Oats: malted vs Quaker?

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Steve Broady
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Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by Steve Broady »

The Carolina Malt House is right down the road from me, and I recently found out that they sell to individuals as well as commercial breweries, albeit with a 50lb minimum. They have malted oats, which got me curious. I’ve read a lot about the benefits of rolled oats for mouthfeel, and I’ve used them toasted for a lovely flavor in the past. But what effect do malted oats have? I find a few threads where people mention using them, but it doesn’t seem to be a common ingredient. Is that because not many people have access to them, or because it’s not that good in a spirit?
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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by still_stirrin »

Malted oats would be lovely. Gettum’.

Rolled (crimped) oats and even flaked oats (quick oats from the grocery store) are both “compromises”. They’ll add flavor and texture. But malting the oats is the “best” solution.

Oat whiskey is great. DAD300 makes a delicious oat whiskey from 100% oats (the Falling Rock Distillery in Arkansas). It’s fantastic. :thumbup:

So grab a sack of malted oats and get started. You’ll be glad you did.
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Ben
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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by Ben »

Malted oats are a winner. Having the husk in tact helps keep the whole program from turning into a sticky mass. You still get the nice mouthfeel but the malted version seems less "grassy" than feed oat in the final product.
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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by greggn »

Steve Broady wrote: Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:55 am I find a few threads where people mention using them, but it doesn’t seem to be a common ingredient. Is that because not many people have access to them, or because it’s not that good in a spirit?

Oats, malted or not, tend to be expensive so I think most people use them as an adjunct ... as a result they don't get a lot of discussion. Just be careful fermenting 100% oats. Leave *a lot* of headroom in your primary fermenter.
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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by Twisted Brick »

greggn wrote: Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:27 am
Oats, malted or not, tend to be expensive so I think most people use them as an adjunct ... as a result they don't get a lot of discussion. Just be careful fermenting 100% oats. Leave *a lot* of headroom in your primary fermenter.
+1

Northern Brewer in CA has them listed at $114 for 50lbs, a little spendy for making a single malt oat whiskey. The oat malt listed on the Carolina Malt website has been hulled, so at least you're getting more malt for your dollar.
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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by jonnys_spirit »

I used this blonde roast oat malt in about 10% of this mash bill.

25# Blue corn
25# White corn
5# Red wheat
5# White wheat
5# Blonde roast oat malt
5# Carastan malt
7.5# Crystal rye malt
7.5# Munich malt
10# Quick oats

https://www.northernbrewer.com/products ... toats-malt

I blended the spirits with some other bourbon mashes/runs but also kept some aside and aged solo in a BadMo - it's now gone but really enjoyed. I might have enough for one more glass.

I can't say exactly how the oat malt contributed but I'd use it again with more..

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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by squigglefunk »

make a 100% oat whiskey with a little melted butter, brown sugar and a splash of milk
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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by Beerswimmer »

I just made a 100% oat whiskey and it's so good it's all I might make for a while! It's like drinking an oatmeal cookie! I used Grainland Select rolled oats from the feed store and Angel yeast. For gen 1 I just ran the oats through my mill into the fermentor, topped with water and pitched yeast. The next gens I used 30% hot backstet straight from the boiler to sterilize the grains for a few hours before topping up with cool water and pitching yeast.

The next batch I'll just use boiling water instead of backset, I plan on just drinking it white.

I noticed very few heads and the tails came way way late and weren't very smelly at all. I had the biggest hearts % ever.
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Steve Broady
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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by Steve Broady »

Sounds like I might need to pick up a 50lb bag of marked oats! In which case, a question for you guys. Do they have enough enzymes on their own, or do I need to add anything? From what I understand, they should work just like marked barley in that regard, right?
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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by Demy »

I made the oat malt myself, germination is easy, it has a very thick skin which favors filtration. I brewed it for beer, generally in spirits it gives flavor and softness to the palate.
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Re: Oats: malted vs Quaker?

Post by Ben »

Steve Broady wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 3:51 am Sounds like I might need to pick up a 50lb bag of marked oats! In which case, a question for you guys. Do they have enough enzymes on their own, or do I need to add anything? From what I understand, they should work just like marked barley in that regard, right?
Diastatic power is around 25l, you are shooting for an average of around 40 for the batch, so it would be advisable to use an enzyme additive, or another malt in conjunction with your oats.
:)
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