Flaked barley is unmalted barley dried and then rolled into flakes much like the rolled oats you eat for breakfast. Flaked barley adds to the head retention and formation as well as gives more mouthfeel to the beer. Flaked barley is commonly used in stouts. Another popular head generating grain is CaraPils. CaraPils will do so without adding much flavor while the flaked barley will add a grainy character to the beer. Flaked barley will also lighten the color of the beer so you may need to adjust your other specialty grains to match the SRM you are looking for. I commonly add CaraPils to my lighter beers and add the flaked barley to the darker ones where I feel the character is more suited with the roasted malts but this is certainly not a rule. However, to get what you want from flaked barley it should be mashed with your base malt, therefore, if you are an extract brewer it is recommended to stick to the CaraPils to get that mouthfeel and head formation. Flaked barley should be used in moderation (around 10% of the grain bill is good). Try it out in your next brew and let us know how it goes!
