100% Oatmeal beer.

[coreyman]

So I'm wanting to do a 100% oatmeal beer just as an experiment to see how it tastes and turns out. I've read that I need to let the oats sit at about 120F for 30 minutes to reduce the gum. Do I do that before or after the mash? I'm also reading that oatmeal doesn't have any of the proper enzymes due to not being sprouted. How much malt is recommended for a 5gal batch to get the proper nutrients/enzymes?

 

[oliver]

sounds fun, i'd like to know the results of this. What general style of beer is it going to be? Maybe also consider Oat Malt if you have access to them.

let the oats sit at about 120F for 30 minutes to reduce the gum. Do I do that before or after the mash?

before.

 

[coreyman]

sounds fun, i'd like to know the results of this. What general style of beer is it going to be? Maybe also consider Oat Malt if you have access to them.

before.

I'm actually trying to do this with local ingredients and there is nowhere around that sells oat malt or oat groats

 

[oliver]

malted oats are nice because they're really husky. Lots of oat husk will separate after getting milled, which can help with lautering something like this. It'll be really really slimy and gummy.

 

[coreyman]

malted oats are nice because they're really husky. Lots of oat husk will separate after getting milled, which can help with lautering something like this. It'll be really really slimy and gummy.

I'm reading I might use rice hulls or some other hulls to prevent the mash from getting stuck in the tun when I'm draining to fermentor, but those don't seem readily available locally either.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

The recipe builder on this site lists the Diastatic Power (DP) of ingredients as you add them. It also lists the minimum needed.
I just threw the below numbers in just for an example. Play around with it until you find the correct ratio of rolled oats and grain.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I'm reading I might use rice hulls or some other hulls to prevent the mash from getting stuck in the tun when I'm draining to fermentor, but those don't seem readily available locally either.

You will most definitely need to use a decent amount of rice hulls. I've never gone down the road you are going so I have no idea how much.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

A local brewery did 100% oats beer, they have a mash set up from Germany that allows them to either use high pressure pumps or hydraulically compress the mash or both to perform the lauter and sparge. I guess a pile of rice hulls could be used. As for the starch conversion you could add some amylose enzyme. Most homebrew stores carry it.

Sounds like project, but it could be done.

 

[coreyman]

• Would I need DP if I just used amylase enzyme?

Edit: Got my answer above.

 

[Nosybear]

So I'm wanting to do a 100% oatmeal beer just as an experiment to see how it tastes and turns out. I've read that I need to let the oats sit at about 120F for 30 minutes to reduce the gum. Do I do that before or after the mash? I'm also reading that oatmeal doesn't have any of the proper enzymes due to not being sprouted. How much malt is recommended for a 5gal batch to get the proper nutrients/enzymes?

Do it before the mash (it's actually a part of the mash called the Glucan Rest). Back of the envelope calculation, 50% pale two-row - it's generally capable of converting twice its weight. That much adjunct, I'd put some yeast nutrient in and definitely, DEFINITELY some rice hulls to keep your mash from turning into a bowl of oatmeal.

 

[coreyman]

Do it before the mash (it's actually a part of the mash called the Glucan Rest). Back of the envelope calculation, 50% pale two-row - it's generally capable of converting twice its weight. That much adjunct, I'd put some yeast nutrient in and definitely, DEFINITELY some rice hulls to keep your mash from turning into a bowl of oatmeal.

What can I do if it does turn into a bowl of oatmeal? What are my other options besides rice hulls?

 

[oliver]

What can I do if it does turn into a bowl of oatmeal? What are my other options besides rice hulls?

mash in a bag and squeeze

 

[coreyman]

mash in a bag and squeeze

Gotcha that's what I do anyway. I suppose a lot of people here use a cooler and just put all the grains in there raw for batch sparging.

 

[Mase]

Since you’re experimenting to see how it tastes, maybe try a one gallon test batch. Be sure to take plenty of notes on process, problems, as well as the usual documentation to see if you can scale it up, or at a minimum, what changes in your approach for a larger batch based on your one gallon test.

Might share the recipe for some of the more experienced brewers (nosybear, JA and several others) here to offer some advise to help the experiment succeed.

I’m curious on how it turns out as well. Best of luck and keep us posted on the results.

 

[coreyman]

Since you’re experimenting to see how it tastes, maybe try a one gallon test batch. Be sure to take plenty of notes on process, problems, as well as the usual documentation to see if you can scale it up, or at a minimum, what changes in your approach for a larger batch based on your one gallon test.

Might share the recipe for some of the more experienced brewers here to offer some advise to help the experiment succeed.

I’m curious on how it turns out as well. Best of luck and keep us posted on the results.

Yeah I think I'm going to use 3lb of rolled oats per gallon and hit it with some amylase enzyme and pitch it on this WLP004 yeast cake I have.

Now I'm wondering if I should mill the rolled oats further or leave them as is? I read that it should increase efficiency but at the cost of possibly getting a stuck sparge, which I'm not sparging anyway. I'm wondering if the efficiency gain is enough to even warrant doing it.

 

[Nosybear]

mash in a bag and squeeze

You're squeezing a bag of oatmeal. Use the rice hulls. Your day will go much better.

Yeah I think I'm going to use 3lb of rolled oats per gallon and hit it with some amylase enzyme and pitch it on this WLP004 yeast cake I have.

Now I'm wondering if I should mill the rolled oats further or leave them as is? I read that it should increase efficiency but at the cost of possibly getting a stuck sparge, which I'm not sparging anyway. I'm wondering if the efficiency gain is enough to even warrant doing it.

Just curious, why amylase? By the way, the finer you mill the oats, the more likely they are to stick together. Now you're moving from oatmeal to concrete. Why worry about efficiency? The difference at this scale wouldn't make an appetizer for a miniature horse.

 

[coreyman]

You're squeezing a bag of oatmeal. Use the rice hulls. Your day will go much better.

Just curious, why amylase? By the way, the finer you mill the oats, the more likely they are to stick together. Now you're moving from oatmeal to concrete. Why worry about efficiency? The difference at this scale wouldn't make an appetizer for a miniature horse.

Where can I get enough rice hulls at a good price? Amylase because I want to go 100% oatmeal without any base grains. Noted on the efficiency.

 

[Nosybear]

Fair enough. Do you have a homebrew shop near you? If so, they'll have rice hulls. They're cheap.

 

[coreyman]

Fair enough. Do you have a homebrew shop near you? If so, they'll have rice hulls. They're cheap.

Closest homebrew shop is 2.5 hours away and is only open when I'm at work. The next closest one is about 3.5 hours away.

 

[Nosybear]

Closest homebrew shop is 2.5 hours away and is only open when I'm at work. The next closest one is about 3.5 hours away.

Mail order it, then. Only issue there will be shipping charges.