|
 
hat percentage of sugars are unfermentable after a maillard reaction has taken place?
I want intense kettle caramelization in a beer I’m looking to brew. Something on the scale of HotD Fred or Corne de Brume. However, I’d rather not do a 5 hour boil like Hair of the Dog does. I was thinking of getting malt extract and caramelizing that on my stovetop till it’s nice and toffee-like. Thus, skipping having to wait hours to reduce my wort till a proper maillard reaction can take place.
If all the sugars from this process become unfermentable, then what percentage of the wort/extract could I get away with for intense caramelization?
Thanks in advance for any input!
|
Reply 
Private message 
|
I believe either caramelization or a maillard reaction leaves the specific sugar molecule in question unfermentable. That said I have no idea what times/temperatures are needed to cause all of the sugars in a give pot to go through these reactions. As a data point the Maltose Falcons did a 19 hour boil on a wee heavy and only got about 60% attenuation (http://www.maltosefalcons.com/recipes/20030601.php ).
I have taken the first runnings of a few big beers and boiled them down to 1/10 their original volume. Something similar might work for you, take a gallon of your wort out before you add the hops, then boil it down separately to a syrup. Once it starts to thinken add it back to the main boil.
I just came into some Fred from 2001, and man is that stuff tasty. Good luck.
|
Post a reply
Private message
|
Great response and very interesting link!
So, even after boiling for 12 to 18 hours there were still enough fermentable sugars that it dropped from 1.106 to 1.040? I wonder if the remaining sugars would taste like unfermented wort due to that high of a final gravity?
Also, when boiling for an extended period of time how is water calculated? I know Maillard reactions don’t start till a specific viscosity is reached. However, at end of boil do you want to have your OG reached? Or, do you intentionally boil down beyond that to reach caramelization and then top off with additional water?
I’ve really tried researching this on the net and asking around, but there’s just doesn’t seem to be any answers out there.
Any other ideas on my latest thoughts?
|
Post a reply
Private message
|
I still can’t seem to find an answer after looking all over.
Any ideas on these two newest questions? Any thoughts are apprecitated! 
|
Post a reply
Private message
|
It shouldn’t taste like unfermented wort, at that attenuation all of the regular sugars would be gone and the things that aren’t left are either dextrins or byproducts of the various reactions.
I would top off with soft water, the beer would end up too minerally if you concentrated 25 gallons of moderately hard water down to 5 (I believe HoTD has pretty soft water in Oregon).
I wouldn’t let the beer get to thick to the point that it would get too much over 212 F (100 C). Maillard reactions happen at a standard boiling temp/concentration (although their rate is increased by concentration and more heat), I believe it is the caramelization reactions that require significantly more heat.
Hope that helps.
|
Post a reply
Private message
|
Outstanding explanation! Many thanks to you sir!
So, it seems that if you want strict caramelization only presented as a toffee flavor, that you remove a gallon of wort and reduce that to a heavy syrup to the point of caramelization as determined by taste. The result being more toffee flavor and a higher viscosity in the finished product.
If you want a deep and slightly charred charcter to your caramelization with a pronounced change in color to the finished product, then boiling the entire wort for several hours does the trick. Being careful not to have the wort reduce too far into a syrup, the result being that all your sugars would then become unfermentable. Rather, allow it to eventually reduce so it’s just a little above your intended OG. With the guideline being that the higher the concentration of sugars the quicker the maillard reaction becomes. Later, topping that off with soft water so you hit your required OG.
I can’t wait to get started trying this out! 
|
Post a reply
Private message
|
|
Reply
|
