Rice Hulls Substitute

[CanadianNorth]

Ok,

so I'm planning a witbier (hoegaarden clone) and I can't find any rice/oat hulls within 500km (no, really...), is there anything I can substiute?

thanks.

 

[MultumInParvo]

I am not sure of a real substitute.

If you can't find anything you can just drain really slow. I have only had one stuck sparge and thats because I was being really silly and justing letting it fly. If you drain slow enough you should be good.

 

[The Pol]

Why do you need the hulls? You can condition the malt to help.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Since upsizing my braid, I haven't needed to reach for the rice hulls. Getting the grain bed nice and hot seems to help a bit also, maybe my imagination.

 

[Dauntless]

You could alway brew in a bag... No stuck sparge in a 60% wheat mash the other day.

 

[CanadianNorth]

Since upsizing my braid, I haven't needed to reach for the rice hulls. Getting the grain bed nice and hot seems to help a bit also, maybe my imagination.

Thanks,

I am using a single braid in a 5 gal. drink cooler. How did you 'upsize'. I had thought about putting in a T with two braids....

 

[CanadianNorth]

You could alway brew in a bag... No stuck sparge in a 60% wheat mash the other day.

So you mashed with all the grain in a bag? What did you use, some sort of cheesecloth or something?

thanks

 

[CanadianNorth]

Why do you need the hulls? You can condition the malt to help.

The hulls were called for in the recipe, I assumed I needed them with over 30% wheat. What do you mean 'condition' the malt? I'm relatively new to this.

 

[The Pol]

Ive done 60% wheat malt beers with no hulls and no stuck mash.

Conditioning is the process of spraying the malt with water prior to milling, 2% by weight in fact, then mixing well. Let stand for 10min-12 hours, then mill.

Leaves the husks of the grain more intact so that you have better lautering, basically replaces rice hulls.

 

[Bsquared]

I assume you are batch sparging? The rice hulls are not totally necessary for the recipe, but are to help set up a good grain bed when using wheat that lacks a grain hull. This becomes more of a concern when you are fly sparging, and grain bed compaction can become an issue, especially if you are not using a false bottom. A compacted grain bed might lead to channeling or sticking, if you are using a braid or manifold when fly sparging.

If you are batch sparging I would not worry too much about it, just go slow and may be pad your grain bill a little, so you can stop sparging a little earlier, and bring your boil volume up with water.

 

[Catt22]

In a pinch you can use output from your document shredder in lieu of rice hulls. Plain paper works best. I got 110% efficiency doing this, but I must admit the beer was absolutely undrinkable. In retrospect, this was probably a good thing.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Fingernails.

Lots of finger nails.

 

[chefmike]

Fingernails.

Lots of finger nails.

Do I boil these first, or just do a star san soak?

And how do you represent these in Beer Smith, I don't see it in the inventory.

Can I use toenails as well? I have more toenails in stock.

 

[Catt22]

Toenails are only suitable for use in Belgian style beers where pretty much anything goes. You will run smack into the Reinheitsgebot crap if you are brewing any of the German styles. Boiling the clippings too long will make glue. A brief boil works best to soften them up some.

 

[aeonderdonk]

Toenails are only suitable for use in Belgian style beers where pretty much anything goes. You will run smack into the Reinheitsgebot crap if you are brewing any of the German styles. Boiling the clippings too long will make glue. A brief boil works best to soften them up some.

Gross. Sounds like conditioning is the way to go.

 

[CanadianNorth]

gee.....

I think I'll leave out the fingernails and the paper (not sure if you were serious on that one), and go with batch sparging and pretreating the grain ;-)

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

gee.....

I think I'll leave out the fingernails and the paper (not sure if you were serious on that one), and go with batch sparging and pretreating the grain ;-)

A wise choice. I'd suppose you could mix in a crap ton of leaf mash hops and get similar effect of rice hulls but, at a substantial wort absorption loss.

 

[jgln]

Ive done 60% wheat malt beers with no hulls and no stuck mash.
Conditioning is the process of spraying the malt with water prior to milling, 2% by weight in fact, then mixing well. Let stand for 10min-12 hours, then mill.

Leaves the husks of the grain more intact so that you have better lautering, basically replaces rice hulls.

