Plan to brew a Pale Ale this weekend. The recipe calls for Torrified wheat. One of my beer homebrew club friends says puffed wheat cereal is the same. I watched a youtube video where a guy torrified some raw wheat in a popcorn popper. What say you all?
I can’t imagine the point of torrified wheat in a pale ale. that being said, if you can get totally natural, no sugar or anything added puffed wheat than go for it.
It is pretty common in English Pale Ale recipes.
I’ve put torrified wheat into pales before, when I was having problems with head retention. Now I just hand wash my beer glasses.
No it isn’t quite the same thing as puffed wheat. I will have to check out the video - sounds interesting.
Torrified wheat is kind of gimmicky. You’ll get the same results from flaked wheat or raw wheat, or heck, wheat flour. If you use much of it, add a handful of rice hulls to prevent a stuck mash.
Langunitas uses this in the Little Sumpin’ We’re gonna try the clone from CYBI soon.
Flaked wheat would be the most appropriate substitute, as it’s pretty much the same thing in a different form. They’re both pre-gelatinized raw wheat that are suitable for adding directly to the mash.
If you brew category 8 beers and do not use torrified wheat, you are brewing out of style. :) In all seriousness, American pale ale is a such a twisted interpretation of the style that most Americans are completely unaware that torrified wheat is a traditional pale ale ingredient. While flaked wheat, malted wheat, and wheat flour increase head retention and improve mouth feel like torrified wheat, they do not taste like torrified wheat. Torrified wheat adds a nutty note to the finished beer. Most of my bitter/pale ale recipes contain a percentage of torrified wheat. Torrified wheat is also an integral component in East Coast-style pale ale (no, Heady Topper is not an East Coast-style pale ale).
Interesting. I’ve gotten that nuttiness from beers I’ve used torrified wheat in before, but always attributed it to other ingredients. I might have to try adding some to my porter and brown ale recipes to try it out.