Though I'm not going to post the book text. As I've said a few times recently I'm returning this blog to its roots. Of serving up bits of raw data before I cook them into finished book text.
We're going to compare three popular adjuncts: maize, rice and oats. And see which makes the most useful adjunct.
Of greatest importance is the starch content. Because that's what is converted into extract. You can see that is considerably higher in rice. Which is probably why, initially after 1880, rice was the most popular adjunct. Though, by 1900, most brewers had switched to cheaper maize.
Though maize also had a problem: the high oil content. Because of its horrible flavour, it needed to be removed before brewing.
"By the removal of the germ and husk the oil is almost taken away from the com. This oil is of a yellow colour, and on exposure to the atmosphere is liable to turn rancid; it has an unpleasant flavour, gives off a disagreeable odour, and is removed by special degenerating machines by means of revolving knives acting upon the germs and husks."
Thatcher, Frank, A Treatise of Practical Brewing and Malting (The Country Brewers' Gazette, London, 1907), page 257.
I'm surprised at how high the starch content of oats. Even higher than that of maize. Though the yield in extract was rather poor. Oats could be used to boost body due to their high content of albuminous matter. Around 10% oats in the grist filled out the body of Stouts nicely.
| A comparison of brewing adjuncts | |||
| rice | maize | oats | |
| Starch | 79 | 55.1 | 56.1 |
| Water | 10.6 | 12.0 | 13.6 |
| Oil | 0.1 | 5.5 | 4.0 |
| Cellulose.. | 0.2 | 13.2 | 1.0 |
| Albuminoids | 7.5 | 8.0 | 16.5 |
| Carbohydrates .. | 1.4 | 3.0 | 6.0 |
| Ash | 1.0 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| Loss | 0.2 | 1.4 | 0.4 |
| total | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Source: | |||
| Thatcher, Frank, A Treatise of Practical Brewing and Malting (The Country Brewers' Gazette, London, 1907), pages 256 - 259. | |||
Posts
5 comments:
"albuminous matter"
This is really protein. That's just the old name for it.
My favourite adjunct is flaked steamrolled barley. Great mouthfeel, head retention etc.
'Albuminous matter' sounds like a German prog rock band
I'm curious if maize was such a popular adjunct in the US in part because so much oil extraction was happening for cooking oil. That must have left an enormous amount of fat-free starches for brewers to buy.
Corn is a staple crop in the US, much more so than in Europe. It's the biggest corn producer in the world and corn is used for much more than cooking oil: corn meal, grits, whiskey and animal feed.
Post a Comment