CheeseForum.org ยป Forum

GENERAL BOARDS => Other Artisan Crafts => Topic started by: Gustav on June 01, 2011, 04:39:38 PM

Title: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Gustav on June 01, 2011, 04:39:38 PM
I just read a good article about making alot of stuff out of whey, Does anyone perhaps have a recipe to make whey beer or know where I may find one?
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Tomer1 on June 01, 2011, 08:21:37 PM
Since it doesnt posses alot of flavour and aroma but may contribute to mouthfeel I would just use a good recipe you like ,perhaps a light ale so the whey can still "cut through" somewhat and replace the water with whey.
Be sure to boil the whey first to eliminate the lactic bacteria.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: tnbquilt on August 03, 2011, 11:21:50 PM
Beer and whey don't mix. It's the whole dairy cultures versus beer yeast issue. I can't imagine that anything good would come from that.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Tomer1 on August 08, 2011, 04:38:01 PM
Theres no problem using dead whey in your wort to replace water.
It may decrease your PH by some if the whey is really acidified.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Sailor Con Queso on August 08, 2011, 05:29:36 PM
I would make Ricotta out of the whey first. By heating to 190-200F you not only produce Ricotta, but you remove the albumin proteins and sterilize the whey. I'm not a beer maker, but you can always adjust the pH of the whey if necessary.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: dthelmers on August 18, 2011, 12:35:50 PM
In Scotland, they used to make a fermented whey drink called blaand. Like kvass and kumis, it was a sort of cottage industry beverage. My brother had kumis in Khazakstan that was actually fermented from cow whey, rather than the traditional mare's milk. From what I understand, fermented whey was just left to ferment in a cask; I guess picking up wild yeast. Or perhaps they used some of a previous batch as a starter. I had a room ate who was experimenting with catching wild yeasts and ferment things, but I found the taste always too sour for me. I think that maybe I'll try pitching a little ale yeast into my whey this weekend when I make my cheese, in a fermentation bucket with an air lock and see what happens.
Dave in CT
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Tomer1 on August 18, 2011, 02:54:14 PM
"fermented whey was just left to ferment in a cask"
Thats how lambic (sour) beer is made,
I dont like it.
Alot of lactic and acetic acid.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: DeejayDebi on August 19, 2011, 10:02:35 PM
I was going to say if you like the odd flavor of a lambic it might be worth a shot. I do not not it at all!
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Tomer1 on August 20, 2011, 11:08:17 AM
 http://www.p2pays.org/ref/12/11458.pdf (http://www.p2pays.org/ref/12/11458.pdf)
"UTILIZATION OF CHEESE WHEY FOR WINE PRODUCTION"
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Boofer on August 20, 2011, 02:36:44 PM
I laid back and lurked over this thread from time to time, but finally decided to chime in.

Over the years, I've seen references to beverages made from milk. I thought of the Masai warriors who mixed blood with milk to create their special drink. Yum!  ;)

Here's another drink that may be a little more commercial: Kumis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumis).

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: mchcllns on April 01, 2012, 04:52:50 PM
I know this is an old topic, but has anyone considered using whet to replace their mash water in a Stout?  Milk Stouts use lactose.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Tomer1 on April 01, 2012, 11:55:24 PM
If you want a sweet finish you will need a fairly sweet whey with low acidicy (low lactic convertion)\high draining ph. (a swiss maybe?)
After which you will want to boil the whey to kill the lactic bacteria and precipitate the proteins (albumin) since you dont want all that protein in your beer.   I imagine it might be possible for the proteins to float during boil but im not sure.

The ph of the whey may need adjustment with calcium carbonate. (you want it at around 6.0 right?)
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: beechercreature on April 02, 2012, 03:30:40 PM
If you want a sweet finish you will need a fairly sweet whey with low acidicy (low lactic convertion)\high draining ph. (a swiss maybe?)
After which you will want to boil the whey to kill the lactic bacteria and precipitate the proteins (albumin) since you dont want all that protein in your beer.   I imagine it might be possible for the proteins to float during boil but im not sure.

