# weetbix in IPA



## bcp (30/3/14)

Realised i forgot to order 68g of wheat for a big IPA recipe. What happens if I use something like weetbix? It's BIAB so I'm not worried about sparges - although it could be messy. But I don't really understand whether it's in a form that can be converted or I'm just going to cloud things. It's not a huge part of the recipe, but now I'm just curious.


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## dammag (30/3/14)

What about wheat flour?

The Weetbix will have some salt in it?


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## Blitzer (30/3/14)

68grams? how big is your batch size?
That's so small it should not make a difference..


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## bcp (30/3/14)

10kg. It's a big beer, so it isn't a big ingredient.


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## mmmyummybeer (30/3/14)

Could play around and try, but as its not a major part of the recipe I would just brew without it. Save the weetbix experiment for another beer. Anyway that's my 2 cents


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## bcp (30/3/14)

I wash about to mash in when I realised, so didn't have much time to research. 
Ok, it's vitabrits, which is 99% wheat. Yes, it does have salt.

Since it's unmalted, from my reading it will give a stronger wheat flavour, add to head retention, and lead to a starch haze. So I've reduced the quantity by about half (don't need as much, don't want too much muck in my biab, manage my salt intake!). I think at the small proportion it's probably there (Alesmith IPA clone) for head retention more than flavour... But this is speculation on my part. Curiousity means I threw it in.


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## manticle (30/3/14)

If you want to use unmalted adjuncts you need to gelatinise the adjunct then mash it with malt that contains surplus enzymes. Can't remember the gelatinisation temperature for wheat.

30g of weet-bix/vita-brits, malted or unmalted wheat would be unlikely to show its presence much I would have thought. Even 68g I would have left out. Typo? 680g?

Head retention can be achieved in other ways. I add wheat to brews because of its characteristic flavour (saisons, hefe, etc).


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## mkj (31/3/14)

I was wondering about Vita Brits but at 4g sodium/kg that's a bit high if you're using any decent amount.
500g in 20L is 100mg/litre, too much extra for Perth anyway. (Though that's assuming it all dissolves into the mash - who knows!)


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## garyhead.design (4/4/14)

Yes it's got some sodium, but its basically torrified wheat. I would go for. Your only talking 68g.

I've been adventurous in the past in a similar situation and used an entire box in a belgian wit. Dozens of other home Brewers tried the wheat bix brew and never guessed it. I even entered in to a local show brewing comp and it took out the wit category with a 43/50. Comments on the judges form said it was a perfect example of the style... little did they all know there was a wheat bix brick in every bottle.


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## Ross (4/4/14)

68 gms in 10kg is going to do sweet FA. Just forget it!!! Even if you meant 680gm I wouldn't be concerned in a big IPA, again you wouldn't notice any difference.


Cheers Ross


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## Not For Horses (4/4/14)

PCB_Brewer said:


> its basically terrified wheat


I can just imagine those bastards down at Sanitarium hiding behind the doors waiting to leap out and scare the wheat as it goes about it's business.


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## indica86 (4/4/14)

PCB_Brewer said:


> terrified wheat.


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## garyhead.design (4/4/14)

indica86 said:


> > terrified wheat.


Sorry, I was on my phone, I just fixed it, "torrified wheat", heat treated to break the cellular structure, allowing more rapid hydration and malt enzymes to more completely attack the starches and protein


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## Markbeer (6/4/14)

I split a batch of quarter wheatbix quarter pilsener the rest wheat malt. Half was an ipa and half a wheat beer.

Can hardly taste the wheat in the ipa i made. I thought it would have been overbearing.


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