Maize Gelatinization Temperature - Polenta

[warrenlw63]

nothing but husks

Sounds good enough for me Bribie. I will certainly give it a bash in the new year. There's nothing worse than the drudgery of a traditional cereal mash.

F/S Our local continental grocer has the instant stuff... I'm assuming it's pre-cooked in some way?

Thanks guys. Very useful thread.

Warren -

 

[Fourstar]

F/S Our local continental grocer has the instant stuff... I'm assuming it's pre-cooked in some way?
Thanks guys. Very useful thread.
Warren -

I believe so, i think its steamed to gelatinise but for small grist% i cant forsee any issues with using it direct in the mash for gelatinisation. The worst that can happen is you have toi boil the polenta on its own then dump into the mash which is my usual method.

Once its boiled for 5 mins or so to soften it up, i dump my COLD strike water into the pot to correct the temperature for my desired starting volume, reheat to strike temperature and dough in. It means you need to use a seperate pot but it doesnt require much cleaning.

If im using 500g however, i'll go straight for the direct dough in.

 

[Bribie G]

Ok so here's the ballbreaker / straw that broke the camel's back test. I've just doughed in a Burton pale ale and just as I was assembling the grain bill the neighbour wandered in waving some misdirected mail and by the time I had chatted for a few minutes and doughed in I reckoned the Polenta was looking a bit pale then I realised I had doughed in 500 of semolina that comes in an identical no-frills packet.

Anyone for a Burtonweize? Don't mention the War, don't mention the War :lol:

Mash temp was pretty high at 67 - deliberately - so hopefully it's hot enough to swell the semmo. Next time I've got an open packet I'll just test some in a saucepan at 67 and see if it gels up.
I'll keep you posted. If it does eventually end up with a haze I'll just lie through my teeth and claim it as a hefeBurtonWeize

But if it does work out ok then there's another gun in my arsenal dammit :beerbang:

 

[MHB]

The Seminole won't be a problem, wheat gelatinises in the mash, no question.

Polenta can be a different story, go back and have a look at the table Fourstar posted (good table that), the problem is that maize (corn) might gelatinise not will, the bag you used last might be fine and give great results, the one you buy tomorrow could be from a different crop or region and it may not gelatinise or only partially.

You have no way of knowing in advance; to me it's a big risk to take, doing all that work only to get second best results.

The other factor to consider is that what makes good bread or kibbley bits might not be the best brewing ingredient. We all know that only a fraction of the barley crop is good enough to make beer (low Protein and B-Glucan and all that) the same applies to wheat and corn, the part of the crop chosen for brewing is the best for brewing, not for making Polenta or Tacos or Corn Bread, for that you want high Protein and Glucan the opposite of what we want for brewing.

If you have any doubt why Barley is the brewer's weapon of choice (apart from having a husk) have a look at the gelatinisation temperature for both Raw and Malted Barley it's a grain that almost wants to be made into beer.

MHB

 

[mje1980]

Does the polenta actually have to be boiling?? I just did 500g on the stove, and got it to a boil, then turned it down and kept it at almost boiling for 20 minutes ( with 1 kg rice on the next plate! ). Im guessing its fine, just wanna make sure. Going into an asian pils tomorrow.

Boy, polenta sure does suck in the water!!