Rice husk

[cathlabrob]

I remember reading somewhere that with all grain brewing (which I am new to), to prevent the mash from sticking/clogging when brewing a recipe with a lot of malts you can add rice husk to prevent the sticking. However, although it doesn’t add anything to the wort, how much should be used per pound of grain & malt. Also, should it be mixed evenly into the grain or added in any certain order/layer to the mash tun?
Thank you in advance for any information!
Rob Williams

 

[Jag75]

I've never heard of using those, just rice hulls . Interesting however . I guess if you cut up the husks it may work . When using lots of adjuncts people just add the rice hulls to the grain then mash in.

 

[cathlabrob]

I've never heard of using those, just rice hulls . Interesting however . I guess if you cut up the husks it may work . When using adjuncts people just add the rice hulls to the grain then mash in.

Thank you, it was Rice husk...not corn. I edited my question post. Thanks again.

 

[Jag75]

Thank you, it was Rice husk...not corn. I edited my question post. Thanks again.

No problem . I use half a pound when I do use them . Thats for 5 gallon batches.

 

[RM-MN]

Anything that will create a filter medium can be used. Rice hulls are very cheap so they are often the medium of choice. However, a fine mesh bag can be used instead and has the advantage of being able to be lifted to expose more filter area if it stops up.

 

[waldoar15]

I only use them when brewing adjunct lagers.

Never had a need for them on all malt beers, but I guess that would depend on your system and how fine you milled your grains.

 

[IslandLizard]

Yeah, it's rice hulls!

Use around 1/3-1/2 pound (that's about a quart in volume), in a plugged up mash for a 5 gallon batch. The stuff is lightweight, voluminous, fluffy. Do not mill!

You can add them at any time. When doughing in when you expect permeability problems later, or just stir them in when you experience lauter problems, such as with larger percentages of wheat, rye, (unmalted) flaked goods, and other things that make the mash sticky.

 

[Hammy71]

I add hot water to my hulls before putting in the mash. Rather them suck up water than wort.

 

[bracconiere]

i've never really needed to use rice hulls. probably would have been nice if the garden stores around here sold 50lb bales though for my, 8lb malt, 5lb white flour beers! they sparged but it was rough!

 

[IslandLizard]

I add hot water to my hulls before putting in the mash. Rather them suck up water than wort.

Thinking about your statement a bit more...
How much do they soak up? They're pretty thin and husky.
And won't the wort diffuse into the hulls replacing water (and vice versa) anyway, until a new equilibrium is reached?

 

[IslandLizard]

nice if the garden stores around here sold 50lb bales though

We ordered a few 50 pound bales through our group grain buy, and were already impressed by their size (yeah, she said it too). They're very compressed, dense, hard.

Once pulling them apart (which required all the muscle from one of our brew hulks) splitting them into 10 and 20 pound lots, their volume easily quadrupled. I haven't had to buy rice hulls since, and that was quite a few years ago.

 

[govner1]

I remember reading somewhere that with all grain brewing (which I am new to), to prevent the mash from sticking/clogging when brewing a recipe with a lot of malts you can add rice husk to prevent the sticking. However, although it doesn’t add anything to the wort, how much should be used per pound of grain & malt. Also, should it be mixed evenly into the grain or added in any certain order/layer to the mash tun?
Thank you in advance for any information!
Rob Williams

I was taught to use rice hulls particularly when your grain bill includes rye, wheat, & oats in particular. As far as amounts go use the same volume as these grains.

 

[IslandLizard]

As far as amounts go use the same volume as these grains.

Maybe in fly sparge systems, where permeability of the grist is paramount. When batch sparging, or BIAB, far less is needed, IME. Perhaps only 20-40% of that?

 

[bracconiere]

their volume easily quadrupled. I haven't had to buy rice hulls since, and that was quite a few years ago.

yeah i bought a 50lb bale for $7 or something at the garden store. last many years then i started blowing through it here making 100% white rice beer. $8 for a 20lb bag of white rice at walmart, and it took a 5 gallon bucket of rice hulls to even get a slow sparge going. but it worked, and was getting 7% rice beer, dry hopped. with the help of alpha, and after my first batch that had a FG of like 1.030, learned i had to add gluco to the fermenter, or it'd give me the squirts something fierce!

just remember if you ever actually get a stuck ferment, take it easy on it. and don't binge drink!

