Using Flaked Barley?

[BARL Brewing]

I’m guessing this is basic stuff, but I was planning to play around with some ingredients and some flaked barley. I am an extract brewer so I understand the flaked barley can’t just be steeped with the specialty grains and it needs to be mashed. What’s the best way to do this and how long does it need to be mashed?
Can I throw in 2-3 gal of water in a grain bag and let it hold at what temp for how many Min.
Should it be free floating then strained?
Would I add my DME after the mash?

Brian

[maltbarley]

I don't know why you couldn't just add it to your specialty grains.

[backyard brewer]

I don't know why you couldn't just add it to your specialty grains.

It would just add starch. It has to be mashed for conversion.

If you're going to use it, just do a small mini-mash. With your specialty grains, add about 2 pounds of 2-row malt. In a bag is fine so you can strain it. Hold it at 154* for about 45 minutes or so. You can do this in your boil pot, in the grain bag. lift it out, putting a stainless collender (sp?) over the pot and setting the bag in works good. Next pour several measuring cups of 165* water over the bag and try to rinse the rest of the sugar out. Dont' rinse too much or any hotter. Collect all that in your kettle, discard the grains (or bake bread with them)

Proceed like you normally would.....

[maltbarley]

Maybe that's what I missed, I always did (steeped and rinsed) my specialty grains as you described.

[kevinham]

I don't know why you couldn't just add it to your specialty grains.

It would just add starch. It has to be mashed for conversion.

If you're going to use it, just do a small mini-mash. With your specialty grains, add about 2 pounds of 2-row malt. In a bag is fine so you can strain it. Hold it at 154* for about 45 minutes or so. You can do this in your boil pot, in the grain bag. lift it out, putting a stainless collender (sp?) over the pot and setting the bag in works good. Next pour several measuring cups of 165* water over the bag and try to rinse the rest of the sugar out. Dont' rinse too much or any hotter. Collect all that in your kettle, discard the grains (or bake bread with them)

Proceed like you normally would.....

And just to clarify... pour the water over to rinse, don't squeeze the bag!

[bwarbiany]

Also to clarify... When I first started brewing extract + specialty grains, I'd put the specialty grains in a BUNCH of water -- usually the entire boil volume of 6 gallons. So I'd have maybe 2 lbs specialty grains in 24 qts water. In a mash you want to be somewhere near 1.25:1 qt/lb, and I was above 10:1. This is fine for steeping grains, but a mash won't convert well at such a diluted mixture (due to enzymes being so diluted they won't do their job).

I'm not sure how you normally steep your grains, but I'd just keep this in mind. Shoot for about 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain on the mini-mash [steep], and you'll be in good shape.