# Rolled Oats, What's The Limit, % Wise?



## mje1980 (7/11/12)

I've tried rolled oats a few times, and the beers seemed to lack any kind of head at all. Ok flavour. Been reading about oats, and im keen to try them again, but im gunna go all out, maybe 25-30%, but add a beta glucan rest. I basically want to push the amount right up there, so i can really tell the effect of the oats. I was thinking a big dark ale, but i brew heaps of mild ales, so i figure i should try it out in a mild. So far i've calculated it at 25%. Im sure i've seen 40% quoted as a max. 


I know that rolled oats don't need the rest, but my few attempts with rolled oats were head killers, and while i liked the flavours, i want the full oat experience. 



"Oatrageous"

59.1% Simpsons MO
24.2% Rolled oats 
9.4% Simpsons medium crystal
5.4% Pale choc
2% Roasted Barley

First gold @ 60 

1.037
21 IBU

I've gone a bit higher in dark malts than normal, just because i figure i can get away with a little more with so much oats. 


If you use oats regularly, in high amounts, what do you reckon?


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## mje1980 (7/11/12)

P.S i have this silly idea that if it worked, drinking it through a beer engine would be really yum. Dunno why, just think smooth creamy ale + engine = even more smooth n creamy??


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## labels (7/11/12)

Oats are very oily, that's why you lose head formation/retention. I reckon you got too much in that recipe and maybe you shouldn't be using them at all. Rolled/flaked barley is good and adds a smoothness with much less oilyness.

A cereal mash is good if you're using a fair bit of non malted grain, that will help with protein breakdown.

The addition of wheat (I prefer malted wheat as opposed to flaked wheat but it's your call) does help compensate for oily adjuncts because it has such a positive impact on head formation/retention even in relatively small amounts

But 24% oats - I really think you're pushing your luck, and with only 60% base malt, 100% starch conversion of the adjuncts is not guaranteed.

Steve


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## Lecterfan (7/11/12)

mje1980 said:


> P.S i have this silly idea that if it worked, drinking it through a beer engine would be really yum. Dunno why, just think smooth creamy ale + engine = even more smooth n creamy??



That's been my experience! I've lost track of the number of engines in the B.A.R. (none of them mine), but getting the chance to run certain beers through them is just delightful.

I still 'pocket sparkle' now and again, but it needs several vigorous squirts in an appropriately carbonated beer to come anywhere near the effect.

Keen to read replies to the recipe though, it looks really interesting...


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## Bizier (7/11/12)

I would consider malted oats and the Naked Golden Oats spec from Simpsons. These should be a little more broken down (unsure if BG is broken down in malting of oats) and because oat malt is enzymatic, you theoretically could use more and do a more thorough beta glucan rest.


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## labels (7/11/12)

According to FSANZ, rolled oats contain 8.7% fat. I think Bizier might have a point, malted oats might get past a lot of problems associated with porridge oats.


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## Bada Bing Brewery (7/11/12)

I tried 20% stock standard rolled oats in a belgian wit ..... disaster (one of my very few  )

10% works for me.
Cheers
BBB


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## dr K (8/11/12)

Personally, I find malted oat in an English style ale a bit of go-er ( as secret weapon if you wish) but at about 3%, I guess you could go to 10% if subtle was not taste descriptor you were aiming for.
Cereals "other than malted barley and malted wheat" are an important part of brewing, as is cane sugar/beet sugar/dextrose or for that matter fructose..but these are generally adjuncts.
OTH I guess at such an exact figure as 24.2% you must have it figured..good luck, it may be the best beer you ever brewed !!

K


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## super_simian (8/11/12)

How 'bout this recipe for "Oat Mild" from the war years...12.4% isn't a piddling percentage!


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## mje1980 (8/11/12)

http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/34-...-grouters-unite

I found a few articles which kind of hinted that up around 20% could be used, though at that much, a glucan rest seems mandatory. Im keen to see what happens. Anyway, i may be able to get it done today, and if so, i will report back if its a total disaster.


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## mje1980 (8/11/12)

Well, its currently sitting at 44c, so i'll either finish off as usual, or i'll have a ******* huge bowl of wholegrain porridge for morning tea!


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## Bada Bing Brewery (8/11/12)

My disaster was a murky headless soup (sounds appealing). Totally the oats to blame as it was a beer I had done a few times, I just doubled the oats to see what would happen.
Good luck though.
Cheers
BBB


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## mje1980 (8/11/12)

Did you do the Beta glucan rest?? Most of the few articles mention a beta glucan rest if going over 10% oats. I'll be sparging soon, so i'll find out if it worked or not.


