Torrified wheat to aid head retention

[Sprocker]

I'm going to try adding Torrified wheat to my Old Speckled Hen recipe when I next brew it, to try and help the head retention in a Corny Keg.
Can anyone advise on quantity to try?

My normal grain bill for a 23L brew in my Brewzilla Gen 4 is 3.4Kg Pale Maris Otter & 340g Crystal Dark.

Also, would the addition of 'x'grams of Torrified wheat be in addition to the normal grains, or would it replace some of it?

 

[The Baron]

I use torrified wheat and it works for me, regards the addition I usually reduce the ordinary base malt by the torrified addition to keep my ABV as I want it but you can add it as extra just a few extra points

 

[Sprocker]

I use torrified wheat and it works for me, regards the addition I usually reduce the ordinary base malt by the torrified addition to keep my ABV as I want it but you can add it as extra just a few extra points

Excellent thankyou. Do you have an approximate % of Torrified that you use?

 

[The Baron]

I use between 5&7% in standard beer recipes

 

[MashBag]

Had you thought of porridge oats

 

[Sprocker]

I use between 5&7% in standard beer recipes

Thankyou, that'll give me a good starting point.

 

[Sprocker]

Had you thought of porridge oats

I hadn't, does that have the same effect without affecting the taste etc?

 

[Buffers brewery]

I’m a carapils person. 10% of grain bill. If torrified wheat is too terrified to retain your head and oats get stuck, give it a go.

 

[jof]

I made a wheat beer with 50% fortified wheat.
It can out like normal beer and not shaving foam, so don't expect miracles.

 

[JockyBrewer]

If you really want to aid head retention then do a 20 minute rest at 72C to finish your mash.

 

[Clint]

Hmmm...wouldn't mind trying that but a bit difficult in a picnic cooler.

 

[Stu's Brews]

If you really want to aid head retention then do a 20 minute rest at 72C to finish your mash.

Not come across this suggestion before, out or pure curiosity are you able to explain the logic behind it?

 

[Sadfield]

@Sprocker Before compromising the recipe, have a look through the following and see where you can improve your process. The recipe as is, works for for Green King, so should produce good foam. Mash in high, cool quickly and ensure healthy fermentation.

As outlined in this, good foam is the signature of a well brewed beer. It may also confirm or dispel some of the advice above.

 

[JockyBrewer]

Not come across this suggestion before, out or pure curiosity are you able to explain the logic behind it?

It's known as a glycoprotein rest. I was sceptical, but then someone at the homebrew club brewed identical beers one with and one without a 72C rest and it was absolutely noticeable the difference in head retention.

As for the explanation, I'll defer to this: https://brewingforward.com/wiki/Glycoproteins

 

[MashBag]

If you really want to aid head retention then do a 20 minute rest at 72C to finish your mash.

.... And drop the protein rest at 50c (ish). Head is a protein foam. No head = not enough protein.

 

[Agentgonzo]

If you really want to aid head retention then do a 20 minute rest at 72C to finish your mash.

Interesting... I always do a mashout at 75. I'll try adding the rest at 72 next time and see how it impacts it

As always, with things like that I wonder "why the pro brewers don't need to do all these extra steps" (they normally go straight from the mash into the boil. However, it takes a lot longer for pro brewers to get from the mash temp up to the boil (~1-2h I guess, rather than the 15 mins us homebrewers do it in). So I am guessing that their more gradual rise up to boiling does - in part - a shortish rest as it goes up through the 70-74 degree window).

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Hmmm...wouldn't mind trying that but a bit difficult in a picnic cooler.

You could just stir in sufficient boiling water to raise the temperature to 72? The “mash temp” calculator on the calculators tab at the top of the site will tell you how much is needed, e.g.:

 

[MashBag]

If you are going straight to boil do you still need the 72c step?

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Had you thought of porridge oats

I wouldn't use oats personally. Yes foam relies on protein, but oats also bring a lot of oil that kills head - and personally I'm quite sensitive to the flavour of them too. That's not to say they can't help in small amounts, but they would be a long way down the list of things to try.

It's worth noting that the Greene King website only lists malt barley as an allergen, so they're not using torrefied wheat, which is more of a northern thing for beers poured through a sparkler.

So one thing to consider is - just how much foam are you looking for from a beer that is traditionally served on cask, without a sparkler?

Another thing to consider is just how clean your glassware and other equipment is, which can make a big difference as any fatty residues will kill foam. Is it beer-clean?

I'm going to try adding Torrified wheat to my Old Speckled Hen recipe when I next brew it, to try and help the head retention in a Corny Keg.
Can anyone advise on quantity to try?

My normal grain bill for a 23L brew in my Brewzilla Gen 4 is 3.4Kg Pale Maris Otter & 340g Crystal Dark.

Bear in mind that 9% dark crystal is a lot, and will be very bad for foam. Don't make the mistake a lot of USians make with British beer, of trying to hit a colour target just with speciality malts - there's usually a lot less than people think, with the colour being made up to a standard with a variable amount of (near-flavourless) caramel. So personally I'd knock that down a bit.

+1 to a glycoprotein rest

Supposedly OSH is fermented up to 24°C (75°F) - it's hard to replicate that exactly at homebrew scale as the yeast works differently in smaller volumes, but there's certainly quite a bit of ester character there and I wouldn't be afraid of going up to 21-22°C.

 

[JockyBrewer]

If you are going straight to boil do you still need the 72c step?

You don't need it, but some time at that step will develop glycoproteins that aid in head retention.

As I said above, I've seen it demonstrated that it works. It's not going to change a 'diet coke' head to a meringue foam head though.