Dry Enzyme

[bullfrog]

For the longest time, I've given dry enzymes a very wide berth, on the back of comments made about them on various websites. A couple of months ago, I decided to actually give it a try on a golden ale to actually see what the nasty stuff does.

Worked out wonderfully! I had accounted for the fact that the enzyme would be essentially attaching itself to most of the normally non-digestable protein strands and allowing the yeasties to gobble them up, by going in with a pretty small grain bill. I also lowered the hop amounts from my house recipe, to account for the fact that there would be little malt profile to speak of in the finished product.

Whilst it has turned out very different to the normal recipe that I brew, it still turned out a treat. Great for people that normally drink megaswill but with decent hops and hop amounts that make it great for those with a more refined palate.

Anyway, just wanted to share. Sometimes it works out well to attempt new things, and if something's sold in a brew shop then you can probably use it to make pretty good beer. I think I'll now go and find other things that I've always avoided and just throw them into whatever brew I do next!

[Oliver]

Hi Bullfrog,

Any reason that you didn't try achieving a similar, lighter-bodied result without using the dry enzyme, perhaps by mashing at a lower temperature or substituting some of the fermentables for something highly fermentable such as dextrose or (gulp) cane sugar?

Just wondering ...

Cheers,

Oliver

[bullfrog]

Simply because I've tried those other methods before, Oliver. I wanted to try this way of doing things, despite all of the negative feedback, and found out it worked very well. It certainly isn't the same as either of your mentioned methods, simple sugars or lower mash temp, as you're going in with much less initial ingredients and just using them all to their potential.

It would also be a great way to recreate megaswill as it removes all malt profile completely and you're just left with the yeast and hop profiles. Go with a neutral lager yeast (or do a feaux lager with US-05) and have just the single POR addition and you're looking at New/Draught/VB, etc. Great way to please the philistine mates.

[Oliver]

Thanks for the feedback BF. Interesting observations.

Oliver

[bullfrog]

Just re-read my OP and realised that I didn't even ask the question that I'd wanted to; what unconventional or generally dismissed ingredients has everyone used to some success?

[Tourist]

Woolworths homebrew lager tins - work a treat for making starters. No way in hell I would actually make beer from them though!

Only other I can think of is cane sugar in small quantities (up to 5%).

[billybushcook]

I use up to a Kg of Flaked maize in some of mine but mostly just 0.5Kg. (5Kg grain bill)
Similar thing to using Dextrose from what I'm told.
I mash at 63 - 64 deg for these "lawnmower" beers which is my preferred style as I think I may be more of a Guzzler than a sipper

Fg's are normally around 1.008 - 1.010
Would like to get them consistantly lower, might be worth another look at the Enzyme??

Mick.

[Tourist]

I use up to a Kg of Flaked maize in some of mine but mostly just 0.5Kg. (5Kg grain bill)
Similar thing to using Dextrose from what I'm told.
I mash at 63 - 64 deg for these "lawnmower" beers which is my preferred style as I think I may be more of a Guzzler than a sipper

Fg's are normally around 1.008 - 1.010
Would like to get them consistantly lower, might be worth another look at the Enzyme??

Mick.

Ditto for everything you just said.

[bullfrog]

Well I had a 3.5kg grain bill and the hydro ended up sitting between the lines for 0.998 and 1.000 at FG. Was certainly a lawnmower beer just slightly higher abv than most. I'd be lowering the grain bill even further if I tried it again.

[billybushcook]

I'm assuming you used this in the ferment?
I wonder, Could it also be used in a mash to help the Amylise B, on a low temp mash. (probably a silly question as the "dry Enzyme" more than likely is Amylise B)
I read somewhere in Palmers book that, although Amylise B produces short chain sugar molecules, it can only work down to within a certain distance of the branch & so leaving some amount of unfermentable sugars still in solution.

Mick.

[bullfrog]

Yup, used in ferment. Mash was just water on this one as I wasn't sure if I should go alterring the water profile when trying out something like this for the first time.

Haven't done enough research into the dry enzyme to tell you exactly what it is, just know that if there was any unfermented sugars (no doubt there was some) they certainly weren't detectable over the amarillo and cascade!

[speedie]

just because someone posts negitive comments re brew composition doesnt make it true
glad your expanding your brewing jerri

[bullfrog]

The entire point of my post, Speedie. Thanks for contributing. Have you ever brewed with anything that was a little unconventional?

I'm waiting for someone who has used nettles or thistles in a brew. That I'd be interested in reading!