Adjuncts in Brewing

This month (July, 2024), James Wilson gave us a great talk on using adjuncts in your home brewing.

Transcript

1. Adjuncts in Brewing
2. What is an ‘Adjunct’ in brewing? adjunct noun something added or connected to a larger or more important thing • In broad terms it means pretty much anything that is not malted barley/wheat, hops, yeast or water. • Unmalted grains, sugar, fruit, spices, coffee, chocolate etc… • We’re going to mash and kettle adjuncts – starch and sugars
3. Benefits • Most adjuncts have low protein • Protein causes haze, so diluting protein can help promote clarity • But if you use too much you can make the wort nutritionally deficient for yeast • An easy way to boost gravity for stronger beers without increasing body by as much • Replacing some malt with an adjunct can promote dryness • Some add an interesting flavour e.g. Rye • Some add body and mouthfeel e.g. Oats, Wheat • Some adjuncts are gluten free – Sorghum and Millet
4. Some adjuncts… Must be mashed Add direct to kettle Rice Sucrose (table sugar) Maize/Corn Lactose Unmalted barley Dextrose (corn sugar) Unmalted wheat Maltodextrin Oats Honey Rye Candy sugar Sorghum and Millet Invert sugar
5. Maize/Corn • Lightens the body and adds some sweetness • Usually torrefied and rolled • Looks a lot like corn flakes, although they’re not. • Chuck it in the mash • Malted corn available in the USA Alternatives: • Cornflakes - straight in the mash • Polenta (cook first) • Popcorn (although it will have oil on it unless it’s been air popped)
6. “American Dream” Cream Ale Measures • 21 litres into fermenter • IBU 17 • ABV 4.9% • OG 1.043 • FG 1.006 • EBC 7 • 121ppm Ca, 140ppm SO4, 104ppm Cl Hops • 10g Magnum, 14% AA @ 60 minutes • 30g Cascade, 5.9% AA @ 5 minutes Yeast • Wyeast 1056 American Ale • Ferment at 16C for 4-5 days and raise to 18C when fermentation starts to slow Malt • Crisp Flaked Maize, EBC 3, 1kg, 22.7% • Crisp Best Ale Malt, EBC 5, 1.7kg, 38.6% • Crisp Europils/Lager Malt, EBC 3, 1.7kg, 38.6% • Mash at 64C for 1 hour • Boil for 1 hour
7. Rice • Lightens the body and dries out the beer • In my experience quite flavourless, but in high amounts can give a Play-Doh aroma • Flaked rice can go in the mash • Bit less extract and attenuation • Buy rice, cook it first then add to mash • Avoid ready to eat rice (oil) and ‘easy cook’ rice • Rice syrup/solids
8. “Saikou!” Japanese Rice Lager LAB Open 2024 2nd – Czech and International Lagers Measures • 23 litres into fermenter • IBU 21 • ABV 5.5% • OG 1.046 • FG 1.004 • EBC 6 • 53ppm Ca, 88ppm SO4, 24ppm Cl Hops • 12g Magnum, 13% AA @ 60 minutes • 10g Magnum, 13% AA @ 5 minutes • 8g Saaz Lupomax, 8.4% AA @ 5 minutes Yeast • 2 packs Lallemand Novalager • Ferment at 14C for 4 days, raise to 16C for 2 days then 18C to finish Malt • Crisp Europils/Lager Malt, EBC 3, 3.6kg, 70.6% • Jasmine Rice (pre cooked), EBC 1, 1.5kg, 29.4% • Oat Husks, 300g • Mash at 65C for 1 hour • Boil for 1 hour https://londonamateurbrewers.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Saikou!
9. Pre Cooking the Rice • Get a bit more extract and better attenuation this way • Take some of your strike water and cook the rice with it until it’s mushy. I cooked jasmine rice for 30 minutes. • You will need at least 3x the volume of rice to water
10. Pre Cooking the Rice • It will keep absorbing water! • It might turn into a solid lump, but will liquify once it is added to the barley mash
