Ag 'corona Style' Knockoff - Flamesuit On!

[edddy57]

+1 with Taz here - if using a huge amount of adjunct you would be advised to do a cereal mash first, as they do in the USA and also I'm sure at Corona. This "pre-digests" the adjuncts by using the alpha amylase of a portion of the base malt which you add, converting the gelatinised starches of the adjuncts - then you tip them (at appropriate temp) into the main mash so that the main mash doesn't scream "WTF".

In your case with your fearsome adjunct bill, I would get a stockpot or three, bring the adjuncts to around 73 degrees in a fairly thick mash and stir in about 20% of the dry base pilsener malt, stirring like buggery. The Alpha amylase attacks in less than a minute and the thick mash then turns into a sort of soup. Amazing. Then let it cool to the temp of the main mash, in your case 64 degrees and pour it in. Like feeding babies on Gerbers as opposed to HJ Whoppers :lol:

Don't worry about using up some of the base malt, plenty of enzymes left to go around - decoction mashes boil up to 2/3 of the base malt and kill the enzymes, but obviously no harm done.

Clarification: I have only ever done a single infusion when using rice and corn (usually polenta instead of corn), however I have boiled them first prior to adding to the main mash (at usual temp of 64 - 67 degrees). Given what you have said Bribie, would you still boil the rice & corn before bringing the temp down to the suggested 73 degrees and adding the 20% dry pillsner malt. Also when you say "fairly thick mash", after boiling the rice its pretty damn thick.. Do I need to add more water first?
Eddy

 

[Ross]

Single infusion mash will work fine - We've brewed this beer commercially & it's only mashed for 60 minutes & conversion is fine.


cheers Ross

 

[Silo Ted]

55% pils...25% corn....20% rice.....

cheers Ross

Serious, or just kidding ? I hope to make a few easy-drinking beers over summer, but 45% of adjuncts sound like an awful lot.

 

[Ross]

Serious, or just kidding ? I hope to make a few easy-drinking beers over summer, but 45% of adjuncts sound like an awful lot.

Unfortunately serious. Amazes me we have so much call for it - A truly awful beer.

cheers Ross

 

[Nick JD]

Unfortunately serious. Amazes me we have so much call for it - A truly awful beer.

cheers Ross

If it was 49% barley, could it technically be called beer?

 

[JestersDarts]

Interesting to learn it's possible to use that much adjuncts, I would have thought it was only 20% or something.


Any pictures of this corona clone to see how close it is in colour with all that adjunct?


Bjorn

You can use whatever amount of corn or rice adjunct you want -
theres a level where it'll go from being classified as beer though..

you just need a level of enzyme activity to break down the starches for fermentibility, I heard somehwere that the max/accepted comfortable level is around 40% corn/rice adjunct to still have reliable levels.

all hearsay and hoodoo though.

 

[Bribie G]

American beers often use 60 % adjuncts, historically due to their six row barley which is rotten with enzymes apparently, but wouldn't go that far with our two row. Reason I do the cereal mash is to add smoothness and body as I'm mashing the adjunct at 70 - ish. If I'm just after a bit of lighter body and using say half a kilo of maize, I do the straight infusion mash. I would cook it up to the same consistency as brekkie porridge then add the dry grain. The mash goes really stiff for a minute or so then just 'collapses' into a runny soup. Doing a straight infusion at low mash temperature with a lot of adjunct I can imagine that the end result would indeed be a thin alcoholic out of balance brew, as Ross said.
Good headbanger I expect, sink ten or twelve real fast with a shot of Bickfords Lime

 

[under]

:icon_offtopic: Did a cereal mash yesterday with Mark. It was amazing. Thick porridge to soup in a minute or so. This is what we did.

6.5kg JW pils 75.1%
1.2kg Wheat 13.9%
200g carapils 2.3%
750g polenta ( cereal mash with 150g JW Pils ) 8.7%

25g POR (fresh flowers) @ 60

30g POR (fresh flowers) @ 20

1.047
20 IBU

 

[[email protected]]

American beers often use 60 % adjuncts, historically due to their six row barley which is rotten with enzymes apparently, but wouldn't go that far with our two row. Reason I do the cereal mash is to add smoothness and body as I'm mashing the adjunct at 70 - ish. If I'm just after a bit of lighter body and using say half a kilo of maize, I do the straight infusion mash. I would cook it up to the same consistency as brekkie porridge then add the dry grain. The mash goes really stiff for a minute or so then just 'collapses' into a runny soup. Doing a straight infusion at low mash temperature with a lot of adjunct I can imagine that the end result would indeed be a thin alcoholic out of balance brew, as Ross said.
Good headbanger I expect, sink ten or twelve real fast with a shot of Bickfords Lime

