"Flaked Oats" = Quaker quick oats?

[kombat]

Hi guys,

I'm brewing a recipe that calls for "flaked oats," which my usual grain source doesn't carry. However, he told me that Quaker quick oats are the same thing (which is why he doesn't carry them). Is that really true? Can I just use plain old Quaker quick oats for the "flaked oats" called for in my recipe?

I guess I just thought they were different, sort of like how "flaked corn" in a recipe is not at all the same as Kellog's Corn Flakes.

 

[xjmox14x]

Yup, good ol' Quaker quick oats. Use them all the time.

 

[MonsterBrew]

I cannot say that they are the exact same. They may be, I'm not sure. I can say that I have used quick oats (brand x) for several different brews with great success. Adds a bit of the oatmeal character and definitely some body and head retention. Just my experiences with it.

 

[BlackGoat]

yep! just make sure they are the quick oats and not rolled oats. The quick oats or pre-gelatanized so you can avoid having to cook them first before adding to the mash.

 

[terrapinj]

quick oats are rolled/flaked oats that have been cut up into smaller pieces after being rolled

the rolling/flaking is what pregelatinizes them

 

[Cheapo]

How would this work doing extract? Would I boil them first, or throw them on in at some point in the usual boil?

 

[BlackGoat]

you would need to mash them, wouldn't want to throw them in the boil. I would suggest a mini partial mash if you are going to use oats in an extract brew.

 

[MEPNew2Brew]

As further validation of what others have said - Brad Smith (Beer Smith) last week noted using Quick Oats instead of flaked oats at his presentation and the Homebrew Conference last week.

 

[stpug]

I've always used the non-quick rolled oats (Quaker Old Fashioned Oats), and these ARE pregelated oats. The "quick oat" variety are simply broken down into much finer pieces for even quicker water absorption. I think both are legitimate alternate sources for homebrew "flaked oats", and I prefer the old fashioned because they are less manipulated and more like what you'd buy at the LHBS.

Edit: As a comparison, old fashioned whole oats have instructions to boil for 5 minutes but I've found 3-4 minutes to be sufficient. Steel cut oats, on the other hand, are not pregelated and require about 20-30 minutes of boil time (and they really do need that amount of time). FWIW

 

[Cheapo]

Awesome. So what I think I'll do is make it according to directions, only 1.5-2x the water, then after they're cooked I'll add them into my boil. Any ideas on how far into the boil, or for the entire duration?

 

[BlackGoat]

Awesome. So what I think I'll do is make it according to directions, only 1.5-2x the water, then after they're cooked I'll add them into my boil. Any ideas on how far into the boil, or for the entire duration?

you most certainly do NOT want to add oats to your boil, you need to mash them with the grains. If you are doing extract only, I'm not sure whether you can use oats (maybe steeping them?) but you wouldn't want to boil them in your wort, just as you don't want to boil any other grains.

 

[bja]

I've always used the non-quick rolled oats (Quaker Old Fashioned Oats), and these ARE pregelated oats. The "quick oat" variety are simply broken down into much finer pieces for even quicker water absorption. I think both are legitimate alternate sources for homebrew "flaked oats", and I prefer the old fashioned because they are less manipulated and more like what you'd buy at the LHBS.

This is not true. Use only the quick oats and do not boil them. They need to be mashed with several pounds of base malt.

 

[oldschool]

Quick oats are NOT the same thing at all. If you want to use quaker brand then use the "Old Fashioned" and not the quick. The quick oats have been previously cooked/processed in some way. They may or may not taste and contribute the same thing but they aren't the same. As mentioned, either will need to be mashed. I have only used the Old fashioned/flaked oats in the past so I can't comment on the instant.

Not trying to step on toes just trying to help.

 

[doghousechef]

Get some 2 row barley from your lhbs and a grain bag. Line a small cooler or pot with the grain bag, put the barley, oats(quick or old-fashioned), and some water in and hold it at 154 degrees for an hour. Pull out the bag and squeeze. Dump the liquid in your brew pot. You need the enzymes in the barley to convert the starches in the oats.

 

[kombat]

Quick oats are NOT the same thing at all. If you want to use quaker brand then use the "Old Fashioned" and not the quick. The quick oats have been previously cooked/processed in some way.

My understanding is the "processed in some way" part is what makes them able to be added directly to a mash. That is, they've been steamed, thus gelatinizing the starches and making them available for the enzymes. If you use the non-"quick" kind (i.e., the "old fashioned"), then mashing them is pointless unless you cook them first, to gelatinize the aforementioned starches.

My LHBS confirmed that the "quick oats" are exactly the same thing. I used them months ago and they worked as expected.

 

[IslandLizard]

Get some 2 row barley from your lhbs and a grain bag. Line a small cooler or pot with the grain bag, put the barley, oats(quick or old-fashioned), and some water in and hold it at 154 degrees for an hour. Pull out the bag and squeeze. Dump the liquid in your brew pot. You need the enzymes in the barley to convert the starches in the oats.

Partial Mash:
Agree on getting some crushed 2-row barley malt. But I would do the partial mash in the oven.

Use malt to oats at least 2:1 and a pound of malt at minimum. Put that with your other specialty grains in a large pot and add 1.5-2 quarts of hot water per pound of grains. Stir really well. It should be medium thick, not thin. The temperature of the mash should be around 150-154°F. Put a lid on it and stick that pot in a 150° (check that temperature!) pre-heated but turned-off oven and let sit for an hour to 90 minutes. Check the temperature midway and adjust if needed. You could stir it up 2 or 3 times during this mash time.

Lauter:
Line a colander with a large grain bag and place over another large pot. Dump the mash into the colander (on top of the grain bag) and catch the wort. Now put the colander over the first large pot (rinsed out), and pour the wort slowly on top of the grain bed to filter out all grains and other particles. You should end up with clear, slighty cloudy wort.

