It took me 48 batches to finally try rice hauls. I used them in an IPA that had 1lb of oats, not a lot and haven’t had stuck sparges with this recipe in the past but thought I’d give em a whirl. I added .5lbs and wow, what a difference. My wort ran clear quicker, flowed much more freely and I saw a respectable bump in efficiency. The fact that it flowed easier meant I had to use a little under .5 gallon less water to reach my preboil volume. I’m sold.
Rice Hulls
- Thread starter GPP33
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tomwhit19
Well-Known Member
i know this feeling....ive done probably 10 or so batches and never used them and on these past 2 batches i did i used rice hulls for the first time......never going back to not using them
catdaddy66
Well-Known Member
I use rice hulls with wheat and oats but haven't needed them often, generally speaking. I have had a handful of slow/stuck sparges. I agree that the lautering is quicker with the hulls. They tend to be a tad more expensive as a specialty adjunct ($2.50/lb) so I don't use them with every batch.
I use rice hulls anytime my grain bill contains oats, rye, flaked anything, or wheat. I match the volume of the rice hulls to the volume of the grist I’m concerned about.
Works very well.
Works very well.
smurfjuice
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I have recently discovered the same thing, and now I'm a big fan a little bit in every batch and maybe a little bit more when there is wheat and oats. Having a little bit in every batch helps me getaway with a little bit finer crush and increased efficiency.
Question to those that have been using rice hulls for a while, what quantities do you find works well for you? It can be in percentage or number of ounces per 5 gallon batch so that way it's scalable.
I have found that as little as one 1.5 to 2 oz in a standard 5-gallon batch makes a big difference to avoid slow or stuck sparges. Maybe double that for malt bills that contain wheat and oats? I haven't been using them very long and why I'm curious if I'm close or far off
Question to those that have been using rice hulls for a while, what quantities do you find works well for you? It can be in percentage or number of ounces per 5 gallon batch so that way it's scalable.
I have found that as little as one 1.5 to 2 oz in a standard 5-gallon batch makes a big difference to avoid slow or stuck sparges. Maybe double that for malt bills that contain wheat and oats? I haven't been using them very long and why I'm curious if I'm close or far off
How does that convert to weight? At first I though you were using way to many hulls, but then realized you're matching volume and not weight.
If it took you 48 batches to try rice hulls, how many more batches will it take before you try a fine mesh bag?
GPP33
Well-Known Member
As in BIAB?
Abrayton
Well-Known Member
I also use a brewbag in my mash tun. Still mash out and sparge the same way. No more stuck sparges, no need for rice hulls and simplified cleanup
There’s no real conversion to weight. I put the flaked grains, rye, and/or wheat in a container to measure the volume then use the same volume of rice hulls.
Whoa!!! I didn't want to stress you that much. Start smaller, just put a bag into your current mash tun. In another hundred or so batches you can go full on BIAB.
GPP33
Well-Known Member
Whoa!!! I didn't want to stress you that much. Start smaller, just put a bag into your current mash tun. In another hundred or so batches you can go full on BIAB.
So just toss it in there? Does it add body to the beer?
I’ve thought about BIAB, one day I might go electric at which point it’d make sense. For now I don’t see much benefit.
Agreed. I use a BIAB bad in my cooler MLT and **ta-daaaaa** no stuck sparges and the wort going to the kettle is crystal clear.
uhh, i'm surprised so many people get stuck sparges? i just have a 10gal round cooler with a bazooka tube....never use rice hulls, mill my grain to practically flour...and never have a problem sparging? and i can run my sparge as fast i want to...And i've done 100% oat malt beer too!
I can't see how having a bag in your mash tun would prevent stuck sparges. Yes you can lift the bag to allow the wort out. But if you really have a stuck sparge that just means the sparge water goes around the grain, not through it.
OG-wan Kenobi
Arcane Artisanal Ales
I BIAB and I can confirm they get stuck just ask anyone who's added pumpkin to the bag
I now use rice hulls for NEIPA's and my Pumpkin beer's
Abrayton
Well-Known Member
I guess I just assumed for some reason the bag eliminated stuck sparges. I’ve been crushing much finer and stopped using rice hulls.
I crush pretty fine, I use rice hulls occasionally, when using flaked grains or something like pumpkin. The one "stuck" sparge that I had occurred after the vorlauf. A fine layer settled on top of the grain bed not allowing all of the sparge water into the grain. I poked a bunch of holes into that layer and the water then drained through.
Ok. When i say stuck sparge, I'm referring to the times where the flow of wort gets 100% blocked coming out of the mash tun and you either have to get something and stick it through the ball valve to clear it or dump out the mash into another vessel, clear the tun, put the mash back in the tun and proceed with sparging (had that happen once). The bag, i think, prevents that kind of situation. Also helps keep small grain particulate out of the boil kettle
i had the dump repeat happen to me too...but i was brewing with 100% 20lb's white rice....and rice hulls...lol but i ended up with beer at the end of the day! dry hopped ricey goodness...
That's interesting... Why rice? What did you end up with?
because i can get a 20lb bag of rice at walmart for ~8 bucks...and if i didn't have to add alpha, and gluco amylase i'd enter it in the grocery competition thread...
i ended up with a very light, dry hopped........beer? 8 bucks and change for a 7.5% 10 gal batch ain't too bad! now i make it cheaper, but if i could still pick up a 50lb bale of rice hulls at the garden shop for 8-9 bucks, i'd probably do it again...
It would be interesting to taste that.. It sounds awful.....
awful? only if you don't like lightly hop flavored tea...with a little more mouthfeel...
I have tried things in the past that I thought sounded awful and was surprised. Maybe...
doogie
Well-Known Member
I have been using rice hulls for the last year. I had one stuck sparge so I decided to try them. I keep an old yogurt container (about a cup) in my rice hull storage container. Every batch gets one scoop and an additional scoop for every pound of wheat or flaked grains. I have not had a stuck sparge since and I kept my crush fairly fine.
