Stuck mash. Need help

[pschnei3]

i finally purchased my own mill and set it .025 and milled my grain.

6.25 2row
6.25 Golden promise
.75 white wheat malt
.30 caramel 15
I topped my grain bucket with 3lbs of flakes oats.

I mixed the grain(mesh bag) with 7.5gallons of water and started my recirculation at 152f. I mixed up everything for over 10mins and put the lid on. I came back 10mins later to mix it up again and found no water coming out from the kettle into my pump but there was water sitting on top of the grain bed. I tried mixing the grain up but I could smell a burning smell.i dumped the bag into a bucket and noticed the wort looked yellow gray. I ended up stopping my brew day.


Did I mill the grain to fine?
Does flaked oats cause the mesh bag to get gummed up?
Should I get some rice hulls next time?

I want to try this recipe again but I’m afraid of this happening again.

I forgot to mention I also have a false bottom that sits above the heating element.

 

[Cato1507]

I turn off my heat when I mash BIAB.
Yes, I'm guessing the flaked oats and wheat would have contributed to the recirc problem. Rice hulls, sound like they would help.
If I do need to add a touch of heat when mashing I don't leave my kettle intended and stir everything up well while I'm raising the heat a little.
I don't think you need to recirc in BIAB, but that's just my thought.

 

[LittleRiver]

... mill and set it .025 and milled my grain... started my recirculation ...

Your mill gap setting is incompatible with recirculation. If you want to recirculate, use a wider mill gap, and add rice hulls.

But first ask yourself why you want to recirculate. You don't need to do it to make great beer, or to make clear beer. You don't need it to achieve great efficiency. It adds extra expense, troubleshooting, monitoring, and cleanup.

Try a batch where you don't recirculate, just insulate the kettle during the mash. Your .025" mill gap is perfect for that. If you have a false bottom, remove it so all of the water will be available to mix with the grains.

 

[cswant88]

Yeah mill more course and/or add rice hulls if recirculating. I MIAB with a 0.025 mill gap and when I raise the bag it is very slow to drain. The oats will gum it up more. You can also condition your grains right before milling. Add 2% of the grain weight in water. Spray on the grains and stir to apply evenly. It’s pretty amazing how intact the husks remain when you do this. I used to do this when I was using a traditional false bottom.

 

[mongoose33]

Rice hulls are cheap. Whenever I use a significant amount of grain that is hull-less, like wheat or rye, at least a handful of rice hulls goes in.

Your .025 gap is fine for a BIAB setup where you're raising the bag. It's too fine for recirculation, try .035.

 

[PsychoBiter]

Wait 10-15 min after you mash in and finish stirring , this will allow the grain bed settle a little before you start recirculating. Rice hulls will help as well. You don't need to stir for 10 min, just get the dough balls out then stop.

There is a fine line between getting the best efficiency and being able to recirculate with mill gap settings. I would bump it up some and maybe add a little extra grain to make up for lower efficiency. Each recipe will be different. The more flaked, the stickier. You could try a beta glucan mash rest at 104°F for recipes with a lot of flaked oats. Mash in the flaked oats at 104 and hold for 20-30 min, ramp up temps to your strike temp and mash in the rest of the grains, let bed settle and start recirculating. Try conditioning your regular grains as well before milling.

Recirculating alone won't give you better efficiency, but keeping your temp consistent will give with a more consistent beer and help prevent any temp spikes or dips that can reduce efficiency. If you are heating your mash, you need recirculation or have to keep stirring the whole time the element is on.

MD