[trapae]

Anyone do this for mouthfeel or head retention?  (I’ve been having trouble with retention) If so how much.  I use and like it in porters and stouts but never tried in anything else.  If so, does the mouthfeel make it seem less dry if I’m mashing low?  Just wondering....

[denny]

I've done it and gotten neither head retention nor increased mouthfeel.  If anything, the opposite.

[BrewBama]

I recently read an article titled ‘Better Beer Foam Tips’ on the AHA website. They recommend:

Get your carbonation right.
Choose malts with high protein levels (e.g. crystal malts, dark malts).
Avoid low-protein adjuncts (e.g. corn, rice, sugar).
Wheat malts and flaked barley will increase head retention.
Bittering hops help with head formation.
Sanitize and rinse your equipment well.
Depending on the grain, mash at high enough temperatures.
Nitrogen- CO2 gas mix can help with foam stability.
Avoid fats and oils.
Make sure glassware is beer clean.
Carefully measure priming sugar.
Serve beer chilled.

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/secrets-better-beer-foam/


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[denny]

Chris Colby wrote a great article for BYO years ago about beer foam.  He said (and I've found it to be true) that the main thing is a good fermentation.  Plenty of healthy yeast and proper temps.  Think about Duvel....maybe the best foam I've ever seen in a beer.  Nothing buy pils malt and sugar.  No high protein ingredients.  Just a well made beer.

[mabrungard]

Most definitely YES. The beta-glucans in flaked barley do substantially increase mouthfeel and head in my experience. Flaked wheat does a similar, yet smaller contribution.

I often add a small percentage of flaked wheat to my recipes to aid in head production, maybe a quarter pound in a typical 5 gal recipe. I find that wheat imparts a very light and crisp flavor to beers...inoffensive.

However, flaked barley is not so nice to work with in pale beers. I find that it has a much more noticeable flavor and its ability to boost head is multiplied. I found that even an ounce or two in a 5 gal batch created more than enough head building and the flavor still was noticeable to me. I ultimately gave up on flaked barley for pale beers. Flaked wheat does what I want.

Leave flaked barley to your darker recipes where the flavor of flaked barley seems to pair much more pleasantly with the roast flavors.

[trapae]

 Cool, thanks for the advice. Maybe a little flaked wheat will help. I’ve been doing everything on that list except for letting trub clear prior to transferring to fermenter. I do whirlpool but haven’t been letting it settle afterward.  I’m going to do this on the next batch. Also going to recirculate my mash. Maybe those two things will help also.

[erockrph]

Most definitely YES. The beta-glucans in flaked barley do substantially increase mouthfeel and head in my experience. Flaked wheat does a similar, yet smaller contribution.

I often add a small percentage of flaked wheat to my recipes to aid in head production, maybe a quarter pound in a typical 5 gal recipe. I find that wheat imparts a very light and crisp flavor to beers...inoffensive.

However, flaked barley is not so nice to work with in pale beers. I find that it has a much more noticeable flavor and its ability to boost head is multiplied. I found that even an ounce or two in a 5 gal batch created more than enough head building and the flavor still was noticeable to me. I ultimately gave up on flaked barley for pale beers. Flaked wheat does what I want.

Leave flaked barley to your darker recipes where the flavor of flaked barley seems to pair much more pleasantly with the roast flavors.

I agree completely here. I experimented with flaked barley as a potential way to increase mouthfeel in session beers, but I really didn't enjoy the flavor it added to my pale beers. It was an unpleasant raw grain/grass flavor that stuck out like a sore thumb. Flaked wheat helps with foam, but I don't think it adds much body.

If you're looking for both head and body, a small percentage of rye malt is another option. At 5% of your grain bill or less, there will be minimal contribution to flavor, but it will add a fair amount of body and foam.

[Adam]

Another thing to focus on is how much splashing and bubbling is happening during the transfer from mash tun to kettle, the transfer from kettle to fermentor and the transfer from fermentor to keg or bottle.  If to much splashing happens I have been told that you can reduce the head retention.

I have added malted wheat to increase head retention (+/- 5%) works for me.

[Nathan]

Anyone do this for mouthfeel or head retention?  (I’ve been having trouble with retention) If so how much.  I use and like it in porters and stouts but never tried in anything else.  If so, does the mouthfeel make it seem less dry if I’m mashing low?  Just wondering....

Do it I

Find that it helps with head retention and mouthfeel. I have used oats, rye, and wheat flakes all with good results. Never more than 20% of my grain bill   I do brew in a bag in a mash tun never had a problem with stuck mash either   These beers do take a week longer to clear but IMO the body and mouth feel is worth it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BitterItDown]

Another thing to focus on is how much splashing and bubbling is happening during the transfer from mash tun to kettle, the transfer from kettle to fermentor and the transfer from fermentor to keg or bottle.  If to much splashing happens I have been told that you can reduce the head retention.

I have added malted wheat to increase head retention (+/- 5%) works for me.

The problem with "I've been told..." or "I've read..." or "I've heard..." is that it's just not worth repeating without reference.  Fake news so to speak.  Most commonly called BS.