Use of Whirloc and Flaked Barley

[Haldedrums]

Hi all. New to all-grain brewing. I am going to be brewing my 8th beer this coming week. Recently purchased some flakes barley to add to my grain bill to increase the body and "mouth taste" to my Oaked Carmel Porter. My question is, should I still be adding Whirloc (Supermoss) to my wort if I am adding flaked barley to increase body and ultimately the number of proteins in my beer? Are these two steps counteractive? Any help would be great!

Thanks.
Michael

 

[kanzimonson]

I don't claim to understand all the complex stuff that protein does in beer, but you should know that not all proteins are created equal.

That is, some proteins contribute to chill haze, some for body, some for head retention, etc. And that's not including another significant component of flaked barley that also contributes to these things - beta glucan.

In short, don't think that using whirfloc or irish moss will decrease body or head retention. It's about reducing chill haze for the most part.

 

[Haldedrums]

Oops, I meant Whirlfloc!

 

[Haldedrums]

Thanks for the info. Am I right that flakes barley will increase body and head retention? Do you still recommend using the Whirlfloc in addition to the flakes oats?

 

[devilishprune]

Yes, flaked barley and oats will increase body and head retention. Yes, I would still use a fining agent.

It's not the proteins in flaked barley and oats that contributes to body and mouthfeel, it's the beta-glucans that they contribute. Beta-glucans are polysaccharides, aka carbohydrates, aka sugars. Thus, they will not be affected by whirlfloc or supermoss.

It's my understanding that both of those fining agents act based on electrostatic charge (moss is the opposite charge of the proteins). Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but carbohydrates are non-ionic and non-polar, so they won't have a charge to be affected by the various mosses.

 

[Haldedrums]

Devilishprune: Thanks for the information, this is really helpful!