Home brewers can use adjuncts to add different flavors to beer and improve mouth feel, head retention and clarity. Corn is used in the production of American pilsners and light lagers(One of the finest Trappist breweries, Rochefort, reportedly uses corn in their beers). In some of these lagers, the cereal may represent up to 50% percent of the total extract. Corn is not just a way to cut corners. If you are trying to brew a light-colored beer, using corn will allow you to brew a beer that is lighter in flavor and color than an all-barley malt version of that beer. Typically, brewers use up to 30 percent of these adjuncts. Since the corn is de-germed, most of the oil is removed. This can cause lack of foam which is characteristic of high adjunct beers. Unlike corn grits which must be liquefied in a cereal cooker, Yellow Corn Flakes can be added directly to the mash. Do not mill. A single or multiple temperature infusion can be used. Conversion time and lautering time will be normal. Corn also has a very high conversion rate making it a preferred choice in many distilling recipes.
- Using Pregelatinized Yellow Corn Flakes as an adjunct produces a lower color in the finished beer without lowering the original gravity.
- Pregelatinized Yellow Corn Flakes produce a beer with a mild, less malty flavor
- Pregelatinized Yellow Corn Flakes produce a drier, more crisp beer
- Increases gravity with out added flavor
- Can make up to 40% of grist for American lager styles
- Also used for corn wash for distilling whiskey or ethanol
- Ferments out almost completely
- Lovibond: 0.8