Mashing with Rice Hulls

[VAShooter]

Hi All, getting ready for my 2nd AG brew. Going with Ed Worts Bee Cave Heffe. The recipe calls for 1/2 lb of rice hulls to prevent stuck sparges.

I'm looking for techniques used when using hulls. A. Do I just mix in with grains? B. Make a bed of hulls over my false bottom then add grains and water then stir the crap out of it? Any advice is much appreciated.

The grain bill for this is #7 German Wheat and #4 German Pils.

 

[JasonInBTR]

Just mix it in with your grain bill. Make sure you take into account the additional water required for absorption. Some people pre-soak their hulls but I don't really see the point.

Jason

 

[Shift]

Just mix it in with your grain bill. Make sure you take into account the additional water required for absorption. Some people pre-soak their hulls but I don't really see the point.

I guess the point is to not have to take water absorption into account?

 

[riored4v]

I guess the point is to not have to take water absorption into account?

exactly

i've tried them with and without pre-soaking and i like the pre-soaking method better. they've already absorbed the water they are going too, so no need to account for it.

 

[AnOldUR]

I guess the point is to not have to take water absorption into account?

For me the pre soaking is actually a by-product of rinsing the hulls. They usually contain a lot of fine dust particles that you don't want in your mash.

 

[VAShooter]

Thanks for the info. Can you walk me through the presoak? Hot water or cold? How long? Once rinsed, just blend in with the rest of the grains?

 

[Sheepdog87]

Rinse them off and dump them in. I dump them after adding the strike water, then mix in the grain - they intermingle and keep the grain bed from compacting.
I use them in every recipe, which is probably not necessary but I had a stuck sparge during my second all grain batch a couple years ago - what a pain! Cheap insurance against a stuck sparge, especially with wheat and oats.

 

[AnOldUR]

Hot water or cold?

I use hot so it doesn't effect the temperature of the strike water. Rinse until you don't see anything coming through the strainer. Everything else like Sheepdog says.

 

[JasonInBTR]

Interesting.....never really thought of the dust on the hulls being problem. Any data showing a difference in product quality? To me it is just another step.

 

[VAShooter]

Question about the stir.....When stirring my mash do I need to keep my paddle from the false bottom in order not to disturb the wheat?

I guess I have this image of a 'cake' of hulls covering the false bottom and that i should not disturb that cake becasue it'll let the wheat through to the false bottom.

Am I overthinking this?

 

[jtakacs]

you're over thinking it a bit. put it all in, stir it all up. soak or not soak, likely isn't going to change the brew. your grain, wheat and hulls should all be mixed, you're not making a 7-layer bean dip.

 

[VAShooter]

[QUOTE you're not making a 7-layer bean dip. [/QUOTE]

haha. right on. thx

 

[Sheepdog87]

Question about the stir.....When stirring my mash do I need to keep my paddle from the false bottom in order not to disturb the wheat?

I guess I have this image of a 'cake' of hulls covering the false bottom and that i should not disturb that cake becasue it'll let the wheat through to the false bottom.

Am I overthinking this?

Yup, you're over thinking it. The rice hulls don't form a mat or cake on the bottom, they intermingle with the grist just like the hulls from the barley intermingle. The rice hulls make the whole mash looser, kinda like a sponge, helping to prevent the grain pieces from sticking together, allowing the wort to drain easier. Stir to your hearts content!

 

[CaptKiRkLeS]

you're over thinking it a bit. put it all in, stir it all up. soak or not soak, likely isn't going to change the brew. your grain, wheat and hulls should all be mixed, you're not making a 7-layer bean dip.

mmmm bean dip.

Don't stress it. I mixed my rice hulls in dry and my beer came out great!

RDWHAHB!!!