Stuck mash- what am I doing wrong here?

[smitty2324]

Did two batches yesterday. First, a rye IPA that worked like a champ. Second batch I brewed an English bitter. All of 6 lb of marris otter and 1 lb of crystal 40. Threw in some rice hulls just b/c I always do, mashed in at 152. 1 hour later, nothing but a dribble. I use a 10 gallon igloo water cooler with braid. It seems to me that a stuck sparge is just completely random, as I do things that should cause it, like rye, and no problem, but brew a small beer and BAM - no brew for you.

 

[Hammy71]

Maybe your braid is collapsing? I dunno. It seems kinda hit or miss on here with the braids. Its got to have something to do with the grade/strength of the braid itself. I got mine outta the scrap pile at work and I'm not sure I could crush it with my fingers if I tried. But others have commented on here that the braid they have, crushes if they look at it wrong. Check on that because....crimey a stout or hefe clogging...sure, a bitter....screw that.

 

[DKJeremy]

Add a gallon or so of boiling water stir and wait 10min to bring up mash out temp and make draining easier

 

[wilserbrewer]

Fakey polymer plastic braid? real stainless braid or an imposter?

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

maybe you crushed the braid with your spoon or the braid came loose from the spigot. just sanitize your arm, dip it in some ice water then reach in and fix it!! ( i have actually done that before. no harm to the beer, other than bad head retention from skin oils. my arm was only mildly scalded.)

 

[oceanselv]

I had a stuck sparge on my last batch as well. The culprit was a collapsed braid. I found this out when I cleaned out my mash tun. It was a 2 hour process but between stirring and waiting for the slow dribble into my kettle, but I finally made it. It is very easy to collapse the braid when you install it as I did. If you are using a braid that is more than just a straight shot, i.e. one that goes around the circumference of your round cooler, make sure you don not tighten the braid to the fitting until the fitting is firmly in place. If you tighten the braid to the fitting and then tighten the fitting, you will twist and collapse the braid as you tighten the fitting.