1 gallon, All grain test batches

[tflew]

I now have 5 pounds of 4 different malted gf grains from Colorado Malting Company and yesterday I picked up 9 one gallon glass jugs from a friend (of the Carlo Rossi variety). I was planning on doing 4 different BIAB batches, one for each grain, so that I can compare the flavors/conversion ability of each grain. I was thinking of also doing a step mash or a cereal mash and compare that to the regular mash.

I was planning on just using a food processor to grind up the grain.

I would appreciate any input on mash schedules or anything else to look for/do or not do.

Tom

 

[Ash_Mathew]

I use buckwheat in my brews. I found throwing it into the water when still cold and then heating it up, helps to get rid of the 'nutty' taste it can give off.

 

[igliashon]

I don't think the food processor will work very well. I tried to use a food processor a couple times when I was getting into brewing with grains, and after the third or fourth mess I broke down and bought a Victoria mill. I've never looked back. Getting a proper and consistent crush is extremely important if you want to get any efficiency at all, and my purchase of a grain mill took me from <40% efficiency to >75%. I highly recommend getting a proper mill before starting these trials, or else you may be just throwing away time and money.

Doing a cereal mash--boiling the grains first, and then dropping them to saccharification--won't get you any fermentables unless you add some unboiled malt after dropping the temperature. The cereal mash is used in regular brewing for grains like corn and rice that have a higher gelatinization temperature than barley--the cereal grains are boiled first in the cereal mash, then the temp is dropped and the barley is added.

Other than that, I'm extremely curious about your results. Which grains did you get from CMC? Millet, buckwheat, quinoa, and...?

 

[Jenkins]

I have been malting buckwheat and quinoa for 1 gallon batches. First I tried running millet through a food processor as you describe, and boiling it with absurd amounts of amylase. While I'm quite sure by taste and looks that I got at least some conversion, separating that was absolute hell and killed the experiment. I think as Igliashon says, that processor is not going work well, if at all.
Buckwheat is large and brittle enough to crack between the bottom of a coffee mug and a rolling pin. I'll be working with that later this week!

 

[tflew]

Well as you described the food processor did not quite work as planned...the millet was so small that im really not sure it did anything. I think it would have worked ok with the buckwheat if I did it longer. I let it go for probably 15-20 seconds. I have a corona mill that I use for non gluten free grains but I was worried about cross contamination and was hoping to use a temporary substitute until I could figure out what worked then get a dedicated gluten free corona mill. I got such poor conversion from the buckwheat and millet that i ended up deciding to throw in sorghum with the millet and belgian candy syrup with the buckwheat so I would have something to ferment. I still have a couple pounds of both of those left to play with and havent touched the quinoa and amaranth yet so I will change my process for those two next time...