Yeah, I only have problems when I add stuff like pumpkin or cereals. Just crushed grain drains well at least for me so far.

 

[jgln]

Even online, delivered? Not sure about up there but stuff down here delivers in a few days or so half way across country.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Even online, delivered? Not sure about up there but stuff down here delivers in a few days or so half way across country.

Customs.......

 

[jgln]

Customs.......

I was assuming there must be some suppliers up there some where, don't know.

 

[CrazyJames]

You could order them in from Homebrew-supplies.ca

http://www.homebrew-supplies.ca/via..._string=rice&search_category_id=0&item_id=350

Though thats over 3000km away

 

[CanadianNorth]

Even online, delivered? Not sure about up there but stuff down here delivers in a few days or so half way across country.

Hey, I'm no stranger to buying online!!! My ebay addiction speaks for that!
I could get it online, but I would end up spending $10 a lb because fo shipping, so it's really not worth it.

 

[CanadianNorth]

You could order them in from Homebrew-supplies.ca

http://www.homebrew-supplies.ca/via..._string=rice&search_category_id=0&item_id=350

Though thats over 3000km away

Thanks!
I'll check into it, but I suspect shipping will still run me $4-5 a lb.

 

[CrazyJames]

For me it seemed to be a flat rate shipping of 21$ for Canada Post express post (1 week) from Brampton Ontario to Calgary.

Fine for large orders, but not so much for small things.

 

[jgln]

I see the problem but shipping prices for a $1 1lb bag of rice hull here are high too, that is why I added them to my last big order as a just in case, have on hand item. If that is all you need and have no local LHB store I see why you ask. Good luck!

 

[CanadianNorth]

For me it seemed to be a flat rate shipping of 21$ for Canada Post express post (1 week) from Brampton Ontario to Calgary.

Fine for large orders, but not so much for small things.

yeah, good if you're getting 20 lbs. I don't mind spending a bit more, for example flaked wheat in Nfld is $4 a lb, but SWMBO wouldn't like $10 a lb for anything.....

 

[CanadianNorth]

here is a thought,

what about using some grain from the previous batch (washed)? anyone ever tried this?

 

[jgln]

here is a thought,

what about using some grain from the previous batch (washed)? anyone ever tried this?

I'd rather spend the $$ on shipping then trying to do that and unless you have some way to qiuckly dry it good luck it doesn't get moldy, not to mention even if you did manage to dry it before it molds or gets stinky it still would proabably change the outcome of your beer, more likely for the worst but having never tried that I can't say. Yeah, I would just put out for shipping before I attempted that.

 

[jgln]

Peanut shells?? :cross:

 

[jgln]

Peanut shells?? :cross:

But if you do better get crackin'! :cross:

 

[CrazyJames]

But if you do better get crackin'! :cross:

<offtopic>
And warn anyone with a peanut allergy before drinking.

This beer may contain trace amounts of peanuts, or was manufactured in a facility that uses peanuts.


...

God i hate my peanut allergy...
</offtopic>

 

[jgln]

<offtopic>
And warn anyone with a peanut allergy before drinking.

This beer may contain trace amounts of peanuts, or was manufactured in a facility that uses peanuts.


...

God i hate my peanut allergy...
</offtopic>

I saw that warning on peanut candy bar. Really?? It was??? It may contain trace amounts of peanuts, or was manufactured in a facility that uses peanuts??

 

[ChillyP]

I wonder if you could use shredded corn husks that they sell for tamales. I assume you could do a coarse or a fine shredding.

 

[CanadianNorth]

I'd rather spend the $$ on shipping then trying to do that and unless you have some way to qiuckly dry it good luck it doesn't get moldy, not to mention even if you did manage to dry it before it molds or gets stinky it still would proabably change the outcome of your beer, more likely for the worst but having never tried that I can't say. Yeah, I would just put out for shipping before I attempted that.

well, I would rinse them and freeze them till needed - but you're right, it's not worth the risk of throwing off the flavor of the beer

 

[CanadianNorth]

I found mashingheads.com, located in Ontario. If I order 10 lbs of stuff it costs it's about an extra $10 for shipping, which isn't bad. so RICE HULLS! here I come!