11. Oats • Adds creaminess, body and mouthfeel, some sweetness • Quite flavour neutral otherwise • Seems to help with haze • Use at 5-10% • Works in Oatmeal Stout, but also Wit and NEIPA Options: • Rolled/Flaked oats (like porridge oats) • Oat Malt • Golden Naked Oats • Add lots of body and sweetness • Great in a NEIPA!
12. “That Scene from Interstellar” Hazy DIPA LAB Open 2023 - 3rd Hazy IPAs Measures • 21 litres into fermenter • IBU 40 • ABV 7.4% • OG 1.068 • FG 1.012 • EBC 11 • 90ppm Ca, 35ppm SO4, 114ppm Cl Hops • 25g Citra @ 5 minutes • 25g Mosaic @ 5 minutes • 16g Citra INCOGNITO in whirlpool at 80C for 20 minutes • 25g Citra in whirlpool at 80C for 20 minutes • 75g Mosaic in whirlpool at 80C for 20 minutes • 50g Mosaic LUPOMAX Dry hop 3 days into fermentation • 20g Citra SPECTRUM 3 days into fermentation • 50g Citra LUPOMAX Dry hop at end of fermentation at 12C • 50g Mosaic LUPOMAX Dry hop at end of fermentation at 12C https://londonamateurbrewers.co.uk/wiki/index.php/That_Scene_From_Interstellar Malt • Best Pilsen Malt, 3 EBC, 3kg, 40% • Simpsons Low Colour Maris Otter, 3 EBC, 2.5kg, 33.3% • Simpsons Golden Naked Oats, 18 EBC, 1kg, 13.3% • Simpsons Wheat Malt, 4 EBC, 1kg, 13.3% Yeast • The Yeast Bay WLP4044 Hazy Daze II
13. Unmalted Wheat Pre-gelatinised options: • Torrefied (on right of picture) • Flaked wheat • Couscous/Semolina In small amounts (<5%) adds head retention (e.g. in a bitter), 15-20% provides haze and smooth mouthfeel (e.g. NEIPA) Raw/unmalted wheat: • Stronger grainy flavour and whiter colour • Good for Belgian ales (Wit!) and lambic turbid mashing • Up to 15% works fine in a single infusion mash, above that requires extra temperature steps or you can do a cereal mash
14. “Happy Wife Happy Life” Belgian Wit Measures • 19 litres into fermenter • IBU 14 • ABV 4.7% • OG 1.044 • FG 1.008 • EBC 6 • 121ppm Ca, 130ppm SO4, 110ppm Cl Hops/Spices • 10g Mandarina Bavaria, 8.3% AA @ 60m • 25g Mandarina Bavaria, 8.3% AA @ 5m • 15g Coriander seed crushed @ 5m • 10g Bitter orange peel @ 5m • 2g Chamomile flower @ 0m Yeast • Imperial B44 Whiteout • Ferment at 19C Malt • Dingemans Pils Malt, EBC 3, 3kg, 55.6% • Unmalted Wheat, EBC 3, 2.2kg, 40.7% • Oat husks, 200g, 3.7% Cereal mash the wheat: • Mash wheat + 500g pils at rests of 40C, 50C each for 10 minutes, then raise to 68C for 30 minutes. Boil for 10 minutes. • Combine with rest of mash to hit 67C for 1 hour • Boil for 1 hour
15. Rye • Provides richness to malt character and a spicy, earthy flavour, very unique • Use up to 25%, but Roggenbier uses 50% • More than 20% you probably want to use some oat/rice husk due to high glucan • Available as Flaked, Malted, Crystal and Roasted versions
16. Denny Conn’s “Wry Smile” Rye IPA Measures • 21 litres • IBU 67 • ABV 7.1% • OG 1.070 • FG 1.016 • EBC 20 • 90ppm Ca, 114ppm SO4, 66ppm Cl Hops • 30g Mount Hood, 4.8%, First Wort • 30g Columbus, 15% @ 60m • 15g Mount Hood, 4.8% @ 30m • 40g Mount Hood, 4.8% @ 0m • 25g Columbus, Dry Hop Yeast • Wyeast 1450 • Ferment at 18C, raise to 20C when slowing Malt • Pale Malt, 5 EBC, 4.15kg, 61% • Rye Male, 7 EBC, 1.3kg, 19.1% • Medium Crystal, 120 EBC, 450g, 6.6% • Carapils, 3 EBC, 250g, 2.7% • Wheat malt, 4 EBC, 250g, 3.7% • Mash at 66C for 1 hour
17. Other Stuff • Unmalted flaked barley • Good for head retention • Has a grainy bite • Popular in stouts • Sorghum • Millet • Both gluten free • Difficult to find malted versions in UK • I’ve never used them!