So I've done a lot of extract brews and have been satisfied with the results. The only thing I've never been really happy with is mouth feel and head retention. I've done some research and learned that using grains like carapils and oats help to improve this. I was thinking about doing a generic 2qt. Mini mash with these two grains (and what ever steeping grains the recipe calls for) to add to my brews on a regular basis. I can't do all grain or even partial mash recipes because I just don't have anymore room for more equipment. I was thinking I can do this in a 1 gal. thermos. Will this work? Waste of time? To be honest, I'm just trying to find things to do to keep it challenging since all I can do is extract brew. I recently started harvesting and washing yeast and have been pretty successful.
If you do a minimash with only carapils and oats, depending upon the type of oats (are we talking rolled?) you may not have enough (or any) enzymes for starch conversion. A bit of 2-row thrown in there can provide the needed enzymes.
Wheat can also help improve body and head retention. In most, if not all, of my IPAs I put both oats and wheat in for the purpose of mouthfeel and some interesting flavors.
Do the minimash, but forfet the two row, i'd up the ante to six row. You can mash about three lbs of grain by using a large stock pot. Let's just say your mini mash has one lb of oats one of carapils and one of six row. I figure a quart per lb of grist, and bring three qts of water to 160 degrees. Add your grains and stir well, check your temp and add heat to bring things to the 150 to 155 range. Put your oven on low and stick your stock pot in there for an hour. You can do the brew in a bag method with a grain sock or just drain your grains through a mesh screen or collander. You can either sparge the grains with an equal amount of 160 degree water if you use a colander or put the bag into your boil water for the full batch and rinse it in the kettle water. I've done both with an equal amount of success. I will say once I went away from steeping and started minimashing the quality of my beers increased.
I wouldn't. Too much starch, none of which would be converted. Any mash, whether a large 'All Grain' mash or a mini-mash (aka partial mash) requires some base malt, which provides enzymes to convert the starches from the other grains into sugars. So no, you can't do a mini-mash with just carapils and oats, neither of which contains enzymes (unless the oats are malted oats). However, carapils can simply be steeped (doesn't need to be mashed) because most of its starches have been converted to sugars. But steeping non-malted oats would yield a bunch of starch.
edit: further thought on oats, which I know many will disgagree with... I use oatmeal in some recipes for that 'silky' mouthfeel. But my experience is that oatmeal's affect on head retention is neutral at best. Oats may provide additional foam positive proteins, but they also provide oils/fats, which are foam killers.
I'll echo vikeman on the oats and head retention and add that wheat seems to be the key to head retention for my brews, as was pointed out earlier. I use a bit of wheat in everything I brew it seems. I prefer red wheat as it contains a bit more protein.
Wheat does need no be mashed, I used half red wheat and half marris otter for an imperial stout that came out great. I believe founders breakfast stout uses wheat as well. I put a half pund of red wheat into all my recipies simply for head retention. I feel it works better than carapils.
