# Fawcetts Flaked Maize



## Ross (6/11/05)

I regularly do an English bitter that uses a small amont of corn - I'm sure I've read somewhere that corn should be boiled first, before mashing - I contacted Fawcetts who told me that all the small micros they supply in England just mash it without boiling, as he reckoned it was flaked that fine it probably didn't need boiling, but he didn't seem totally convinced.
What is the opinion here please? If you feel it should be boiled - for how long?

Cheers Ross


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## BoilerBoy (6/11/05)

G'day Ross,

I'll be interested in some expert opinions on this as I was under the impression that flaked maize was just corn popped and then flaked.

I did a pilsner earlier this year with flaked maize, I just used one of those hot air poppers that pop corn without oil and mashed that. 

I didn't bother flaking it, I think the main reason its flaked is that its so bulky, Whatever the reason at the end of the mash it looked like it had completely dissolved!

Cheers


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## tangent (6/11/05)

i did a corona clone with a hot air popper too BB
the popped corn just dissolves into the mash - easy peasy
sorry Ross, i've never used flaked corn tho..


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## warrenlw63 (6/11/05)

Ross.

Flaked maize is fine just tossed in with the rest of the mash. Corn flour is similar. Polenta needs to be boiled and treated as a cereal mash. :beerbang: 

Warren -


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## wessmith (6/11/05)

Spot on Warren, just put it in the mash with all the other grist material. The flaking process is much the same for barley, wheat and corn (maize). The grains are tumbled in a steam filled atmosphere and then run thru a roller mill that exerts enormous pressure on the kernels. This again generates instant heat causing the starch to gelatanise while flattening the kernels. 

Done properly, and the TF flaked grains are certainly that - (they are processed by a small company that specialises in brewing adjuncts for the industry in the UK), you will have no difficulty in acheiving a good extract. You can also run the flaked grains through your mill to further break up the particle size.

Wes


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## Ross (6/11/05)

wessmith said:


> Spot on Warren, just put it in the mash with all the other grist material. The flaking process is much the same for barley, wheat and corn (maize). The grains are tumbled in a steam filled atmosphere and then run thru a roller mill that exerts enormous pressure on the kernels. This again generates instant heat causing the starch to gelatanise while flattening the kernels.
> 
> Done properly, and the TF flaked grains are certainly that - (they are processed by a small company that specialises in brewing adjuncts for the industry in the UK), you will have no difficulty in acheiving a good extract. You can also run the flaked grains through your mill to further break up the particle size.
> 
> ...



Wes,

The Fawcetts flaked maize just looks like corn grits - very hard, finely ground pieces - doesn't look like it's undergone any treatment other than being broken up...


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## Darren (6/11/05)

I imagine flaked maize would be flat and round


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## Ross (6/11/05)

Darren said:


> I imagine flaked maize would be flat and round
> [post="88672"][/post]​



Me too - hence the question...


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## wessmith (6/11/05)

Hi Ross, 

It has been thru the flaking process as I described which probably could be better described as a cooking process. But as TF advised you, English brewers simply add it into the mash along with the rest of the grits. Even the Firkin Pub brewing recipes we have give that same instruction.

Wes


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## Darren (6/11/05)

Wes, Are these what Americans call "grits".
cheers
Darren


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## Ross (6/11/05)

Thanks Wes, Guess I'll take it as having been treated like you said.
When I asked the guy at Fawcetts whether it required boiling first, he just said, "I don't think so, it's ground up so small, just mashing should be fine". He made no comment to the fact that it had already been in effect heat treated.

Cheers Ross...


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## warrenlw63 (7/11/05)

Darren.

Grits are similar if not the same as Polenta. It's just uncooked, de-germed, coarsley ground corn. You need to boil it first to liberate the starch.

Warren -


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## Ross (7/11/05)

warrenlw63 said:


> Darren.
> 
> Grits are similar if not the same as Polenta. It's just uncooked, de-germed, coarsley ground corn. You need to boil it first to liberate the starch.
> 
> ...



Warren - I'm sure this is what the Fawcett product is - unless someone can confirm otherwise?


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## warrenlw63 (7/11/05)

Ross.

I've used the TF flaked maize about 5 times. Chucked it straight into the mash and it was fine. HB store milled it for me, however it can be put straight into the mash as is.

You definitely do not need to pre cook it.

Warren -


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## mje1980 (7/11/05)

I agree, i just used some today in a dark ale. It looks like is has been crushed already, so i just threw it in the mash. Beer came out spot on the OG, no worries. I believe if it is flaked, then it just goes straight in the mash.


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## JasonY (7/11/05)

warrenlw63 said:


> Polenta needs to be boiled and treated as a cereal mash.



My last brew was a Wit and used 2kg of polenta and I didn't do a cerial mash, it worked fine and I even managed to get 90% efficiency (despite getting a stuck sparge, 90 min mash).

Do you really need that cerial mash?

EDIT: forget it my brain aint working it was SEMOLINA not POLENTA


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## Peter Wadey (7/11/05)

Hi Ross,

Just thought somebody should let you know that Wes used to import Fawcetts grains & adjuncts into Australia.

Rgds,
Peter


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## warrenlw63 (7/11/05)

JasonY said:


> EDIT: forget it my brain aint working it was SEMOLINA not POLENTA
> [post="88764"][/post]​



Semolina is Durum Wheat (?) IIRC Wheat has a lower gelatinzation temperature than corn. :unsure: 

Warren -


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## Darren (7/11/05)

I stil have a scars on my hand from cooking polenta. Buy the flaked stuff if it can go straight in the mash


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## warrenlw63 (7/11/05)

Yep,

I learnt the hard way. Stir the porridge with a rubber glove on your hand. The stuff burps and farts like those mudpools in NZ. As do the odd decoction mashes. :blink: 

Warren -


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