How much can Beano convert

These little beasts do all the hard work. Share how to keep 'em happy and working hard.

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
jmc91199
Bootlegger
Posts: 105
Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2006 11:35 am
Location: Middle Managment..Just as i've always dreamed!

How much can Beano convert

Post by jmc91199 »

I'm working on an oat whiskey. I've put 5lbs of oats in 5 gals water with 4 1/4rd apples. I'm making a yeast starter that consists of 1 gal water ec-1118 16oz molasses and a splash of lemon juice.

I boiled 4gal water and added the oats and apples. when it get down to 145deg i plan to add some beano to convert the starch. after a couple of hours i plan to measure the gravity and then add enough sugar to to bring the potential abv up to 10%. right now i plan to use 4 crushed beano tabs. is that enough.
Dave's not here!
theholymackerel
retired
Posts: 1432
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 7:39 pm

Post by theholymackerel »

Beano breaks complex sugars into simple sugars. It will not convert starch to sugar.

Amylase enzyme will convert starch to sugar.
pintoshine
Distiller
Posts: 1132
Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2006 1:30 pm

Post by pintoshine »

I am glad to see that someone else other than myself understands this concept.
Good Job thm.
wineo
Distiller
Posts: 1322
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2007 7:33 pm

Post by wineo »

You need to use some 2 or 6 row barley{2-3Lbs} and the beano,after the mash temp drops to 140 or under.With oats,its best to mash in an insulated cooler,and leave it over night.The barley will add a little malt flavor,but you need the enzymes to get a good conversion.Brewhaus sells some 3 in 1 enzyme that works real good.It will convert as good as the malted barley,but not have the barley flavor.The oat whiskeys are a completely different animal.They are mildest of all whiskeys.There is a wide range of flavors you can get from using different kinds of oats,from oatmeal types to whole oats.You can also get different flavor profiles from the types of yeast you use.Its a fun adventure,and be prepared to make a mess.You will be rewarded for it in the end.Good luck,and let us know how it turns out.
wineo
pintoshine
Distiller
Posts: 1132
Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2006 1:30 pm

Post by pintoshine »

Oat rocks. I liked your oat stuff. I drank 3/4 bottle Sunday night. Goood stuff
junkyard dawg
Master of Distillation
Posts: 3086
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:40 am
Location: Texas

Post by junkyard dawg »

I am glad to see that someone else other than myself understands this concept.
:roll:


oats and apples sounds like a good combo to me. What these other guys said about the enzymes is right on tho... gotta change that recipe up a little. I have been wanting to try that three in one enzyme, but never have had time for it...
Its a fun adventure,and be prepared to make a mess.You will be rewarded for it in the end.Good luck,and let us know how it turns out.
I don't know about the mess part, theres enough info on this forum to avoid that, but the part about the reward is true. When the fruit around here is done and there is time for grains in the fermenter again its gonna be oats and 6 row up first. been my favorite so far and made me a semi hero with the select few tasters of the last batch... good luck with your batch for sure. :)
wineo
Distiller
Posts: 1322
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2007 7:33 pm

Post by wineo »

Ive been working on that fast fermenting rum,and you were right,its best on ice.Really good stuff.It wont last to long.the wheat germ is great,and has more whiskey flavor than mine.It must be the yeast.
wineo
jmc91199
Bootlegger
Posts: 105
Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2006 11:35 am
Location: Middle Managment..Just as i've always dreamed!

Post by jmc91199 »

well i got it going. Thanks for setting me straight on the Beano thing :oops: For some reason i guess i thought beano had enzymes in it.

Any way what i ended up doing was adding 10lbs of sugar to the oatmeal and pitching the yeast starter. It is going like gang buster right now. Its not messy at all. it is a SMOP for sure but not messy. even though i didn't use the suger from the oats i should at least get all the flavor out of it. I'll let you know. when this one is done i plan to do another using the backset from this one. in that one i may go the brew shop and pick up some amylase to convert the starch. Thanks for the feedbak!
Dave's not here!
junkyard dawg
Master of Distillation
Posts: 3086
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:40 am
Location: Texas

Post by junkyard dawg »

now hold on.... beano is an enzyme. It has a very specific action tho... Thats why you can't just use it alone to convert a bunch of corn mash to a good fermentable sweet liquid... Amylase is used to do the big job of breaking down the starch into sugars... there are more than one kind of sugars that come from amylase working on starches, some simple, some complex... beano, alpha galactosidase, goes a step further and breaks down some more of the complex sugars into the simple sugars that the yeast can use. It won't do the whole job of converting starch on its own, but it will add a little more fermentable sugar to a mash when its used properly. using it properly mostly means adding it at room temperatures. It is ruined by heat.

good whiskey is made in the mash...
jmc91199
Bootlegger
Posts: 105
Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2006 11:35 am
Location: Middle Managment..Just as i've always dreamed!

Post by jmc91199 »

Well my first batched finnished and the results are mixed. :? I ended up with about a quart of 70% abv liker. It smells and taste more like rum than whiskey though. I know i didnt convert the oat starch to sugar but i thought i would have gotten more flavor from the oats. Oh well live and learn. Hey at the end of the day i have a quart of 70% stuff. :lol:

Ive started my next batch using 7lbs rolled oats and 3.5 gal water. i'm waiting for the temp of the mash to drop to 150 before i add the amylase. When it gets to room temp i'm going to pitch my yeast starter. I saved about a half gallon from my previous attempt those wee beasties should be charged and ready to go. I will also throw in some beano to break down the sugar a bit more.

I hope i've redeemed my self with this batch. :D
Dave's not here!
Post Reply