Sorry to go off topic again - maybe a separate thread about cereal mashing is in order

BribieG

I thought the main reason the cereal mash was invented was not for the beer quality/body (especially with the BMC brands) etc but more for economics. I thought idea was the initial saccrification rest with the adjuncts was to get the enzymes to do the some of the work in solubilising the starches and reducing the the boil time (hence energy and cost) to solubilise the rest. As a home brewer boiling the adjuncts or using flaked products is only an incremental cost so of no significance compared to the mega breweries which should give you the same result.

Hence I have never bothered with a cereal mash. However, I'm intrigued about your comment that it adds body as I thought that rice and corn are converted to mostly maltose which is fermentable and no long chain dextrins are left. Obviously there are other adjuncts such as oats that will provide body. I would be interested to know more.

Sounds like it is time to do a cereal mash to find out!

 

[Ross]

Interesting to learn it's possible to use that much adjuncts, I would have thought it was only 20% or something.


Any pictures of this corona clone to see how close it is in colour with all that adjunct?


Bjorn

They use caramel colouring to get the final colour - I'm using a little sinmar.

cheers Ross

 

[bradsbrew]

Thought I'd make a keg of corona'ish beer for work. Have never used rice or corn before.

21L
2.3kg Oakey malt
0.8kg Coles corn flakes
0.45 polenta
1kg Rice

15g Northern brewer @60


What a pain in the arse that recirc mash was. I had to stir it ever 5-10 minutes to stop it setting like cement and blocking the flow :angry: . Its up and boiling at the moment and looks like murky soup .
Oh well will see how it turns out after a 2hr boil.

Cheers

 

[breakbeer]

55% pils...25% corn....20% rice.....

cheers Ross

What sort of corn would you recommend? Preferably want something I can chuck straight in the mash

I've got some Pilsener malt, Galena hops & flaked rice so now I just need to sort out the Corn & try to make a recipe for a 23L into FV using your percentages

swmbo better bloody love this

 

[mckenry]

What sort of corn would you recommend? Preferably want something I can chuck straight in the mash

I've got some Pilsener malt, Galena hops & flaked rice so now I just need to sort out the Corn & try to make a recipe for a 23L into FV using your percentages

swmbo better bloody love this

I recommend flaked maize. Its pre-gelatanised, so you dont have to do a cereal mash - just straight in the mash.

You could use corn flakes, but be aware they have added salt and added sugar (in some cases) - which wont really affect things dramatically anyway, but wont be as good as flaked maize. I had a long period of making CAP's and this was my favourite method in the end.

I have also heard of, but never tried, popcorn. Not sure how you would use it, but theres sure to be something on here about it.

mckenry

 

[DJR]

Polenta is also good as a source of corn, needs a cereal mash unless you can find/want to spend $$$ on instant polenta. I have seen corn meal as well sold as stock feed which is much the same stuff and very cheap ($10 for 5 kg IIRC), just not ground as finely as polenta, it's stock feed grade though so no idea if it'd be any good for brewing.

For a corona though i'd stick with rice as every time i've used corn it has a distinct flavour which i've never picked up with rice... make up some boiled rice and while it's still hot add it into the mash which will give you a temperature rise so you start a bit lower, say 60C then adding the rice would take it to 65C, depends on volumes, tun design etc

 

[Bada Bing Brewery]

I recommend flaked maize. Its pre-gelatanised, so you dont have to do a cereal mash - just straight in the mash.

You could use corn flakes, but be aware they have added salt and added sugar (in some cases) - which wont really affect things dramatically anyway, but wont be as good as flaked maize. I had a long period of making CAP's and this was my favourite method in the end.

I have also heard of, but never tried, popcorn. Not sure how you would use it, but theres sure to be something on here about it.

mckenry

Any tips on where you can get flaked maize???
cheers
BBB

 

[bum]

Both CB and G&G have it listed.

 

[Bada Bing Brewery]

Both CB and G&G have it listed.

Thanks Bum.

 

[breakbeer]

Thanks for the replies, I'll get some flaked maize

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Any tips on where you can get flaked maize???
cheers
BBB

Try NEV :lol:
NEV

 

[Bada Bing Brewery]

I just heard from Nev that apparently Nev sells it and he's cheaper than the others ..... and the maize is priced well too.
cheers
BBB