What, if any, negative consequences are there to using 1/2 to 1 lb of rice hulls in each and every mash? Tannins? Efficiency? Etc?
Rice hulls? Yes or no?
- Thread starter TrustyOlJohnson
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Is this for a 5-gal batch? If so, a pound is a ton of rice hulls (figuratively, of course.) That much will throw off your calculations for mash temp/strike water, it'll absorb a whole lot of water, etc. besides - in a five gal batch, all you need is a cup or two, maybe a little more if you have flaked grains or rye.
roastquake
Well-Known Member
They aren't necessary for all-malt recipes unless you suspect your crush to be too fine. They are made for adjucts that have no hulls like wheat and rye
JonGrafto
Well-Known Member
2 or 3 fistfulls are good enough for me and my 5-gallon batches..
If I am heavier on the wheat maybe up to 1/2 lb... but rice hulls are cheap, so why not use them?!?
Beats having a stuck sparge...
If I am heavier on the wheat maybe up to 1/2 lb... but rice hulls are cheap, so why not use them?!?
Beats having a stuck sparge...
They won't hurt anything, especially if you pre soak them in some hot water. That way they won't suck up any of your precious mash. But I agree with above, couple of fists full should do the trick.
The biggest negative is wasting your money. It just isn't necessary unless you have an unusually large percentage of potentially sticky adjuncts like barley or wheat flakes.
I only use rice hulls when I am using wheat or other grains in large percentages where I might end up with a stuck mash, so I rarely use them. For most mainly barley based brews they are not needed. If you have trouble with stuck mashes, then by all means use them as they help. Otherwise save your money for something else...like craft beer or a new piece of equipment. Cheers!
dgr
Well-Known Member
Do you guys really pay $2.50 a lb for rice hulls?
OP
OP
Ive been using 1/2 lb per 5 gallon batch and havnt had anything that remotely looked like a stuck sparge. I usually treat it as grain for purposes of strike water volume. I have done several cream ales (1 lb corn ea) and several stouts with 1 to 1 1/2 lb oatmeal ea. Thats prob been my motivation. At $2 a pound, I guess $1 per mash isnt alot to virtually guarantee it wont be stuck. Im only getting about 75% eff though and have been wanting to tighten up my flour mill, which does seem to shred the barley hulls pretty bad as it is. Jus wanted to hear from others experience.
True, but at $2.50 a pound it's not much of a negative.
I suppose that depends on your own perspective but what is the point of buying and using something that serves no purpose? An ounce of hops or maybe two ounces could be purchased for $2.50. Would you deliberately throw away one or two ounces of hops every time you brewed a batch? I agree that $2.50 is not a large amount of money but when I see endless posts from homebrewers looking for the cheapest price on ingredients or whining about not being able to buy supplies at wholesale I have to think that $2.50 per batch is probably worthy of consideration with many.
Beernik
Well-Known Member
The only time I've come close to using a half pound of rice hulls in a 5 gallon beer was when I had 3.6 lbs of pumpkin in the mash. I didn't know how my system would react to it.
Usually I put in enough to cover my manifold drain slots (old system) or screen tube (new system).
I use some in every beer I do. It's cheap insurance against a stuck sparge, and I have stuck sparges with all modified malts.
Usually I put in enough to cover my manifold drain slots (old system) or screen tube (new system).
I use some in every beer I do. It's cheap insurance against a stuck sparge, and I have stuck sparges with all modified malts.
I am making a milk stout (5 gallons) and it calls for 12oz of rice hulls. But like stated above they are to help prevent a stuck mash.
Make sure you wash the hulls before use no matter how much you use, give 'em a good rinse. People say they have used them for years without rinsing, but I suggest rinsing them and check out the rice flour and other gunk that comes from them, sometimes its rank. Cheerz!
JustLooking
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2009
- Messages
- 638
- Reaction score
- 125
I agree that $2.50 is not a large amount of money but when I see endless posts from homebrewers looking for the cheapest price on ingredients or whining about not being able to buy supplies at wholesale I have to think that $2.50 per batch is probably worthy of consideration with many.
Farmhouse Brewing $1.19 / lb
Yellowirenut
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2013
- Messages
- 465
- Reaction score
- 75
Used them for the first time with a pumpkin ale. They do not really contribute tannins any more than you would have from your regluar grains (its more PH dependant, so as long as you arent extracting them before you should not notice any) You will lose some wort to them as well. Depending on your system they can help you get a better sparge, but in my opinion the biggest negative to them is that they really add a splintery texture to the grains if, like me, you like to munch on the spent grains during the boil.
OP
OP
GashSlugg said:
Noted! Thanks for the heads up!
dgr
Well-Known Member
You guys might want to look into a group buy of a bag of rice hulls at a feed store. It's used as animal bedding for horses that are allergic to shavings. It's 23 cents a pound in a 45 lb bag local to me.
Wish shipping didn't cost so much, or I'd probably be able to "gift" 1/2 the members of HBT a pound or two. My father in law works at a rice processing plant, and when I asked if he could get hold of a "pound or two", he ended up offloading enough that filled 8 five gallon buckets!! Should be able to use them all by the year 2088.............
[Edit] PM me if you live in, or passing through, the central Arkansas area. Load up till your heart (mash) content!
[Edit] PM me if you live in, or passing through, the central Arkansas area. Load up till your heart (mash) content!
