Torrified Wheat

[peebee]

A few weeks ago I got involved in a conversation about "torrified wheat". There was rude things said about it like "breakfast cereal" and "toenail clippings" (!). I had never used to use it, always reaching for the wheat malt, but had recently used it a bit with no ill effect and so stood up and defended it.

Christmas. Rather than the usual bitter I did something more prestigious. ABV of 5.9% not 4.2%. And in went 6% torrified wheat (that was 0.85 kilos in this 60L batch). What a head! Fine, compact, creamy; forget "nitrogen" conditioning! (Not that I'd give nitrogen conditioning serious consideration!). But there was a distinct flavour I couldn't put my finger on, but I didn't greatly care for it! What was it? Then a picture of a combine harvester emptying its load crossed my mind - dust ,grain... breakfast cereal!

I guess 6% was a lot? I'll need to be a little more careful next time. Or try an alternative?

 

[TartanSpecial]

I'll add 5% to one of my pale ales in a couple of months and see if I can detect a taste..in fact I could use it tomorrow instead of flaked maize. I used it at 6.3% in an end of season 'chuck it all' in pale ale last year and there was a 'taste' that I attributed to the flaked maize...maybe it was the torrified wheat.... not a bad taste, just a taste I recognised from the likes of Harp lager back in the 70's. :sick: (I didn't 'drink' harp lager but was on a taste panel in the brewery)

 

[keat64]

I started that thread.
My local HBS said he thought it imparted a biscuit taste.
In the end I chose Carapils as an alternative and used 4%

It's still brewing, so I've no idea what the end result will be.

 

[BeerCat]

I use it for most of my pale ales. Up to 10% but normally around 5%. Not noticed any weird flavours from it.

 

[cheapbrew]

Is my understanding correct that torrified wheat is just heated to pop the kernel and not left to germinate and then heated like malted wheat?

Can anyone explain what the difference is using torrified wheat rather than malted wheat please?

 

[peebee]

Is my understanding correct that torrified wheat is just heated to pop the kernel and not left to germinate and then heated like malted wheat?

Can anyone explain what the difference is using torrified wheat rather than malted wheat please?

You are right. Unmalted wheat rapidly heated so it "pops". Like popcorn! You can get torrified barley too, I think.

The "popping" exposes the kernel to the mash enzymes from malt, adds a bit of "toastiness" too. Very different in flavour to the malted grain.

 

[Hoddy]

Ding ding ding correct!!!!

 

[keat64]

I'm of the understanding that the enzymes assist with head retention.
Gives the beer a creamy head.

 

[TartanSpecial]

Right,,,brew day just finished. Original intention was an armadillo pale ale, the experimental part being to max out on carapils. But in addition I've added 400grams torrified wheat to see if I can detect any 'new' flavours.(toe nails etc)
5.5kg Maris Otter
0.65kg Carapils
0.4kg Torrified wheat
Mash 60mins 66C
29 grams Magnum 60mins
25 grams Armadillo 15 mins
30 grams Armadillo 5 mins
30 grams Armadillo 0 mins
Yeast WLP 028
Batch Size 22.7ltrs
Prototype Label

 

[cheshirehomebrew]

I typically use 5-8% Torrefied wheat for creamy head retention, flazed oats maize and rice all do the same thing too

 

[TartanSpecial]

I bottled my Armadillo pale ale last Thursday and decided to put some in the fridge and open this evening...it is only partially carbonated but it tastes fine, I can't detect any specific torrified wheat tastes (used 0.4kg..6% of fermentables). so I may start using it more frequently.
It has a sweetness to it which I assume is related to 0.65kg / 10% fermentables of carapils which was the original experiment with this brew.
I do like the Armadillo hops...very orangey....like a very orangey/marmalade version of First Gold...so completely different from eg Amarillo...but would blend with it quite well. I thought I could detect the claimed honeydew melons..but that might have been the carapils sweetness doing something or me getting carried away and disappearing up my own **** :-? . Will leave for a couple for weeks before sampling again.

 

[BeerCat]

Am gonna try out 15% TW this week. I love the stuff.

 

[GHW]

Can't say I've noticed a taste to tw, its main purpose is head retention and a soft mouthfeel. Both of which were noticeable in my green bullet, which is the only place I've used it.

 

[TartanSpecial]

Am gonna try out 15% TW this week. I love the stuff.

Great if you can report back results....15%... will be like those draught Dutch
Heinekens where 1/3rds is head.

 

[HebridesRob]

Am gonna try out 15% TW this week. I love the stuff.

Have you checked whether your mash will handle that amount of un-malted starch. Might be too much for the enzymes in the mash.

Might be ok. Can use up to 20% from memory but you might want to look up "diastatic power" before you proceed.

Apologies if you already thought about this.

 

[BeerCat]

I read somewhere that's the percentage shipyard APA uses. They could be wrong but pretty sure i have used 10% before with no problems. I am planning this http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=60345 so i will definitely let you know in a few days. Every time i want to do a recipe from book i never have the correct ingredients so i am just winging it. :)

 

[HebridesRob]

I read somewhere that's the percentage shipyard APA uses. They could be wrong but pretty sure i have used 10% before with no problems. I am planning this http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=60345 so i will definitely let you know in a few days. Every time i want to do a recipe from book i never have the correct ingredients so i am just winging it. :)

For what it's worth, I put Torrified wheat in nearly all my beers. It's not 15% torrified wheat that bothers me per se, it's whether 15% of unmalted adjuncts might cause a problem (don't think it will, just not certain).

 

[Notlaw]

I do like the Armadillo hops...very orangey....like a very orangey/marmalade version of First Gold...so completely different from eg Amarillo...but would blend with it quite well.

Until I read this, I thought it was a typo!! However, I like the sound of them... have you got a link to where you got them from? Everywhere I've looked either come up with nowt, or corrects my spelling to Amarillo.

 

[cheshirehomebrew]

For what it's worth, I put Torrified wheat in nearly all my beers. It's not 15% torrified wheat that bothers me per se, it's whether 15% of unmalted adjuncts might cause a problem (don't think it will, just not certain).

Other factors to consider is the water whether its soft hard and the PH, as well as what temp you mash out at as differnt proteins and enzymes are released from different grains at different temps.

 

[TartanSpecial]

have you got a link to where you got them from? Everywhere I've looked either come up with nowt, or corrects my spelling to Amarillo.

From the Homebrew Company.

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk...d-100g-alpha-acid-55-2014-harvest-p-2761.html