Burnt adjunct/cereal mash with first wit

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

tonymark

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Messages
108
Reaction score
4
Location
Atlanta
Lesson learned, don't try to do a adjunct/cereal mash with a false bottom installed.

I brewed a wit on Thursday by first doing a adjunct mash (122 F,150 F, boil) with constant stirring.
The adjunct mash contained
6 lb 6-row
8 lbs wheat flour
2 lbs oat flour
I attempted to do it in my mash keggle with the false bottom installed... bad idea. I added my main grains (2-row, aciduated, 1 lb rice hulls) and room temp water to stabilize at 153 F for my main mash. I managed to sparge ~4 gallons with minimum problems. Then it stuck, I remixed and stuck again within 30 seconds. Added another pound of rice hulls and stuck again. I moved the entire mash to buckets, pulled out the false bottom and there it was, a big piece of burnt carbon.:(:(:(:(

I cleaned it out, reassembled poured mash back in and continued on with no problems.

4 days later the gravity is 1.010 (WLP400 yeast). As you can guess it tastes burnt. The wit tartness is there with a really nice flavor, but the burnt flavor is too much.

Do I just pour out? Can I fix it?

Would a pump have helped with this brew? I think that the mash would just clogged up at the false bottom because of the wheat flour. Maybe I should mash in my boil keggle next time and transfer to the lauter tun for sparging.

What is the best approach for a adjunct/cereal mash?
 
I think most home brewers simply boil these ingredients in a regular pot while constantly stirring and then add them to their mash. It's probably wise to use rice hulls in the mash for some insurance against a stuck sparge. If the grains stay moving, there is adequate liquid in the cereal mash, and the temperature isn't too high, you should be able to avoid scorching.
 
Dumped it today. I tasted some as I dumped and I gagged.

The makeup wit brew is Friday. I am going to do the adjunct mash in my boil kettle and just scoop it a bowl at a time to the main mash tun.
 
Did a rebrew a few weeks ago and it is really incredible already. Tastes a lot like a Hoegaarden. I would have 20 gallons instead of 10 if I hadn't burned the first batch.
 
Just a question...
I had already use 50% wheat flour in a wit.
I didn't go with a cereal mash but i sufferd some efficiency... (it turned out great though)
Now i ll brew it once more but this time i will cereal mash the flour ( since i will use a medium body schedule.
My question is:
1. Why i should boil my cereal since gelatinazation is below mash temps? Can i just skip the boiling part?
2. The grains i will add to cereal for the mash will contribute to main mash if i boil the cereal mash? Should i exclude them for my grain bill?
 
I don't really do the adjunct mash anymore. I do cook the wheat in a big pot. I start with room temp water, add flour and basically make a big pot of cream of wheat by bringing it to a light simmer for a few minutes. I put this in my preheated mash water and adjust appropriately. I do use 3 lbs of 6-row for the extra enzymes in the mash. I do a step mash of 122 F and 150 F. I want the wheat gelatinized before the protein/beta glucan

I really want to experiment with this yeast with some other varieties. I really enjoy the clove flavor that I get when fermenting around 73 F.
 
Back
Top