The ph of the whey may need adjustment with calcium carbonate. (you want it at around 6.0 right?)

if you were using it to replace mash water, you wouldn't need to boil it. barley is covered in lactic bacteria already. The sparging should filter out most of the solids in the whey, and the boil should take care of the rest. Ideally, you would want a ph of 7 to match the water ph. You can adjust ph once the mash is already mixed, though. 5.2 is generally considered ideal for mashing
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Tomer1 on April 02, 2012, 05:02:24 PM
"if you were using it to replace mash water, you wouldn't need to boil it"
Im suggesting you need to stop the acidification. if your using a messo whey then its easier to do so.

"The sparging should filter out most of the solids in the whey"
The residual proteins are yet in a large particle state, sparging is done way below the 85c needed. you may end up with riccota when you boil.   
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: beechercreature on April 02, 2012, 05:16:08 PM

The residual proteins are yet in a large particle state, sparging is done way below the 85c needed. you may end up with riccota when you boil.

wouldn't be the weirdest thing i've heard of in a beer!  :o
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Tomer1 on April 02, 2012, 06:49:20 PM
They do say stout is like a meal in a glass.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: MolBasser on April 11, 2012, 04:20:33 AM
As a professional brewer, I can say that in my opinion that this is a really weird idea.

I'm not sure what it would bring to a beer that could not be better brought by other methods, but would be interested in trying it.

What would the goal be?

Milk stouts rely on the lactose content, which I'm not sure remains in the whey.  The protein content would probably be a negative and the fat remaining would be a major negative.

MolBasser
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: gmac on April 12, 2012, 12:27:03 AM
Head retention would suck.
Chill haze would suck.

Go for it.

Oh and Mol, a cheese for Nyan Cat.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Tomer1 on April 12, 2012, 10:12:15 AM
Head retention would suck.
Chill haze would suck.

Thats why I suggested getting rid of the proteins ahead of time using cooking and fining. It should be releativly fat free if your cheese making process was decent without much fat lose.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: beechercreature on April 12, 2012, 03:53:49 PM

What would the goal be?


to have a fun experiment.  :)

I would let it sour as much as possible and try for a berliner-weisse kind of flavor.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: knipknup on April 17, 2012, 06:54:34 PM
I've given this a bit of thought in the past two days.  Here are some ideas:

For extract, just use whey and water to your initial boil water, then follow recipe as normal adding extract, hops, etc.

For all grain, try several different avenues; mash with whey, add whey to wort before boil, add whey to boiled wort in fermenter as top-off.

The most interesting is probably the mash.  I have heard lactose doesn't convert and should be washed into your initial wort during the sparge.  How it changes the mash is unknown.  Your efficiency may be lower if it affects the enzyme action.

Adding whey as top-off water in the fermenter is probably most like adding lactose to a milk stout.  Both methods will probably increase the sweetness of the beer and your gravity readings will need to take this into account.

Let us know what you do and how it comes out.
Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: Tomer1 on April 17, 2012, 07:44:24 PM
Id say the main thing which may alter the convertion is the pH of the whey, you need to use very sweet whey to stay in the optimum enzyme convertion range for alpha amylase (which is the main strach convertor if I remember the thoery correctly).  around 6.7-7 is optimal.

5 kg of Hallumi maybe? :)
   

Title: Re: Beer Making - Using Whey
Post by: gmac on April 17, 2012, 10:54:36 PM
Yeah, mash pH is gonna have to be watched if you are going all - grain.  Mash pH should be about 5.4 or so.  You'd probably have to add grain and see how much it lowers the pH and adjust after you get the grain in.  Darker malts lower pH more than lighter ones so it would also depend on what you were trying to make. 

Like I said, go for it. You may make the worlds first Cheese Stout.  Or Indian Whey Ale.