Oats - missing but not forgotten

[greenxpaddy]

Oats - Not talked about much in brewing these days. Many modern pallettes don't feel they add much positive to a beer. I'm always looking for another dimension to my recipes and I'm not sure oats should be dismissed so readily. They give an astringency alright but used subtley I'm not so sure they couldn't create a different, better finish to a beer.

Of course stout has benefitted even in more recent times from a handful or more of oats. In fact without oats I find a stout pretty uninteresting. But what about other beers?

The oats I used in a bitter did not help the outcome - it was quite bitter from the hops though - but what about a mild. Less bitterness from hops would certainly give room for some astringency from oats to fill in and the oaty silky mouthfeel is something to be welcomed as variety.

I'd be interested to hear your stories of experiments with the grain, what worked what didn't.

I'm going to do an experimental mild with about 5%-10% oats just to see if I'm right. Who knows - maybe its a secret ingredient for some larger breweries that they keep well under their hats

[Barley Water]

I've added oats to Saisons, Brown Ales and of course Stouts. In my oh so humble opinion, oats will help with head retention and body, can make the beer very silky. I especially like to use them to make a small beer come off bigger than it is so I would think it would work well in a Mild. I have used the flaked oats usually used for ceral over here, they can be mashed with everything else since the "flaking process" geletanizes the starches. I also like to toast them in the oven before use, makes the house smell really nice. I could also see using oats in Irish reds, I may try that after the first of the year when I get into my Irish phase.

[Tom_D]

I brewed an oatmeal stout today with the oats making up 10% of the grist. I love 'em, especially the silky mouthfeel and the flavour you get after toasting them in the oven. I also backed off on the IBU's to allow them to dominate a bit. I reckon they would be great in a mild.

[jmc]

I brewed an oatmeal stout today with the oats making up 10% of the grist. I love 'em, especially the silky mouthfeel and the flavour you get after toasting them in the oven. I also backed off on the IBU's to allow them to dominate a bit. I reckon they would be great in a mild.

Any suggestions for how much oats for a 5 UK gal brew mild to benefit the brew without any bad effects?

Toasting sound interesting. What temp for how long?

Cheers - John

[Tom_D]

Any suggestions for how much oats for a 5 UK gal brew mild to benefit the brew without any bad effects?

Randy Mosher suggests not going over 10% as any more could potentially have adverse affects on the mash. I reckon that anywhere between 5-10% should be noticeable.

It's up to you how toasted you want them, last time I was apprehensive and they came out fairly pale, whereas this time I decided to push them to a nice golden colour. 15-20 minutes in the oven at 170c ought to do it but keep an eye on them as they burn quickly.

One other thing to remember is that due to the maillard reaction, toasting oats or any grains in the oven can lead to chemical off-tastes. Mosher recommends storing the oats in a paper bag for two weeks prior to brewing, in order to out-gas. I've found a week to be enough.

[jmc]

Hi Tom_D

Thanks for the info.

[critch]

i put about 3.5% of the grist in oats in one of my stouts, definately adds a subtle silkiness

[smdjoachim]

I add about 100g (5 gallon brews)of rolled oats just to give a little more body and mouthfeel.