Do I bother buying rice hulls?

[dougdecinces]

I am doing my first partial batch next, and I am going to do a red ale. I am going to make wheat malt 10% of the grain bill and approximately 16-20% of the total mashed grains. Is that enough wheat to justify buying some rice hulls? I know it'd only be a couple bucks, but that's a couple bucks that I can use to buy more beer.

 

[Runyanka]

Don't worry about it... I don't use rice hulls unless the wheat is 40% of the total grain bill.

 

[KRYLOK]

+1 good call

 

[Homebrewtastic]

Don't worry about it. I brewed a batch that was 45% rye (can also be sticky) recently with no problems. I just thinned out the mash a shade.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

I've made many wheat/rye beers over the years and have never used rice hulls. I always do a protein mash for about 30 minutes. For my setup, that works without using the hulls. Skip the hulls.

 

[Malticulous]

I've done 60% rye and no hulls. It slows my batch sparge but if I'm careful to not compact the mash it works fine. When I compact the mash too much I just have to stir it again. Not much of a problem--for a batch sparger.

 

[azscoob]

I rarely use rice hulls, when I had a wheat recipe that was 60% wheat I went seeking rice hulls. I found out that I could buy rice hulls from my local feed and tack store, so I spent the 7 dollars or so and bought some, turns out I got a 50lb bale, 50lbs!! when I released the vacuum from the bag, I had enough hulls to stuff a bed with! I still have some left, but I gave away most of it by the bucket full, 5 gallon bucket that is.

For your recipe I would hold off on getting rice hulls, I would also hold off on getting a massive quantity of them once you find you need them.

 

[passedpawn]

I rarely use rice hulls, when I had a wheat recipe that was 60% wheat I went seeking rice hulls. I found out that I could buy rice hulls from my local feed and tack store, so I spent the 7 dollars or so and bought some, turns out I got a 50lb bale, 50lbs!! when I released the vacuum from the bag, I had enough hulls to stuff a bed with! I still have some left, but I gave away most of it by the bucket full, 5 gallon bucket that is.

That's a great story! Woo hoo!

(more on topic, I don't ever use rice hulls, even for wheat beers; for whatever reason, by system doesn't need them).

 

[stevedasleeve]

Well they do come in useful - and quite necessary once in a while - and they don't age particularly so I would be inclined to get 5 lbs or so. One stuck sparge and you'll never want to experience it again, ever! Nice thing about rice hulls is that if you do stick you can stir your mash all up with some rice hulls, let the grain bed settle, recirculate a bit and carry on. FWIW and YMMV

 

[KCBrewer]

Scoob, where did you get hull for that price?

passedpawn, what kind of setup are you using?

I've been having some sparging issues on hefe's and cream ale (C3C with flaked corn & rice) and was thinking about using rice hulls.

 

[azscoob]

KC, I got them at my local feed store, its called Chitwoods, they sell Kosher certified (?) rice hulls, some of the horse owners by me use them in the stalls rather than straw. I asked them how much they were, but failed to ask how big the package was.

 

[Malticulous]

Rice and corn are not a bit like wheat or worse--rye.

 

[trigger]

I use rice hulls on anything with >40% wheat or rye. I didn't last sunday and had a continuously stuck sparge on a roggenbier and an american wheat. It sucks when you have to stir every 1/2 gal of runoff. FWIW I use a full size FB in a bottom drain keggle MT, and thinning the mash didn't do a bit of good.

 

[KYB]

I've never used rice hulls, in any of my wheat beers (50+% wheat), or in recipes with a lot of flaked grains. All I do is throw the regular grains in first, then the flaked/wheat grains. I used a SS braid in case you're wondering.

 

[KCBrewer]

Thanks Scoob, I'll call around to see what I can find around here.

My problem may be something else, maybe my crush is too fine. I have the mill set at .035, but have been having a lot of stuck sparges even on regular (non-wheat) brews.
My false bottom is a cut keg top with about 500 5/32 holes drilled in it. Even when I sparge slowly, I get fine pieces of grain coming through and then it packs so tight it stops.
I was planning to get some hulls for my future brews to see if that helps, but the lhbs wants $1.59/lb. Considering I paid about $0.60/lb for grain, that seems pretty high for something that adds nothing to the beer.

 

[azscoob]

I malt condition and mill at .028 -.030 depending on grain bill, using a stainless braid in a cooler I have never gotten a stuck mash, if anything, conditioning the grain makes for a better runoff, like adding rice hulls, the intact husks make a huge difference for me.