Alternative Grain Usage

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Wheat, Rye, Spelt, Corn, Rice, Oats, Buckwheat, Sorghum…etc.

Anyone using any of these grains, malted or otherwise, consistently in your brewhouse? By that, I mean are you using them in anything other than “one off” beers such as a Hefe or a Rye IPA or an Oatmeal Stout? And if so, why?

I hear a lot about some providing a boost to head and foam retention, some add mouthfeel, some add spice or maybe a sweetness. Hmm. :thinking:

I don’t know. At the percentages they are normally used at, I find it hard to believe some unique quality can be parsed from them.

That said, I believe I do get something from Spelt that I can’t get otherwise: that is, a particular soft pallet and a genuine boost to foam. This comes at the expense of some clarity, but hey, it’s there. Because of this, I feel I can benefit from the use of Spelt in a variety of beers, not just Saisons. What I get from Spelt can certainly play in a Stout, or an IPA, or wheat beers, and many others.

I’m also very intrigued by Buckwheat Malt, though I’ve only used it twice and I can’t say for sure exactly what the Buckwheat is bringing to the table. To be continued there…

Thoughts? I know Denny has had recent success with Fonio, though that grain might not yet be practical for homebrewers. Kernza as well.

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I use a lot of wheat, both malted and raw, simply because a high percentage of wheat is traditional for the lambic-inspired recipes I tend to brew. I haven’t done blind tests but I feel like the wheat adds to the flavor of the beer.

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I used to use a bit of oatmeal in all my beers. I got away from it, for no particular reason. I remember enjoying the beers when I brewed with it. It added extra body to my low OG beers.

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At what percentage were you using Oatmeal, and how did you add it? I ask because I have had little to no success with flaked oats or Oat Malt. The “body” I get from using them is what I would describe as a slickness, almost oily. I hear a lot of people also claim that oats aid in foam and head retention, but I found the opposite to be true. I can only assume I’m not using oats correctly.

With wheat, I can pick up a breadiness from it, maybe a little body, but that’s about all I get. And I can only pick that up when I’m making a simple American Wheat, where I usually use ≈50% wheat and there are little competing flavors. If I were to use it at 5-10%, I can’t imagine it would offer me anything.

I’m not trying to talk any of these alternative grains down. I’m just looking for how people use them and how they have had success or failures with them.

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Looking back at my recipes it seems I mainly used oatmeal (old fashion oats) at 6%-12% of the grain bill (mode at 6%) or between 1/2 lb to 1lb in a 8.5 to 9lb grain bill. OG’s were on the order of 1.038-1.040

I did not note any oatmeal characteristics in my tasting notes.

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I will brew another batch with oatmeal again and try to compare. I guess it must not have been that noticeable as I have forgotten about it.

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I use golden naked oats a lot more for the flavor than any mouthfeel impact. When used in my Oaty McOatface IPA (3%) it joins oat malt (8%) and flaked oats (8%) in the grist. I do get what I think is a small impact to mouthfeel there; my head retention is usually very good on all of my beers regardless of grist. I brew that beer with a variety of yeasts so that likely affects moutthfeel too.

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