Additional water to grist for rolled oats addition

timsch

I'm brewing an oatmeal stout and just found out that the oats I was planning on using need to be converted before adding to the mash by pre-boiling them. I'll use 1-3/4# of oats. Should the water I use for this be taken from the total amount of water calculated through Brui'n Water or should it be in addition to it? I know oats soaks up water and I don't want to end up shy on volume..

DBhomebrew

What kind of oats are you using? Rolled/flaked can go right into the mash.

timsch

Rolled. I read in several threads that these needed to be boiled 1st - basically make them into runny oatmeal. old-fashioned kind, the Quaker brand

DBhomebrew

Don't take my word for it, but you're good to go. The rolling process is done under steam, gelatinization is part of that process.

Beerstein

I throw my rolled oats directly into the mash. If I have wheat in the mash, then I might throw them in on top. I normally use 15 to 20% and never had problems with drainage.

timsch

Looking further into it, I may have been reading about raw oats and their requirements. Perhaps some wrong info in some of these other threads. I'll just add them as y'all have.
Nothing like the stress of having something come to your attention that you may have been wrong about before to throw off your typical brew process during the brewday.
Thanks.

mashpaddled

Rolled or flaked oats do not require any treatment before going into the mash. That includes the usual Quaker oats (or other brands) you might buy at the grocery store. Malted oats similarly should not require a cereal mash to gelantize.
Unmalted, raw oats technically do not need a cereal mash because they gelantize at mash temperatures; however, you may want to do a cereal mash anyway because they gelatinize slowly at mash temperatures.
If you're buying any kind of oats at the grocery store, look at the directions. If they are just add boiling water or cook for a few minutes, don't worry about it. If, like steel cut groats, it says boil for thirty minutes, plan on a cereal mash or extended mash and check for conversion.

timsch

Much appreciated.