"Grainy" lager adjuncts ie 6-row, flaked barley, Chit

[Brewer #334545]

Hey Everyone,
i brewed a lager awhile back that was
6 lbs 6 row
6 lbs 2-row
~6oz acidulated malt.
while it was fermenting it had a pleasant grainy character but when it was finished it lost it so this got the ball rolling.
i would like to try and amplify this and have been reading into adjuncts to try and so far this is what ive come up with.

obviously i will try a 100% 6row lager to see if it get me there, but i usually do multiple batches in a row so id like to experiment a bit more.
so far the only adjuncts ive seen that could help me here are:
Chit
Flaked barley

anyone have any other ones that come to mind?
i am debating on just adding 10% to a 2-row base for experimentation purposes.

thanks,
-Will

 

[Nosybear]

Hey Everyone,
i brewed a lager awhile back that was
6 lbs 6 row
6 lbs 2-row
~6oz acidulated malt.
while it was fermenting it had a pleasant grainy character but when it was finished it lost it so this got the ball rolling.
i would like to try and amplify this and have been reading into adjuncts to try and so far this is what ive come up with.

obviously i will try a 100% 6row lager to see if it get me there, but i usually do multiple batches in a row so id like to experiment a bit more.
so far the only adjuncts ive seen that could help me here are:
Chit
Flaked barley

anyone have any other ones that come to mind?
i am debating on just adding 10% to a 2-row base for experimentation purposes.

thanks,
-Will

100% six-row beers are generally described as "grainy". That's why the German brewers emigrating to the U. S. figured out they could get a decent beer by adding adjuncts to it. Your grain bill should have had some "grainy" quality to it. Chit malt is another way of getting body and head retention, flaked barley will add, well, raw barley flavor to the beer.

I'm guessing what you were picking up was some residual sugar, kind of like the graininess you get from sweetened oatmeal. Once the sugar is gone, you're no longer able to pick up the "graininess." There's another possibility: Oxidation will destroy malt flavors over time but I don't think that's the case in active fermentation.

Corn will give you a feed-corn flavor (not sweet corn!). Rice is more or less neutral. Flaked wheat or barley will add body and a bit of flavor, as would flaked rye. As mentioned, chit malt is generally used to increase body and head retention.

Good luck with it!

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

American 2 row and 6 row are very similar. They are bred to be similar. American 2 row has nearly the same diastatic power as 6 row, the protein levels are within 1-1.5%, plus the flavor is very similar. This breeding process to make 2 row similar to 6 row started in the 60’s. Budweiser and most macro brewers have switched to it, 6 row’s market share has dropped considerably because of the breeding program.

The graininess is characteristic of North American malt, but this is a delicate flavor that can be muted by oxidation. Light lager flavors are often lost due to oxygen ingress. Check your handling of the beer to insure there is no oxidation taking place. I brew often with American 2 row and the graininess comes out each time. If I were to brew the same beer with European malt it would come across as bready not grainy.

 

[Brewer #334545]

Grainy is hard to describe but the best way i can describe it is as dirtyness you get from multigrain as opposed to white bread.
I've brewed lagers with 3 NA grains. canada malt co pilsner and 6 row, and Rahr 2row. none have come out with any grainy character when finished. i always do a closed transfer, and my hazys always stay a nice yellow and turn almost grey when left in the glass overnight. i dont think oxidation is a factor here.
maybe something that might be holding me back is i dont make my lagers true to style,
i usually go 1.055OG and finish 1.006, around 15 iBUs with around 1/3 oz at 60 mins and whats left over of 2 oz with 10 mins.
i dont really pick up any boozy flavour and get a really light crisp north of 6% beer.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Most 2 row or 6 row malts from NA will have a graininess to them. Sounds like you have you oxygen ingress down to a minimum, so like you mentioned, so that’s not the problem.

I use Rahr premium pilsner malt and that is one of its characteristics, it’s not in your face strong, but it’s noticeable. It definitely tastes “American”. I also use 34/70 yeast for that style, not sure if that has an impact, but it dries the beer out for sure. I’ve never heard of anyone purposely trying for that flavor, so I’m not sure where to go with this. Most brewers try to minimize it. I personally like it.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Funny my latest kolsch I brewed with gladfields German pils malt and gladfield Munich has a real grainy flavour to it which I have to admit I dont care for I'm hoping another week or two of lagering will fix this.

This I can only attribute to a short 30 min boil
After a prominent youtube vlogger recommend opting for 30min boil to retain more delicate malt flavours.

 

[Minbari]

Maybe some biscuit malt?

 

[Nosybear]

Maybe some biscuit malt?

I don't think that's the flavor the OP is going for... Might be worth a try though. I'd go with raw wheat.