In the past three installments of the Exchange Rates series, we discussed how to convert base malts to extracts, work with specialty grains, and account for extracts with different compositions. In this article we’ll tackle the sticky subject of adjuncts.
An adjunct is any ingredient that contributes fermentable sugars and isn’t a malted grain. Adjuncts can include
- Simple sugars such as dextrose (corn sugar), brown sugar, honey, and Belgian candi sugar
- Raw grains such as unmalted barley, wheat, oats, and rye
- Flaked unmalted grains such as rolled oats and flaked maize
Sugars are easy: You can freely exchange them between all-grain and extract formulations without change. So, if your friend’s all-grain recipe for a Belgian dubbel includes a pound of Belgian candi sugar, then you can go ahead and use one pound of the same in your extract version.
Raw and unmalted grains are more complicated because these must be mashed: For extract brewers, this means brewing a partial-mash beer. Partial-mash brewing relies on malt extract for the bulk of fermentable sugars, supplemented by some sugars obtained by conducting a small mash. It’s not as hard as it sounds, and many brewers use partial mash as a stepping stone from pure extract brewing to all-grain methods.
Oatmeal stout, for example, is a popular style, but oats need to be mashed. To brew an oatmeal stout as an extract brewer, you can mash flaked oats with some pale malt and add the resulting liquid to your boil kettle along with the malt extract. In an upcoming example, we’ll show you how to do this. All you need is your brew kettle, some hot water, a thermometer, and a little time.
Some raw grains such as corn and rice may require an additional step called a cereal mash. Most all-grain brewers don’t even bother with this. The main thing to know is that flaked adjuncts such as flaked maize, rolled oats, and flaked rye can be used directly in a mash, whether it’s a full mash or a partial mash, but non-flaked versions such as corn grits need additional work. If you select flaked adjuncts, though, you won’t ever need the cereal mash.
In the next installment of Exchange Rates, we discuss how to convert hops quantities for different brewing methods. And in the final installment, we demonstrate all of the topics with two complete examples.