 

[Jag75]

Thinking about your statement a bit more...
How much do they soak up? The're pretty thin and husky.
And won't the wort diffuse into the hulls replacing water (and vice versa) anyway, until a new equilibrium is reached?

FWIW, in my experience i dont see a significant loss by not soaking. My total amount to the fv is on the $

 

[IslandLizard]

yeah i bought a 50lb bale for $7 or something at the garden store.

Now that's a true bargain!
We paid quite a bit more for our bales, at the time. They're $40 a bale on our current list, right now.
They're in a kind of heavy duty white shrink wrap, like huge rectangular blocks. You'd probably could build a hut or a house from them, self-insulated.

 

[VikeMan]

I add hot water to my hulls before putting in the mash. Rather them suck up water than wort.

It's a good idea to use more total water, because of the small amount of additional absorption. But I'd be willing to bet that the water and the wort will pretty much homogenize over the course of the mash anyway.

 

[bracconiere]

They're in a kind of heavy duty white shrink wrap, like huge rectangular blocks

that's what mine were from the garden store. might want to call around! (if you ever need anymore)

edit: this the local shop where i used to live i bought them from...looks like the price went up! lol

https://rat.sparetimegardencenter.com/products/rice-hulls--br-50--421.html

edit #2: but they don't use them for brewing beer there!

 

[IslandLizard]

edit #2: but they don't use them for brewing beer there!

Ain't that the truth! Once it's used for brewing the price goes up significantly, like 5 times.
The one brew store here sold them for $1.50 a pound when buying 5# !

Now from what I remember, our group buy bales looked a bit more evenly rectangular.

 

[bracconiere]

evenly rectangular.

you squares, you gotta smoke the ganj. but they'll screw you on a ph meter at the hydro dept! i blew $130 on one that didn't even have a replaceable probe, crapped out after a couple months!

 

[Hammy71]

Thinking about your statement a bit more...
How much do they soak up? They're pretty thin and husky.
And won't the wort diffuse into the hulls replacing water (and vice versa) anyway, until a new equilibrium is reached?

It may diffuse, but they absorb a lot of liquid. I started doing this at Yooper's suggestion years ago. Just became habit.

 

[day_trippr]

I always soak rice hulls while I am crushing grains on brew day mornings, otherwise it will affect volumes by a quart or so for a 1/2 pound of hulls. I drain them then spread them out on my FB before pouring the grains on top. Five minutes after I've underlet the strike volume I give the mash one thourough stir...

Cheers!

 

[Dland]

I use them when adjunct grain bill is over 5%, which is often, it can get pretty gummy in mash after 10% or so. Some mashes up to 30% adjuncts, mostly rye malt, some wheat malt or flaked corn, occasionally rice.

Just put on top of dry freshely crushed grain before I pour in it all MT, then underlet & stir. They get mixed in pretty well and help a lot, w very little extra effort, not that much cost. Never yet had a stuck mash, and they improve efficiency in "adjuncted" batches. I always kind of wing my brews, and fly sparge, so and extra quart or two water absorbtion is barely noticed.

 

[kitr]

I havent needed them yet but I was considering it after my last batch got stuck. You dont need to make any other recipe adjustments and there is no impact to flavor or anything?

 

[Jag75]

I havent needed them yet but I was considering it after my last batch got stuck. You dont need to make any other recipe adjustments and there is no impact to flavor or anything?

Nope

 

[doogie]

I just saw this thread and figured I would add my $0.02
I am an old guy who still fly sparges in my cooler. When researching I couldn't find any agreement on how much to use. I have had no stuck sparges since I started adding one scoop (my scoop is a single serving greek yogurt container) for every pound of sticky stuff in the mash (flaked anything, wheat, rye)
Works for me on my system.
NOTE: I was told not to try to bake bread, cookies, etc with spent grains that contain rice hulls. The comment was something about 'biting into tiny razors', so into the compost it goes.

 

[kitr]

Nope

Thanks!