Grain Analysis Sheet

[Thirsty Boy]

Actually even more than interpreting, I'm mostly on top of what the various aspects of the sheet ARE... I'm just not very experienced or knowledgeable about how to deal with them.

I get free base malt... its a bloody great lurk and I don't want to waste it. But... the way this stuff is normally mashed, is probably not within reason for me to replicate at home, at least not on a regular basis. This malt is normally mashed at a low (65C) for two hours, then ramped to 74 for 10mins, transferred and sparged at 76 for 90-120mins. It then gets an addition of a quite unfermentable sugar adjunct.

So, I thought I would give the details of the malt analysis sheet and see if the more educated and experienced brewers could tell me if I really need to treat this malt any differently to more "standard" malt used by homebrewers.

Varieties:--------------------------- 25% Gairdner 75% Schooner
Moisture Content:----------------- 4.9%
Extract IOB:----------------------- 73.4%
Colour IOB:----------------------- 3.0EBC
Wort Clarity IOB:----------------- 1
Soluble Nitrogen IOB:------------ 0.66%
Index of Modification:------------ 35%
Diastatic Power:------------------ 93 IOB
Beta Glucan:---------------------- 94ppm
Nitrosodimethylamine:----------- 0.5ppb
DMS:------------------------------- 1168ug/100g
Sulphur Dioxide:------------------4ppm


I've been making sure I do a fairly comprehensive mash on this malt, just to make sure that it doesn't end up too dextrinous (as I've heard that malt made for bigger breweries can be.. adjuncts etc) and so at a minimum I've been doughing in at 56C for a 5min protein rest, then ramping at a little less than 1C per minute up to a 67-68 Sach rest, then up to a 77-78mash out. Batch sparge at 78-80C. If I want a dryer beer, on the way up I'll stop at 62C for a while and maybe push the main sach rest up a degree. I try to make the whole (pre-mash out) mash last for about 75mins including the ramps.

Too much??? Not enough?? Completely arse about?

It would be lovely to know that I could get away with a nice simple single infusion if I want to, although I usually step mash anyway. But maybe the steps are making it worse?? Haven't really done enough brews with this malt for experience to tell me. I am more than willing to trust a guru till I get a few more batches under my belt and hopefully prove them completely right.

Anyway, any hints or info you could give me about how this malt might react to different mashing regimes would be much appreciated... its FREE and I want to learn how to brew good beer with it.

Thanks

Thirsty

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Sorry, just bumping my question so it stays in the recent post section. Guess I'm just impatient.

 

[Ross]

Thirsty,

I'd be dropping Wes Smith a pm. I'm sure he'd have the answers for you.

cheers Ross

 

[Hargie]

...is that Galaxy...???

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

...is that Galaxy...???

No Galaxy malt is actually Galaxy barley 100 %. I thought it looked similar to B Buston pale but was wrong after checking the Spec sheets.If its coming from a "Big" brewer its likely to be made to thier specs anyway.
GB

 

[wessmith]

No it certainly isnt Galaxy or BBM Ale malt. It is a special blend for a certain mainstream brewery. Schooner is a fascinating malt. You can mash low at 64 or high at 70 and you get pretty much the same fermentable profile. It used to drive us mad 15 years ago when that was one of the only malts we could get - Schooner or Franklin, take your pick. Schooner barley has been malted to give a high dextrinous wort profile without adding undue malt flavour/aroma. The Gairdner is a more recent barley strain and I am a little surprised to see 25% in the grist. Again I dont know the "main stream brewery" malting regime which is not something you see in a C of A. And I hate those IOB specs - used to drive us nuts when we bought BBM malt trying to get EBC results which in many cases requires separate analysis as there is no direct conversion.

TB, Mashing in at 56C is not really protein rest territory - try 50C. But I doubt the characteristics you might be looking for will be in this malt. If you want a good malty profile, good body and head retention and the ability to choose the fermentability profile, then look elsewhere.

Takes me back a bit!

