Gladfield Oat Malt Range
Beyond feeding empires, Oats offer unique qualities when used alongside or in place of more common cereal grains like barley and wheat. They’re high in lipids (fats) and beta-glucans, which afford them that most well-known quality of creaminess. But can Oats offer more than mouthfeel alone? We think so. In fact, regular ingestion of Oat-derived beta-glucans, through the consumption of sufficient quantities of oat products has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease1. Another great reason to brew with Oats.
Much of the textural qualities and mouthfeel Oats impart on beer is attributable to their high Beta- glucan content. Beta-glucans are variable-length polysaccharide polymers, similar to cellulose. They constitute a significant component of the cell walls of many cereal grains. The amount and molecular weight of beta-glucans in any mash can significantly impact brewhouse yields, wort and beer viscosities, lautering times, filtration, and haze potential. Their viscous nature and negative impact on beer processivity have underpinned a historical aversion to high beta-glucan content brewing.
Beyond rolled oats - Husked Varieties
Gladfield Golden Oat Malt
Gladfield Husked Oat products, Golden Oat and Big O, offer greater versatility and potentially higher usage rates compared with de-husked, flaked, or rolled varieties. Both can simplify your malt bill, performing the role of oats with less chance of protracted mashing and lautering times. In addition, the husk itself contains polyphenols; the haze-positive plant compounds that play an integral role in permanent beer haze formation. One can never have too much of a good thing, after all.
Big O Malted Oats
Big O offers similar qualities without added sweetness, while bringing more to the table than a flaked product. Subtle nutty, oaty, Anzac biscuit-like flavours along with improved mashing and lautering qualities, make them incredibly versatile in hoppy but balanced styles that require controlled levels of mouthfeel and malt complexity. We suggest up to 20% usage rates depending on the beer- style.
Oats and Sustainability
With an added focus on understanding the true environmental impact of importing grain, the increased uncertainty around the reliability of global supply chains, and in the spirit of supporting sustainable, local produce, we are proud to support our local growers and producers. We feel their raw oat and flaked products are of superior quality, more reliable to source, and considerably more sustainable for producing our Big O and Golden Oat varieties than imported products. Beyond the beer we choose to drink, the ingredient choices we as brewers and producers make have significant financial and environmental impacts. Keeping it local is more important now, than ever before.
Oats are amazing and somewhat under-appreciated, perhaps for historical associations with stuck mashes, 4-hour lauters, and the presumption they’re just for brewing dark beer with. Thanks to adventurous brewers, and innovations in malting, oats are fast becoming a versatile alternative grain for enhancing beer texture, appearance, flavour, and even processivity. Bloody oats they are!
