Flaked Maize & head retention

Get advice on making beer from raw ingredients (malt, hops, water and yeast)
Post Reply
Kingfisher4
Hollow Legs
Posts: 387
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:03 pm
Location: Derbyshire, UK

Flaked Maize & head retention

Post by Kingfisher4 » Sat Dec 21, 2019 5:33 am

Since starting a couple of years ago, I have brewed the GW recipe Summer Lighting several times as it's a go to favourite. It's such a simple almost SMaSH recipe, but the last batch had 350gm of flaked maize "thrown in" with the 5.4kg of Maris otter for 25 litres, just to use it up as it was left over from an early recipe! Only about 6% maize.

I bottle and have been shocked by the head density and retention, never experienced the head lasting so long in other brews despite several having significant wheat malt etc. Despite only being about 10-15mm depth the head lasted to the bottom of the glass.

It wasn't deliberate and I hadn't planned to order any more maize, but is it a recognised maize feature.

It didn't detract from the flavour of the brew so might consider repeating as it was quite an attractive pint.

User avatar
alexlark
Under the Table
Posts: 1403
Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 12:29 pm
Location: Rhondda, South Wales

Re: Flaked Maize & head retention

Post by alexlark » Sat Dec 21, 2019 9:29 am

Over the last year I've been doing the same addition but using cheap supermarket porridge oats. I haven't experienced or noticed any clarity problems and it's a very cheap way to add some body and head to the beer.

Kingfisher4
Hollow Legs
Posts: 387
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:03 pm
Location: Derbyshire, UK

Re: Flaked Maize & head retention

Post by Kingfisher4 » Sat Dec 21, 2019 12:29 pm

alexlark wrote:
Sat Dec 21, 2019 9:29 am
Over the last year I've been doing the same addition but using cheap supermarket porridge oats. I haven't experienced or noticed any clarity problems and it's a very cheap way to add some body and head to the beer.
I've used both porridge oats and malted oats to add head retention and "body" to good effect as that is, I believe, well recognised, but the flaked maize head "longevity and density" were much better and I haven't come across that before.

Post Reply