Stuck Mash?

[skoodog]

So I tried my hand at one of the new New England IPAs and to start it seemed like a good brew day...until I'm ready to mash out and as I open the spigot it trickles out and stops, forcing me to improvise (I'll call it ghetto mashing). I essentially poured my mash water out the top into a strainer and then transferred between a couple of boil kettles until it was clear. The unfortunate part was the wort looks like a gross brown sludge and not at all close to my intended orange color (even when the oat proteins separated out).

Everything else went better than normal and I'm pitching 1318...just curious if anyone else has had to do similar in a stuck mash and still had good results - cursory web searches has shown this hasn't been a big deal, but I'm hoping my beer isn't toast.

Has anyone else ever had similar experience with a stuck mash, and what's the best process for fixing it? TIA!

 

[jekeane]

Rice hulls in any mash with significant wheat or flaked adjuncts is a great idea.

 

[brewbama]

I was getting stuck mashes in my homemade cooler mash/lauter tun. I tried rice hulls but they sucked up all my wort. If you use them make sure you soak them first.

For a more elegant solution I bought a bag to use as a filter and have not had the problem since. I also get more efficiency to the point I have to reduce grain and water to achieve desired OG and volume. It also has the added side benefit of making clean up easier. There are several on the market. I recommend it.

 

[Jtk78]

I was getting stuck mashes in my homemade cooler mash/lauter tun. I tried rice hulls but they sucked up all my wort. If you use them make sure you soak them first.

For a more elegant solution I bought a bag to use as a filter and have not had the problem since. I also get more efficiency to the point I have to reduce grain and water to achieve desired OG and volume. It also has the added side benefit of making clean up easier. There are several on the market. I recommend it.

I'll echo brewbama about the cooler bag. I get mash efficiencies in the 80s consistently, about 83 per Beersmith. If it does get stuck, slightly pull up on a corner of the bag. And clean up is a breeze. I ordered mine from @wilserbrewer, a regular poster on these forums. I use bags from him for kettle and dry hopping as well.

 

[seatazzz]

+1 +1 to the above as well. I used a big mesh bag for my last batch, mashing & cleanup was so EASY. And the bag, after a good rinse, can be used again and again. I rinsed mine well after the mash, then fixed it over the top of my boil keggle for a hop bag. Added benefit - can squeeze the heck out of it when boil is done so less wort is lost to hop absorption. I highly recommend it.

 

[Smellyglove]

A NEIPA usually has a high degree of flaked grains. Flaked grains are unmalted, unmalted flaked grains have a high degree of beta-glucans. If you start your mash at about 100F, you will break down the beta-clucans (which causes gummyness) into smaller proteins, and will not experience the stuck mash if you lauter at a reasonable speed.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I had one stuck sparge. I just blew back into the MLT drain hose. Problem solved.

That being said, I'm going to get a bag for my cooler MLT. I haven't tried it, but from what I've read, it's the way to go.

 

[kh54s10]

I must have a good setup. SS braid from a 3/4 inch water heater supply line. It filters well and is indestructible. I use rice hulls when I have a questionable recipe. Only once did I have any problem and that was on top of the grain bed. There was a fine layer that the water was above. I poked a few holes through it and the rest drained well. 93 brews.

 

[swampbrewcrew]

Here's another bump for the bags. They can be a lifesaver. They are worth their weight just for the amount of time they save during clean up.

 

[skoodog]

Thank you all for the great advice! I think a BIAB setup is in my future.

Oddly enough, I did end up using rice hulls as I do anytime i use wheat or oats, but unfortunately it wasn't enough - I'm also going to take a look at my screen at the bottom of my tun to see if there's something wrong with the way I put it back together after I replaced the hose on it. It ran water through it fine but the wort said no.

On the bright side, my brew is looking as pulpy as I expected so I'm hopeful that it worked out all the same. I'll definitely brew this recipe again (if just to have the mango-y citrus hop aromas seep from my ferm chamber again) so next time I'll aim to try bagging instead.

Thanks again!