?

Not saying you can't use wheat malt, but it tastes quite a bit differently from flaked (raw) wheat, which is much closer to raw wheat, and a signature flavor in Wit beers. The malting process changes that classical raw wheat flavor.

Look up any proper Wit beer recipe. Many kits don't adhere closely to style originality. Some even contain grose errors, such as using flaked grains in an extract kit with steeping grains, with no base malt or partial mash directions in sight.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

What other grains are in that kit, especially base malt(s)?

Not saying you can't use wheat malt, but it tastes quite a bit differently from flaked (raw) wheat, which is much closer to raw wheat, and a signature flavor in Wit beers. The malting process changes that classical raw wheat flavor.

Look up any proper Wit beer recipe. Many kits don't adhere closely to style originality. Some even contain grose errors, such as using flaked grains in an extract kit with steeping grains, with no base malt or partial mash directions in sight.

The kit from Morebeer contains:
6 lbs of Briess 2-row
5 lbs of Great Western White Wheat Malt
1 lb of Flaked Oats

It seems to be pretty close to other Blue Moon clone recipes I've seen online - I just goofed and didn't realize Raw White Wheat was different than White Wheat Malt.

 

[lump42]

You could try your hand at home malting. No cereal mashing needed and you have another little adventure. I've read multiple suggestions to start with wheat since its easier to see how long the acrospire is and gauge conversion.

Homebrewtalk article: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/adventures-home-malting.html
Homebrewers Assoc article: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/how-to-malt-grains-at-home/
Sprowt Labs article: https://www.sprowtlabs.com/2017/02/23/how-to-malt-at-home