Dry beer enzyme > Gluco amylase?

[Caustic]

I am wanting to make a corn mash. being in Australia liquid enzymes are spoken of in hushed tones. I want to try a pure corn wash and not have to resort to malted barley for starch conversion. The only easily available alpha amylase is the 4g dry powder satchels (still spirits and the like) beta or gluco amylase is not sold anywhere In Australia I am aware of. However the enzyme sold as "Dry beer enzyme" Sounds like it does the same job? Anyone have any experience with using it?

[Bryan1]

those 4g packs actually do work but one also needs some barley or other malt to fully convert the starch

[Caustic]

I am going to use malt in my mashes for now, but I am also going to experiment with an all corn mash using dry enzymes, I will split the batch in half after mashing, one half getting the added dry beer enzyme at yeast pitch. Any noticeable difference in FG will show if it has any validity.

[LWTCS]

Really? Why are the use of enzymes spoken in "hushed tones"?
I had not heard that before?

[Caustic]

They are just not easily available, And shipping from the US is usually many times the cost of the product. I have to hunt around to even find malted grain in any homebrew stores in my area.

[LWTCS]

Ah, also you're referencing the association to the distilling side of the hobby then too right? Duh.

At first I thought you were referring to general use being poopoo'd as some how not purist enough.

[Fruit Squeezer]

I use dry amylase in my cornmeal wash.
Hold corn (or) cornmeal around 70°C for an hour to gelatinize the starch.
Stirr every 5-10 min and scrape the bottom to prevent scorching.
My brewshop sells A/B amylase as a powder mixed together.

Per 5 gal:
After 60 minutes @ 70C turn off heat.
Add 1 tsp of amylase, stirr well and cover.

After it cools to 62°C, add 1 tsp amylase and stirr well.
Cover and let cool to 48°C and pitch yeast.
(Or)
Cover and let cool over night, then pitch yeast.
No grains needed for conversion.
Aerate well, check Ph, and add nutrients of choice and sugar water to get desired S.G. and airlock.
Corn ratio and conversion determines how much sugar is needed (not much) to get an even 10% abv wash.

Ferments in week 1-2 in cool cellar temps
Clears in week 2-3 in cool cellar temps
I'm working on a heated ferment cabinet to help speed things along.

Point is, you can do all corn with just amylase and nutrients. I've run MANY small batches this way.

[Caustic]

I have had bad flooding in my area for the last couple of weeks. Mail has been "unpredictable" but I received my dry enzymes yesterday and the dry beer enzyme is indeed glucoamylase. (no where online did they feel the need to include that information in the item description) I did my first corn mash 4 kg (just shy of 9 pounds) using dry alpha amylase, however Right when I had my temps at around 65c, I had a delivery of pilsner malt I have been waiting on. (that's a sign if ever there was) So I mashed in 2 kilos (4.5 pounds) of malt and ended with 19 liters (5 gallon) with an sg of 1060. seems about what I was expecting. I have made a few all grain beers and I use a robobrew to mash in. The cracked corn was not easy to drain though the malt pipe and I had an inefficient sparge (I did use some of the spent grain in a sugarhead so no waste there) I couldn't be bothered chilling the wort last night so I cold cubed it and pitched yeast this morning (bakers yeast) and added the glucoamylase at the same time. It is fermenting well already, our ambient temps are hot right now at 36c (96f) so will ferment out quickly , I learnt a lot and look forward to improving my method.