Shredded Wheat (cereal)

[jgln]

Well, to try and answer my own question it seems all I did was create a starch liquid. But does that mean this won't work or do I need to mash longer. Someone else here was going to try this in late June, I will be curious if they do. Anyway, if I don't get any replies I am going to try this again with a small batch but cook longer.

 

[jgln]

This topic has been disgussed quite a bit over in R/I by means of the GaP experiment (Grocery and Produce) where the goal is to brew beer entirely out of items that can be bought at a general grocery store. I've got an experimental gallon of beer fermenting right now that's main source of fermentables is GrapeNuts cereal, which is 50/50 barley/wheat. The recipie is basied roughtly off of a hoegaarden clone.

thread for the GaP: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=69313

You must have replied while I was typing. Can you describe the process you used or was it the usual method? Saw that thread but no SW mentioned from last look, I'll check again, thanks!

 

[Freezeblade]

You must have replied while I was typing. Can you describe the process you used or was it the usual method? Saw that thread but no SW mentioned from last look, I'll check again, thanks!

No mention of SW no, but as for mashing cereal like that, yeah, you just made starch water, there's no enzymes to convert the starch to sugar. doing a mash with some 6-row would probably provide you with some extra enzymes, but for the GaP experiment, unless you can get some 6-row in your local grocery, you have to use other ways to convert. Most people went the Bean-o route, as it has a de-branching enzyme (this is the way I did it, as well as EvilTJO) some others were discussing bananas (as they have some enzyme as well) or even malting their own grains, like wheat corn, etc. In short, you need something to convert that starch to sugar before you can brew with it.

 

[Jim Karr]

By the way, BHT and BHA are acronyms for butyl hydroxy toluene and butyl hydroxy anisole.

That knowledge, and fifty cents, will buy you a very small cup of coffee.

 

[jgln]

By the way, BHT and BHA are acronyms for butyl hydroxy toluene and butyl hydroxy anisole.

That knowledge, and fifty cents, will buy you a very small cup of coffee.

So you are saying all else aside, the additives alone are enough to make this not work?

 

[david_42]

Shredded wheat, if it is the real, 100% wheat, nothing added, stuff, can be substituted for flaked wheat, but some of the toasted flavor will come through.

 

[fishops]

Well, to try and answer my own question it seems all I did was create a starch liquid. But does that mean this won't work or do I need to mash longer. Someone else here was going to try this in late June, I will be curious if they do. Anyway, if I don't get any replies I am going to try this again with a small batch but cook longer.

Shredded wheat doesn't have any enzymes to turn starch into sugar. For it to work properly in a beer, you need to mash it with some malted barley. If you're unfamiliar with the mash process, I would suggest starting with the Wiki, and doing some searches on the forum and on youtube.

 

[jgln]

Well I finally tried it and I am very happy with the results and would do more SW recipies. Not sure if it's cost effective though to not just use wheat. I just bottled last Friday night but from the flavor then I couldn't resist chilling a couple bottles early and trying last night. Very "white" and reminds me of expensive Belgians. I mashed 5lb of malt, 3lb of SW and used a belgain yeast. The SW didn't add fermentable sugars of any degree so I added 1.5lb of corn sugar, afraid to use too much to throw off flavor. Now that I learned something about mashing and the recipe I can make adjustments on my next batch and add more malt. The SW really gives the beer body and flavor. Thanks for all your advise, hopefully this beer doesn't change too much in aging as I love it the way it is now.

 

[jgln]

Well I finally tried it and I am very happy with the results and would do more SW recipies. Not sure if it's cost effective though to not just use wheat. I just bottled last Friday night but from the flavor then I couldn't resist chilling a couple bottles early and trying last night. Very "white" and reminds me of expensive Belgians. I mashed 5lb of malt, 3lb of SW and used a belgain yeast. The SW didn't add fermentable sugars of any degree so I added 1.5lb of corn sugar, afraid to use too much to throw off flavor. Now that I learned something about mashing and the recipe I can make adjustments on my next batch and add more malt. The SW really gives the beer body and flavor. Thanks for all your advise, hopefully this beer doesn't change too much in aging as I love it the way it is now.

Well, I am very, very happy with this beer. I gave out 5 bottles to 5 friends to try and all raved about how good it was. One even said it may even be the best wheat beer he has ever tasted, no lie, and that is commercially and he claims to have had tried quite a few. I just brought more Shredded Wheat but also plan to try wheat from a supplier just to compare taste, has to be less expensive than cereal.

 

[jgln]

Just wanted to update everyone, I have brewed 3 all grain beers using shredded wheat cereal and they all came out tasting great......bad news is I have also brewed several using plain old wheat grain I cannot tell the difference, tastes the same. :cross:

 

[wilserbrewer]

Thanks, I have brewed about 10 batches of beer in the past and was looking for new ideas from ingrediants found at home,
Thanks again,
Jim

Well, if you are adventurous, I have made a nice wheat beer a few times by adding spagetti to the mash. Boil it for around an hour first so it is nice and gelatinized.

Read the label...spagetti is usually 100% duram wheat...sometimes w/ an iron supplement.

related thread here.....https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/anybody-ever-used-pasta-adjunct-96661/

 

[jgln]

Well, if you are adventurous, I have made a nice wheat beer a few times by adding spagetti to the mash. Boil it for around an hour first so it is nice and gelatinized.

Read the label...spagetti is usually 100% duram wheat...sometimes w/ an iron supplement.

related thread here.....https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/anybody-ever-used-pasta-adjunct-96661/

So you really noticed the flavor? I am thinking most of it is so compresses into the noodle not much would be exposed to be converted or have much impact. Did you break it down? Maybe break it up into small pieces or chop it up after cooking?

I think one day I may try this.

 

[wilserbrewer]

The spagetti wheat has a bit more tang...probably similiar to raw wheat rather than malted wheat.

I just overcook the heck out of it prior to mashing. I feel the raw wheat can have a sharpness while young, but ages nicely after a few weeks.

60 % two row
40 % spagetti
mash in the low 150's

light bittering at 60 min

orange peel and coriander to taste...bout an once each??

 

[BasementAle]

This is fabulous. I decided to try something stupid with Golden Grahams cereal. And in case anyone is interested,

7.5 lbs malt + 2 lbs Golden Grahams = sparge stuck like a glue

Some creative wort handling and a boil later it's fermenting like mad. I checked the box and it also contains BHT. So in answer to the question, no, BHT doesn't stop fermentation (although I have noticed considerably less kreusen from the Wyeast 1007 that normally requires a turbo blowoff tube at this temperature).

If I mess with processed food like this again I will absolutely stuff the mash tun with rice hulls.

Cheers