Wes

 

[blackbock]

Crown lager anyone?

 

[Thirsty Boy]

nope, not for Crown Lager.

Wes, thanks for that. It sounds like I might not get too much joy. Oh well, I'll play with it for a while and see what comes out. If its pretty resistant to changes in its fermentability profile... then all the better, I'll have to put in distinct effort to make a change, if I screw up by a degree, no biggie. Good learners malt!

I'll experiment with it for a few months and see how the beer turns out, thats really the ultimate answer I suppose.

Oh, BTW - the 56 protein rest is really just because you have to start a step mash somewhere; and so I give it a quick 5 minutes at 56 for head retention purposes and then I move it along. Probably not doing much, but I usually get good foam and it doesn't seem to hurt anything, so its as good a place to start as any.

Cheers and thanks

Thirsty

 

[warrenlw63]

:lol: Schooner was the "go to" malt (read only choice) for Ales when I began AG brewing back in 1997. As Wes stated Franklin was for lagers. Used to think it was poor brewing technique on my part that created poxy beers back then (and probably was to a degree <_< ). I soon discovered that Schooner is kind of the European Carp of the malt world.

Things started to look up around 8 years ago when Wes and Phil started bringing in some decent imported and local grains to the craft. Do yourself a favour TB. Even if it's free using Schooner is a false economy. It's really designed to be dextrinous purely to take the big sugar adjunct (as you know).

Now if we could only get Fawcett's and Hoepfner malts back again {hint hint} the world would be a better place.

Warren -

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Dunno if it can be all that bad ..... the mash paddle kolsch was made 90% from not this, but another blend that is mostly schooner. So I know its appropriate in at least some styles I'm gonna stick with it for a while. Beer styles evolved because people learned how to brew good beer with the ingredients they were able to get... I'll learn how to make good beer with this stuff, just out of sheer bloody mindedness if nothing else.

Then, when I've learned how... I'll probably stop using it and make even better beer with even better malt.

But at least now I have a much better idea what I am dealing with. Thanks.

Thirsty

 

[Kai]

Dunno if it can be all that bad ..... the mash paddle kolsch was made 90% from not this, but another blend that is mostly schooner. So I know its appropriate in at least some styles I'm gonna stick with it for a while. Beer styles evolved because people learned how to brew good beer with the ingredients they were able to get... I'll learn how to make good beer with this stuff, just out of sheer bloody mindedness if nothing else.

Or because it's free!

 

[warrenlw63]

TB

Have you thought of using Modiferm? That's supposed to break down dextrins and create drier beers. Worth a thought. :unsure:

Warren -

 

[Quintrex]

TB

Have you thought of using Modiferm? That's supposed to break down dextrins and create drier beers. Worth a thought. :unsure:

Warren -

Good Idea, I've used it once but decided that I needed to be able to control the amount of activity the modiferm has otherwise you end up with a really bland beer.

Does anyone know the exact enzymes in modiferm and what temp. range they are most active at?

Was thinking maybe it could be added to the mash!

Q

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Or because it's free!

But of course... it would be simply rude to the universe to get free malt, and not to attempt to learn to brew with it.


Modiferm - its just a de-branching enzyme. By all means add it to the mash. Thats what gets done at work to make "low carb" beers. I have elaborated in a couple of the dry enzyme, low carb beer, dry beer - threads. I'd finish my mash, drain to kettle and add the modiferm to the kettle. It will work a lot faster at mash temps than in the fermentor. Let it chew on the dextrines for a while then start your boil. That will finish off the enzymes and you can simply juggle the amount of enzyme with the length of contact time to get the fermentability profile you want.

If you want I can get you some amyloglucosidase.. which will do the same thing. Smash dextrines into glucose.

I don't really need to use it for my beers, the mash regime I have is dealing with the schooner malt perfectly well and I'm not having trouble with dextrinous beers. Its just that I'd like to be able to skip the step mash sometimes... looks like I wont be able to unless I am going for a more "chewy" beer.

TB