Using Field Corn

[THansenite]

I am new to the hobby, but am very enthusiastic. I have began thinking about brewing a beer for my dad for his birthday (mid-late January). He is a farmer and I was thinking about doing a beer using some of his own corn for part of the grain. Just wondering if it is possible to yield somewhat good results from a brewing beginner using his corn.

 

[jgln]

Is it feed corn or sweet corn? That may make a difference, I am not sure but I am curious.

 

[Oldsock]

Never tried it, but you should look into cereal mashing. You will need to gelatinize (hydrate) the starches in the corn (by grinding and boiling it), before they can be converted to sugars in the mash. American 2 row can easily convert 30% of its own weight in adjunct, and 6-row can do a bit more than that. I’d probably keep the amount you use to around 20% at first just to see how it goes.

Cream ale and American Lagers were originally brewed with corn because it is low in protein which balances out the high protein barley that was typically grown in America. The corn will lighten the flavor and the body of the beer, so you may want to mash a bit hotter than you would otherwise.

Good luck.

 

[PT Ray]

Unprocessed corn also contains a high percentage of oil. There is a process that removes this that makes it better suited for brewing. Dealing with that and a cereal mash may be more work than what you're looking for.

 

[THansenite]

Thanks guys. That should really help me out. Even if I just use a little bit of corn, I think it would be neat. I'll look into cereal mashing and see what I can find there.