Put that wort in your boil kettle.

Sparge:
Now rinse (sparge) those grains in the colander with the same to twice that amount of hot water (@170°) to extract more wort. Don't overdo it, or you'll extract (bitter) tannins. Alternatively you could mix and stir the grains with sparge water in your pot and strain again as before.

Add that to your boil kettle.

Proceed as usual.

 

[bja]

My understanding is the "processed in some way" part is what makes them able to be added directly to a mash. That is, they've been steamed, thus gelatinizing the starches and making them available for the enzymes. If you use the non-"quick" kind (i.e., the "old fashioned"), then mashing them is pointless unless you cook them first, to gelatinize the aforementioned starches.

My LHBS confirmed that the "quick oats" are exactly the same thing. I used them months ago and they worked as expected.

This is exactly correct.

 

[oldschool]

Starch gelatinization occurs at temps above 140 or so which is your mash temp. Your mash is gelatinizing all starches- its why conversion happens so quickly. If you buy flaked or rolled oats from a home brew shop, they are not the quick oats, they are the Old Fashioned.

 

[stpug]

Some flukey information going around here. Let's see what Quaker/Pepsi has to say about this:

What is the difference between Quaker® Old Fashioned Oatmeal, Quick Quaker®, Quaker Steel Cut Oats and Instant Quaker® Oatmeal?

Quaker® Old Fashioned Oats are whole oats that are rolled to flatten them.

Quick Quaker® Oats are made the same way but are simply cut into slightly smaller pieces so they cook faster.

Steel Cut Oats are whole oats that have not been rolled into flakes. Instead, they are cut approximately into thirds. Cooking time is 30 minutes and the texture is heartier than rolled oats. Steel Cut Oats are also known as Scotch Oats, Pinhead Oats (in Great Britain because they resemble the size and shape of the head of a large pin) and Irish Oats.

Instant Quaker® Oats use the exact same oats, only they are rolled a little bit thinner and cut finer so that they cook very quickly.

All the types are equally nutritious because they supply all parts of the oat grain including the bran, endosperm and germ. It’s the different size and shape of the oats that affects the cooking time and texture. Additionally, most/many varieties have some vitamins, minerals and flavoring ingredients added.

Ahhh... so Quaker Old Fashioned, Quick, and Instant are all really the same thing.... interesting

Source: https://cu.pepsico.com/quaker

Now let's see what wikipedia says:

Rolled oats are traditionally oat groats that have been rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers and then steamed [i.e. gelated] and lightly toasted. The oat, like the other cereals, has a hard, inedible outer husk that must be removed before the grain can be eaten. After the outer husk (or chaff) has been removed from the still bran-covered oat grains, the remainder is called oat groats. Oat groats are a whole grain that can be used as a breakfast cereal. Steel-cut oats are oat groats that have been chopped into smaller pieces and retain bits of the bran layer. Since the bran layer, though nutritious, makes the grains tough to chew and contains an enzyme that can cause the oats to go rancid, raw oat groats are often further steam-treated to soften them for a quicker cooking time (modern "quick oats") and to denature the enzymes for a longer shelf life.

Rolled oats that are sold as oatmeal usually, but not always, have had the tough bran removed. They have often, but not always, been lightly baked or pressure-cooked or "processed" in some fashion. Thick-rolled oats are large whole flakes, and thin-rolled oats are smaller, fragmented flakes. Oat flakes that are simply rolled whole oats without further processing can be cooked and eaten as "old-fashioned" oatmeal, but more highly fragmented and processed rolled oats absorb water much more easily and therefore cook faster, so they are sometimes called "quick" or "instant" oatmeal. Oatmeal can be further processed into coarse powder, which, when cooked, becomes a thick broth. Finer oatmeal powder is often used as baby food. Rolled oats are also often the main ingredient in granola and muesli.

Rolled oats can be used to prepare oat flour at home by pulsing rolled oats in a food processor. [1]

Whole oats are an excellent source of thiamine, iron, and dietary fiber. Whole oats are also the only source of antioxidant compounds known as avenanthramides; these are believed to have properties which help to protect the circulatory system from arteriosclerosis. Oat products also contain beta-glucan, which may help people with Type 2 diabetes control their blood glucose level, and might also help stimulate the immune system to fight off bacterial infections.

Ahhh... so Old Fashioned Oatmeal, Quick Oatmeal, and Instant Oatmeal are all really the same thing.... interesting

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolled_oats

Additionally, this topic has been covered before so let's see what they had to say (hint: same thing that I've just said):
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/rolled-oats-vs-flaked-oats-134530/

But really, in the end, it comes down to conversion in a mash. My mashes indicate that Quaker Old Fashioned Rolled oats are the same thing as Briess Flaked Oats and I bet yours will too

 

[Cheapo]

Love all the suggestions guys, thanks so much. I decided since I'm making a double batch, I'll try one with the oatmeal mashed for an hour during the boil and then added at flameout (I am doing extract by the way, with some fermentables additions) and then another batch maybe using milled quinoa and oatmeal done the same way, just to see the difference, if any. All about learning right?

 

[Cheapo]

Almost had my first boil over there, phew!

 

[ShaineT]

...... If you use the non-"quick" kind (i.e., the "old fashioned"), then mashing them is pointless unless you cook them first, to gelatinize the aforementioned starches.....

No need to boil at all, given there is sufficient base malt% to provide the enzymes for conversion. Extended protein rests along with the base malt are recommended for using larger % of unmalted grains such as wheat berries.

 

[ShaineT]

Almost had my first boil over there, phew!

Are you brewing right now? You're in my timezone, I've not met anyone else that did "nightshift" brewing, LOL, thought I was alone.