Should I use Rice Hulls on first AG?

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bmckee56

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I have all of my equipment ready to go for my first AG (using Creme of Three Crops recipe) and I am uncertain of using rice hulls in the MLT cooler I have set up. I am using SS braid as a filter in the cooler and I want to avoid any problems.

Also, if recommending the use of the hulls, how much in a 5 gallon Gott style cooler should I use?

Thanks for the input!

Salute! :mug:
 
I brewed a wit last weekend with about 40% flaked wheat using a similar setup. It ran a little slow, but thats the worst I've had.
 
I use rice hulls every time, too. I rinse them off first in a colander because they tend to have lots of dusty particles on them. Then just throw them in with the rest of the grain. And yes, you'll want to stir like a mad man for awhile to avoid dough balls.
 
Soak them first to
1) rinse them
2) pre-wet them so they don't absorb strike water
3) pre-warm them so you don't have to adjust strike water calcs for thermal mass

Also, you don't need them for everything. General rule of thumb is to use them when dealing with a significant amount of wheat (normal or flaked). I'm sure others have rules-of-thumb too.
 
I only use them with wheats and with 7lbs 2row/6lbs wheat I still don't think I needed the 1/2lb I put in. I will still use them on wheats just because i don't want to deal with it getting stuck.
 
Thirty one AG batches now using a SS braid and never used or needed rice hulls.

I was in that same boat (in the thirties) and thought the same thing - until i tried a 15gal wit brewday with a grist comprising of more than 50% flaked wheat. An impromptu 1.5hr roundtrip to the LHBS was in order, and the self imposed "flaked wheat" rule resulted. It only takes one time...
 
I was in that same boat (in the thirties) and thought the same thing - until i tried a 15gal wit brewday with a grist comprising of more than 50% flaked wheat. An impromptu 1.5hr roundtrip to the LHBS was in order, and the self imposed "flaked wheat" rule resulted. It only takes one time...

That would be one of the few situations that I'd think you'd need hulls. If you need to use them every batch, you should be looking at either your equipment or your techniques.
 
I rarely use rice hulls, but I do keep a bag in the freezer for unexpected emergencies. Uusally if things are gummed up, a hot infusion and some stirring will get it running. I remember having trouble once and threw in a couple of handfuls of hulls, did the trick.
 
Well, I went ahead and added 1/2lb of hulls and my first AG is in the primary. I had a great sparge with no stuck run off. I can't say whether it was due to using the hulls, but I was unsure and inexperienced, so in they went. Primary activity was visible after only 8 hours.

I read the posts about rinsing the hulls a bit late though. I just added them into the MLT before any other ingredients, then added the rest of the grain bill.

I posted my results in another thread and I believe it all went nicely. I have a lot of adjustments to make in equipment and application, so thanks to all for your comments and advice.

I called my first AG brew "Orange Blossom Creme Ale". I can only hope that it tastes as great as the whole process went.

Salute! :mug:
 
I've brewed up three wheat beers with over 50% wheat in the grist and each time I have added a minimum of 1lb rice hulls. To date, no stuck sparges. The other AG batches that I made had 80% barley in the grist w/o any rice hulls and they all flowed like champions.

For the cost of 5 lbs. of rice hulls, I've decided to keep it around. It's cheap and I do not want the headache of a stuck sparge or worse yet, dumping the MT. Depends on your aversion to risk I guess.
 
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