Unmalted Barley and Amylase

[Owly055]

Anybody experiment with using ONLY unmalted barley, kilning it a bit for color and flavor, and simply tossing in a suitable amount of amylase when mashing? Obviously malting has some flavor contribution. It does more than just produce the enzymes. I have a notion to do this in a one gallon test brew just to see what the effect is.

Amylase is available cheaply............. by the pound, and I always have some around, and occasionally use it in brewing for various reasons........ don't tell anybody ;-)

H.W.

 

[unmalted]

Yes...it works, but sugar will be needed to get starting gravity to target

 

[Owly055]

Yes...it works, but sugar will be needed to get starting gravity to target

I'm wondering about the flavor........ Suppose I lightly kiln some unmalted barley to a pale two row kilning level and brew with it....... exclusively. How will the result compare to brewing with malted two row? I presume that the malting process involves multiple processes and changes. I use amalyase frequently in brewing....... for various reasons.... Probably more frequently than most folks do, but I have yet to try it with a brew that is 100% unmalted. It's a valuable tool..... and very cheap. A pound goes a LONG way. One of the things I have not yet tried is using Fungal Amylase after the boil in the fermenter. Unfortunately Convertase seems to be no longer available.......except in tiny quantities.

H.W.

 

[unmalted]

I use two 1.5 oz packets of Amylase enzyme fourmula and 100 grams of ginger root
Bring unmalted grains to 115 F and allow to rest for 1 hr
Increase temp to 125 to 130 F and add 25 g ginger root and 1/2 ounce Amylase
Stir in well and rest covered for 1 hr
Slowly heat up to boil ...rest on way up to 155F
Then boil 20 minutes
Allow mash to cool to 125F
Add flaked oats and corn flake cereal...
Add hot tap water to cover grains and add remaining Amylase and ginger root..
Now mash to 135F and rest 20 minutes
Mash to 145F rest 15 minutes
Mash to 155F rest 10 minutes
Mash out to 175 F and sparge with 180 F water

 

[Owly055]

I use two 1.5 oz packets of Amylase enzyme fourmula and 100 grams of ginger root
Bring unmalted grains to 115 F and allow to rest for 1 hr
Increase temp to 125 to 130 F and add 25 g ginger root and 1/2 ounce Amylase
Stir in well and rest covered for 1 hr
Slowly heat up to boil ...rest on way up to 155F
Then boil 20 minutes
Allow mash to cool to 125F
Add flaked oats and corn flake cereal...
Add hot tap water to cover grains and add remaining Amylase and ginger root..
Now mash to 135F and rest 20 minutes
Mash to 145F rest 15 minutes
Mash to 155F rest 10 minutes
Mash out to 175 F and sparge with 180 F water

Very interesting procedure and recipe....... 125G ginger root is hardly enough to have much of a flavor influence on a typical 5 gallon brew if you are using much in the way of hops.........What are your quantities and what are you making? Does the ginger root contribute something other than flavor? You've piqued my interest....... tell me more. Nonconformist is my middle name..... I try all kinds of wild things.


H.W.

 

[Legume]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=537870

I am a gluten free brewer, and I make beer from unmalted gluten free grains (millet, rice, and buckwheat).
The link above details my process for mashing unmalted grain, I am sure it would work well for barley as well.

 

[Owly055]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=537870

I am a gluten free brewer, and I make beer from unmalted gluten free grains (millet, rice, and buckwheat).
The link above details my process for mashing unmalted grain, I am sure it would work well for barley as well.

I find your process excessively complex, but no doubt there is a reason. Also the amylase you are using is alpha only...... I buy amylase powder by the pound fairly inexpensively from a wine supply store. I'm not sure if it's a blend or alpha only. I've recently acquired some Convertase AG300 fungal amylase, which reputedly achieves a superb conversion breaking down virtually all starch to fermentable sugars. It's available on Ebay in one L quantities for $24.95.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GLUCOAMYLASE-AMYLASE-ENZYME-AG300-AGGRESSIVE-LIQUID-CONVERTS-ALL-STARCH-TO-SUGAR-/231263273945?hash=item35d85d83d9

That is a HUGE quantity considering the fact that a typical application rate is 10-25 drops for 5 gallons. It will achieve conversion during fermentation at fermentation temperatures meaning that if you add it after the boil, it will keep on converting. It's basically the same enzyme that is used for rice wine and saki, though in a refined form rather than being produced by fungal growth during the process.

I use it under basically 4 different circumstances..........

1: Lots of adjunct grains used with two row instead of 6 row
2: Want to achieve an extremely rapid mash
3: Want an extremely dry beer (added after chilling)
4: Screwed up mash temp somehow (rare)


H.W.

 

[unmalted]

I use a lengthy complex 100% unmalted beer due to constraints in middle east.

Amylase is all that I could get my hands on...easy to transport..

Ginger is used to help convert starches..
My procedure takes three days due to long time required for ginger to work on starches

I have to boil entire mash, then cool and conduct regular mash steps over long periods of time days... To convert gelatin as best I can.
I must use date syrup to achieve desired OG.

I use coriander and cardmom in place of hops

 

[Legume]

"I find your process excessively complex"

Believe me, so do I!
My brew days are very long.
There are good reasons for the complexity, its not just for fun.

The grains I use have a high gelatinization temperature, mashing at a high temp ~175 or 180F with thermally stable alpha amylase (Termamyl) serves to both gelatinize the starch, and break it down into dextrin.

Lowering the temp and adding a more aggressive A-amylase (SEBamyl L) or a glucoamylase (AMG300) then finishes the conversion.

You might get away with a single infusion mash with unmalted barley as it gelatinization temp is lower than that of millet and rice, but your efficiency will likely be poor.

The excessively complex protocol will achieve a reasonable efficiency and quality.

 

[unmalted]

I am a whole grain brewer and when in U.S.A. I use only maximum of 35% unmalted grains with 6 row used to perform conversion in cereal mash and then perform triple decoction into malted mash,
I always get excellent results and always let unmalted grains rest for minimum of 8 hours at geletization temperatures before performing decotion into main malted mash.

When in middle east...I have to use 100% unmalted grains and I always let the wheat, barely and whole rice cereal mash rest overnight (no flaked or rolled grains added yet). I then boil the entire cereal mash.
After boiling, I lower temperature to normal mash temperatures and add Amylase and flaked grains
Results are better than anyone else brewing in my area (I make two batches of beer from single mash; I let lauter liquid settle out prior to starting the wort boil and use the clear liquid with coriander, cardmom, egyptian black honey and local honey to make a light beer.
I then use the remaining milky portion with a little cane or corn syrup and date syrup to make a hazy yet tasty beert. Sure wish I could smuggle in some 6 row....