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## mje1980 (8/11/12)

Sparge went well. Tiny bit slower than usual, but nothing stuck. All in the kettle and getting it up to the boil as we speak. Chilling down the pre boil sample. Fingers crossed its not way low haha


Edit, pre boil came up as expected. 1.030 for a 1.037 mild, which is right about where it normally sits. Now i just need to ferment and keg it and see the results haha


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## Bada Bing Brewery (8/11/12)

mje1980 said:


> Did you do the Beta glucan rest?? Most of the few articles mention a beta glucan rest if going over 10% oats. I'll be sparging soon, so i'll find out if it worked or not.



It was a BIAB from 2 yrs ago (now 3V) and I did a 45C and 55C rest for the raw wheat. Can't recall if I chucked anything else in for the rests .... tut tut - tardy bookkeeping.
Interested to see how it goes.
Cheers
BBB


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## mje1980 (8/11/12)

Ah crap, so am i now haha. I was hoping the rest would stop the mash sticking ( which it did ), and that much oats would give a nice silky mouthfeel and good head retention. Hmmm, looking forward to brewing it and seeing what happens. I just used cheap rolled oats.


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## tiprya (8/11/12)

Did you use cooked rolled oats or 'instant' oats straight in the mash?


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## mje1980 (8/11/12)

Just coles brand "quick oats" in the mash, though i did a beta glucan rest to break down some of the gumminess. That worked, and i hit my gravities fine, i just need to ferment and keg to see if i have a nice creamy mild, or a headless soup. Im hoping for the former.


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## tiprya (8/11/12)

Very interested - great experiment. Keep us posted.


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## mje1980 (14/11/12)

So i pitched a starter yesterday. I was pretty surprised this morning to see no activity, they usually show some form of life overnight. This afternoon i could still see no activity through the plastic ( which is not very see through ) so i risked a look. It actually seems like there are co2 bubbles pushing through the surface, but there is no krausen whatsoever. I too ka reading, and it looks like its 3 gravity points down. Im assuming it is fermenting, but the oiliness is preventing any kind of krausen?. This seems possible but unlikely. Anyway i'll check tomorrow morning. Its only 1.040 sg, so by tomorrow morning a gravity sample should tell the story. If it is fermenting, im going at assume the final product will have zero head or retention. Which is a bit of a bummer. Looks like i'll be buying some flaked oats hahaha


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## mje1980 (15/11/12)

I checked the gravity today, and there was a good inch of krausen there. Its fermenting, and there is krausen. Might actually work. Though i did order some Oat malt, and some flaked oats haha. I plan on doing some more experiments with oats.


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## Bizier (16/11/12)

Keen to hear your tasting notes.

I am still drinking a mild containing the spec oats. I love it.

Remember - Harviestoun use oats in Bitter and Twisted. I could mainline that beer.


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## mje1980 (16/11/12)

Hmm i'll have to look out for Bitter n Twisted. So far tasting like a nice mild, a little silky on the tongue, but not extreme, and the krausen sticks to the side of the test tube. Should be kegged by monday, tasted by wednesday haha.


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## mje1980 (20/11/12)

Kegged and carbed. Well, its definately got a head, so a tick there. Flavour wise, its a nice mild, i like it. The mouthfeel is a bit more silky than other beers yep, but not as silky smooth as i'd expected. If blindfolded i definately wouldn't straight away pick it is a beer with heaps of rolled oats in it because of the mouthfeel.

So for this experiment i guess i can say that i don't really get the super creamy mouthfeel and thick creamy head in beers with lots of oatmeal. Maybe a higher gravity beer with more body might show a difference? Dunno, maybe a beer engine would push it more? Again, i dunno.


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## tiprya (20/11/12)

I think the idea that a very oat-y beer will be super creamy is probably just an extrapolation of the fact that a small amount of oats adds a bit of silkiness - probably not based on extensive experimentation.

From reading a bit of the Barkley Perkins blog, it seems oatmeal stouts originally had very little oat content.

Anyway, great to hear that it has a nice head, oats sound like a good addition to a mild.

Now to find room in my brewing schedule for an oatmeal stout...


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## mje1980 (20/11/12)

I've got some oat malt coming, so I'll try another oat beer, but a bigger beer, probably porter,with the oat malt. See what happens.


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