Oatmeal Wheat

[toffle]

I've brewed this three times now, and with a couple of tweaks, it is starting to taste really good. I'd love to have some feedback from more experienced brewers.

Thanks,
Tom

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1071661/omg

 

[Iliff Avenue Brewhouse]

Interesting beer. If you’re going to call it a wheat I would use more. Semantics I suppose..

Also what are you trying to achieve with the sugar? That and the lactose have opposite effects.

 

[Nosybear]

Interesting beer. If you’re going to call it a wheat I would use more. Semantics I suppose..

Also what are you trying to achieve with the sugar? That and the lactose have opposite effects.

Concur with all points, additionally, why two different sugars? You're thinning out the additional body from the wheat and adding alcohol... I was intrigued by the idea of oatmeal wheat. A pet peeve of mine is paying for corn sugar when cane sugar is so cheap and does the same thing.

 

[toffle]

Interesting beer. If you’re going to call it a wheat I would use more. Semantics I suppose..

Also what are you trying to achieve with the sugar? That and the lactose have opposite effects.

Good points! Thanks for the replies, and thanks for your honesty.

I am something of a beginner at this, so I've been carrying one experiment after another through successive brews. I must admit that it may not necessarily make sense, but I've been sticking to things that taste good in the long run. The two different fermentable sugars could easily be combined as; a single sugar. I just got in the habit of mixing them when I found myself short of dextrose and had to pilfer some from the baking drawer in the kitchen. I don't see the lactose as doing the same thing, though, as it is not fermentable.

As for naming the brew, I really don't know what to call it, but the oatmeal and wheat are defining elements of the beer, so I've put that in the name.

Thanks again. As I said, I'm fairly new at this, having brewed just over a dozen batches.

Cheers!
Tom

 

[Bubba Wade]

I don't see too much of an issue using wheat and sugar in the same batch. I do this often. I add around 10% wheat to most of my beers to help with foam stability.

However, one of the reason for using oats is to provide a bit creamier mouth feel. The cane and corn sugars work a bit in the opposite direction of the oats. And the US-05 has a pretty good attenuation.

I'm not sure what your final goal is with this beer, but I might be inclined to try a batch without the sugars and replace them with additional oats, wheat, or 2-row. You'll end up with a bit "thicker" mouth feel.

 

[toffle]

I don't see too much of an issue using wheat and sugar in the same batch. I do this often. I add around 10% wheat to most of my beers to help with foam stability.

However, one of the reason for using oats is to provide a bit creamier mouth feel. The cane and corn sugars work a bit in the opposite direction of the oats. And the US-05 has a pretty good attenuation.

I'm not sure what your final goal is with this beer, but I might be inclined to try a batch without the sugars and replace them with additional oats, wheat, or 2-row. You'll end up with a bit "thicker" mouth feel.

Thanks so much!

It appears that in my ignorance/inexperience I have been pitting some of my ingredients against each other. I'll have to re-think why I am choosing each ingredient. My goal is a tasty beer that does not taste strong, smooth, but with a bit of crispness.

I will try your suggestion to forego the sugars.

Tom

 

[J A]

If you like it, keep doing what your doing. It's pretty much all over the map.
It's not a Weisbier, by any measure. The hops and yeast say Blonde Ale but the lactose is completely out of place for that. The oats and sugars are pulling in different directions. Personally, I can't imagine a beer like that with lactose sweetness. Maybe the grapefruit and orange peel is offsetting that. Bottom line, no offense, it doesn't look at all appealing to me.
If you wanted to hone in, I'd suggest keeping the base malt and wheat, hops and yeast (maybe add a little flaked wheat for mouthfeel) and brew a basic clean, simple beer and see how that compares with what you've got going now. From there you could add back in anything that you think might be actually missing. I suspect you'd be surprised at how close to your stated goal you can get with a much simpler ingredient list.

 

[Nosybear]

Good points! Thanks for the replies, and thanks for your honesty.

I am something of a beginner at this, so I've been carrying one experiment after another through successive brews. I must admit that it may not necessarily make sense, but I've been sticking to things that taste good in the long run. The two different fermentable sugars could easily be combined as; a single sugar. I just got in the habit of mixing them when I found myself short of dextrose and had to pilfer some from the baking drawer in the kitchen. I don't see the lactose as doing the same thing, though, as it is not fermentable.

As for naming the brew, I really don't know what to call it, but the oatmeal and wheat are defining elements of the beer, so I've put that in the name.

Thanks again. As I said, I'm fairly new at this, having brewed just over a dozen batches.

Cheers!
Tom

Sorry, I read sucrose. Aging eyeballs...

 

[toffle]

If you wanted to hone in, I'd suggest keeping the base malt and wheat, hops and yeast (maybe add a little flaked wheat for mouthfeel) and brew a basic clean, simple beer and see how that compares with what you've got going now. From there you could add back in anything that you think might be actually missing. I suspect you'd be surprised at how close to your stated goal you can get with a much simpler ingredient list.

This is good advice.

As a novice brewer, I've been taking the bits that I like from recipes that I've brewed, and lumping them together. It's not that there's no method to my madness, but I clearly lack the experience to judge how the different elements work with (or against) each other in the final brew. I've been tempted to name my brew "Kitchen Sink", as it has everything BUT the kitchen sink thrown in. As I said, I've only brewed just over a dozen batches. (Is it superstitious of me that I won't name the number?) I'm not abandoning this recipe, as friends and family enjoy it, but I'll be certain to try to refine it in a more planned fashion.

Thanks all, and Cheers!
Tom

 

[J A]

I'm not abandoning this recipe, as friends and family enjoy it,

I'll predict that your friends and family will enjoy most anything you brew. Try to be discerning and self-critical and develop your palate. You'll learn sooner or later how things interact. In the meantime, throwing bits and pieces of a lot of recipes together isn't the most productive way to do things.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Thanks so much!

It appears that in my ignorance/inexperience I have been pitting some of my ingredients against each other. I'll have to re-think why I am choosing each ingredient. My goal is a tasty beer that does not taste strong, smooth, but with a bit of crispness.

I will try your suggestion to forego the sugars.

Tom

Hey if you like a bit of crispness why not try a more traditional wheat beer 50/50 or 60/40 pilsner/wheat drop the rest keep your orange peal and see what you think. Add some gypsum to dry it out and give them hops some bite too.

 

[Craigerrr]

I'll predict that your friends and family will enjoy most anything you brew. Try to be discerning and self-critical and develop your palate. You'll learn sooner or later how things interact. In the meantime, throwing bits and pieces of a lot of recipes together isn't the most productive way to do things.

Free beer usually tastes pretty darn good!