Seef Bier / Buckwheat

[baloonon]

I'm planning on taking a stab at a seefbier, an old Belgian style that
sounds sort of like a wit with some buckwheat added. It sounds like a
good summer beer:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/1oxwuo/seef_the_resurrectio
n_of_a_beer_style_the_working/

Has anyone used buckwheat? I'm trying to get a sense of how much to
add. I have decent experience with the oats and wheat and of course the
barley, but haven't used buckwheat before.

Is there a minimum threshold for a notable flavor contribution, or an
upper limit beyond which it starts getting overpowering? Insert the
usual bit about how tastes are subjective here -- I'm basically curious
on how noticable its flavor is and in what concentrations. Basically,
my goal is that I want enough to be noticable without being the dominant
flavor in the beer.

Any other issues, like conversion, gumming up the mash, etc.?

My basic thinking is around 10-12 lbs total of malt, around 50% barley
(pale malt), 30% wheat, 15% buckwheat and 5% oats, hopped with saaz and
a wit yeast. No other flavor adds like in wit, though -- no coriander,
orange, etc.

[Steve Bonine]

Post by baloonon
My basic thinking is around 10-12 lbs total of malt, around 50% barley
(pale malt), 30% wheat, 15% buckwheat and 5% oats, hopped with saaz and
a wit yeast. No other flavor adds like in wit, though -- no coriander,
orange, etc.

Are you planning to malt the buckwheat?

http://www.strangebrew.ca/Drew/buckwheat.html

[baloonon]

Post by Steve Bonine

Post by baloonon
My basic thinking is around 10-12 lbs total of malt, around 50% barley
(pale malt), 30% wheat, 15% buckwheat and 5% oats, hopped with saaz and
a wit yeast. No other flavor adds like in wit, though -- no coriander,
orange, etc.

Are you planning to malt the buckwheat?
http://www.strangebrew.ca/Drew/buckwheat.html

I think my store sells malted buckwheat. If not, a bit of research says I
can boil kasha from my natural food store until it's mush and then mix it
to the mash like I've done a few times with other grains.

The recipe in that link gives a few good clues to the flavor, thanks. He
also went with about 5% and reported a noticable contribution, so I'm
thinking I'll want to go with considerably less than 15%, probably bumping
up the barley and wheat a bit to compensate.

[Steve Bonine]

Post by baloonon

Post by Steve Bonine

Post by baloonon
My basic thinking is around 10-12 lbs total of malt, around 50% barley
(pale malt), 30% wheat, 15% buckwheat and 5% oats, hopped with saaz and
a wit yeast. No other flavor adds like in wit, though -- no coriander,
orange, etc.

Are you planning to malt the buckwheat?
http://www.strangebrew.ca/Drew/buckwheat.html

I think my store sells malted buckwheat. If not, a bit of research says I
can boil kasha from my natural food store until it's mush and then mix it
to the mash like I've done a few times with other grains.
The recipe in that link gives a few good clues to the flavor, thanks. He
also went with about 5% and reported a noticable contribution, so I'm
thinking I'll want to go with considerably less than 15%, probably bumping
up the barley and wheat a bit to compensate.

I checked the Northern Brewer web site and didn't see any buckwheat, but
I did not look farther. I would expect a much different flavor from
malted grain compared to cooked grain. Not necessarily "better", just
different. I expect that when buckwheat was more common that beer
brewed using that ingredient was more common. Good luck with your efforts.

[baloonon]

Post by Steve Bonine

Post by baloonon

Post by Steve Bonine

Post by baloonon
My basic thinking is around 10-12 lbs total of malt, around 50%
barley (pale malt), 30% wheat, 15% buckwheat and 5% oats, hopped
with saaz and a wit yeast. No other flavor adds like in wit,
though -- no coriander, orange, etc.

Are you planning to malt the buckwheat?
http://www.strangebrew.ca/Drew/buckwheat.html

I think my store sells malted buckwheat. If not, a bit of research
says I can boil kasha from my natural food store until it's mush and
then mix it to the mash like I've done a few times with other grains.
The recipe in that link gives a few good clues to the flavor, thanks.
He also went with about 5% and reported a noticable contribution, so
I'm thinking I'll want to go with considerably less than 15%,
probably bumping up the barley and wheat a bit to compensate.

I checked the Northern Brewer web site and didn't see any buckwheat,
but I did not look farther. I would expect a much different flavor
from malted grain compared to cooked grain. Not necessarily "better",
just different. I expect that when buckwheat was more common that
beer brewed using that ingredient was more common. Good luck with
your efforts.

It's a big ingredient in gluten-free brewing, but since gluten's not an
issue for me, I don't seek it out. I remember my local supply store
having a little gluten-free section, which is why I'm thinking they have
buckwheat malt.

I'm sure you're right that there's a difference between malted and
unmalted, although I have no illusions that what I'm doing is much more
than a wave in the direction of the old recipes. According to what I
read about seefbier, the brewers of the recent commercial version found
all old recipes had vanished, until they uncovered one in someone's
attic. That might be an exaggeration for marketing purposes, but it
makes a good story -- I'm sure it's true at any rate that it's hard to
nail down exactly what was in the old stuff and how it was brewed. But
since what I'm planning on doing is not so far off from the wheat beer I
usually make for the summer, I figure it's worth a shot.

[Jack Schmidling]

Post by baloonon
My basic thinking is around 10-12 lbs total of malt, around 50% barley
(pale malt), 30% wheat, 15% buckwheat and 5% oats, hopped with saaz and
a wit yeast....

Don't know anything about buckwheat but the farmer across the road used
to grow Winter wheat and I made a few batches using about 25% and the
balance barley malt.

It contributed nothing to the flavor. In fact, it made the beer rather
boring and I gave it up.

I think just chewing a bit of the buckwheat and comparing it to regular
wheat and malt will give you an idea of what it will contribute.

I also experimented with oats and it was a disaster. I don't remember
how much I used but it was certainly more than 5%. The head was non
existent. I couldn't make it foam even by shaking it. It poured like
water.

I have been told that the oil in oats inhibits the head and I am a
believer.

Jack Schmidling


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