Homebrew School: What are Flaked Grains?

Flaked grains are a common and versatile ingredient used in the world of homebrewing. They offer unique characteristics that can help to enhance the body, flavour and mouthfeel of your beer. Let's take a look at what they are, how they're made and what makes them different to the more commonly used malted grains.

What Are Flaked Grains?

Flaked grains are grains that have been processed through a method predictably called "flaking." This process involves steaming the grains and then rolling them into thin, flat flakes. This treatment gelatinizes the starches within the grains, making the endosperm  more accessible for enzymatic conversion during the mashing process.

How Flaked Grains Are Made

The production of flaked grains involves several steps:

1. Steaming: The grains are exposed to steam, which softens them and makes the starches more pliable.

2. Rolling: The steamed grains are passed through rollers, flattening them into thin flakes.

3. Drying: The flakes are then dried to remove excess moisture, ensuring they are stable for storage and use.

Flaked Grains vs. Malted Grains

While both flaked and malted grains are used in brewing, they have distinct differences:

• Malted Grains: These grains undergo a process of germination and drying, which activates enzymes that convert starches into fermentable sugars. Malted grains are primarily used for their enzymatic activity and fermentable sugar content.

Malted grains remain whole and intact prior to milling, unlike flaked grains which are rolled and flattened

• Flaked Grains: Flaked grains do not undergo germination. Instead, they are steamed and rolled, which gelatinizes the starches but does not activate enzymes. 

How Flaked Grains Are Used in Brewing

Flaked grains are typically added to the mash during the brewing process. Since they lack the enzymes needed for starch conversion, they are often used in conjunction with malted grains, which provide the necessary enzymatic activity. Flaked grains can contribute to:

• Mouthfeel: Adding creaminess and smoothness to the beer.

• Head Retention: Improving the foam stability of the beer.

• Flavor: Enhancing the overall flavor profile with unique characteristics.

Types of Flaked Grains

Flaked Barley

• Adds proteins which can promote a fuller body and improves head retention and mouthfeel.

• Can impart a slightly grainy flavor and is commonly used in stouts and porters.

• Used to add unfermentable saccharides to your wort which helps to increase the attenuation limit.

• Can be used in up to 10% of the total grain bill. 

• Gives a grainy bite to beers and can be used to help reduce the amount of wheat required in styles like New England IPAs (NEIPAs), wheat beers and saisons.

Flaked Wheat

• Unmalted wheat with high levels of proteins can help promote foam stability and improve mouth feel and lightness (colour) of the wort.

• Gives a crisper mouth feel compared to wheat malt.

• Helps to contribute haze and is popular in styles like NEIPAs, wheat beers and Belgian-style ales.

• Typically used in 5-10% of the total grain bill.

Flaked Oats

• Flaked oats contain high levels of lipids, beta glucans and gums, which help to impart a silky smooth mouthfeel and creaminess to beer.

• They are becoming increasingly popular in styles such as NEIPAs/Hazy IPAs, and other big, hoppy beers for the texture and fullness of palate that they help to impart.

• The more flaked oats in your grain bill, the greater the effect.

• Will lead to a thicker, stickier mash bed which can restrict water flow during sparging or recirculation of the wort. This can be alleviated by including rice hulls in the grist.

Flaked Rice

• Lightens the body and colour of the beer. 

• It contributes to a clean, crisp finish, which is particularly desirable in styles like American and Japanese lagers

We used rice flakes in our Japanese Lager recipe

• Flaked rice has a very neutral flavor, allowing the other ingredients in the beer to shine without adding any strong flavors of its own.

Conclusion

Flaked grains are a valuable addition to any homebrewer's toolkit. By understanding how they are made, their differences from malted grains, and how they can be used in brewing, you can experiment with various types to create unique and delicious beers. 

Whether you're looking to improve mouthfeel, head retention, or flavor, flaked grains offer a range of possibilities to elevate your homebrewing game.

More Information

Brulosophy ran an experiment where they compared the use of flaked oats and malted oats in otherwise identical recipes and people were generally unable to tell the difference.

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