Question for Brewzilla owners

[MrJay83]

Are rice hulls a necessity when using flaked oats... or even just for peace of mind when not using oats? The last two brews I've done using them on my 35l, I've had serious mash issues.
I think I'll be throwing in a handful or two from now on but I'm interested in others views on it.

J

 

[Rwilts]

I had a few early issues . Initially I didn't change the order or crush from fine to crushed (as I was moving from BIAB). I then had a few more issues with thick mashes when the grain bill exceeded 5kg. So now I put a liberal amount of rice hulls in every brew irrespective of style and had no further issues.

 

[MrJay83]

I've no option on how fine the crush is from my supplier and I think the wife would have kittens if I spent £100+ on a crusher.
All my grain bills have been 5-6kg and I've only had issues when using oats but I think I'll be doing the same as you from now on.

 

[dave_77]

Generally use 80g in a 4-5kg if no wheat/oats or rye. Then I up it to 120g if using any of the above grains.

 

[buddsy]

I've no option on how fine the crush is from my supplier

Where are you buying from?

How much flaked oats are you thinking of using? I've never used rice hulls in any of my brews but only used 1kg of oats in a brew with no probs.

buddsy

 

[MrJay83]

Where are you buying from?

How much flaked oats are you thinking of using? I've never used rice hulls in any of my brews but only used 1kg of oats in a brew with no probs.

buddsy

Can't remember the one before but the last one was 700g.
I get it from Geterbrwed. I've no complaints with them. I just have to learn how to use my own equipment right.

 

[robster62]

I've never used rice hulls either and never had a stuck mash

 

[MrJay83]

I've never used rice hulls either and never had a stuck mash

Do you stir during the mash? How much mash water do you generally use?

 

[Agentgonzo]

Do you stir during the mash? How much mash water do you generally use?

I have a grainfather, but it's the same concept. I've found that if the recirculation gets slow, then stirring the mash once in a while for the first 10-20 minutes helps it drain better.

I have my own mill and it's adjusted to suit my own mash. I also condition the grain, which helps quite a lot

 

[Agentgonzo]

I'm brewing today. Recirculation was a bit slow at the start, so stopped the pump and gave the grain bed a really good stir at the 5 minute mark. It's now flowing beautifully. Control valve is fully open. Definitely recommend giving it a really good stir in the first 5/10 minutes

 

[buddsy]

I've bought from Geterbrewed and I think their crush is fine. I do stir right down to the bottom during the first 10/ 20 mins

 

[H0PM0NSTER]

I've only added rice hulls once for an oatmeal stout recipe, but never had a stuck mash in the Robobrew. It was pretty slow today but I was trying an Imperial Stout and think it was struggling with the 7kg grain bill.

Wish I'd thought of stirring it during the mash as others have suggested, as my efficiency was not as good as it should have been.

 

[Polcho]

I haven’t had any problems so far.
The most I’ve used is 800g jumbo, out of a total of 4735 g total grain.

 

[Rwilts]

I should have added that I leave the the mash 10 minutes after mashing in before I start recirculating as I saw somewhere that it's helps.

 

[robster62]

Do you stir during the mash? How much mash water do you generally use?

I don't store but I tend to use about water to 20l mark, so 14 litres plus 6 for dead space

 

[MrJay83]

I don't store but I tend to use about water to 20l mark, so 14 litres plus 6 for dead space

I generally use 20l as well. Probably down to the crush I receive.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I use 10ml glucanase.

 

[hoppyscotty]

My experience is if you use more than about 5% of grain bill as oats then I will have slow or stuck mash/sparge so will usually chuck in some rice hulls. I brew plenty of beers with around 3 - 4% of flaked oats with no issues whatsoever...would probably get away with 5% to be fair but more than that and I have had issues in the past.

The crush for the rest of my malt is as it comes from the grain supplier...usually Malt Miller and have no issues with that.

 

[Philthebrewer]

Can't help with oats but I can say that I get better flow in the brewzilla if I use 25l of water to 5kg grain, rather than 20l. I also use a cup of rice hulls in every brew. After about 5 mins I also stir right to the bottom with a giant stainless steel paddle with a flat bottom. Even with all this I still have to stop the mash and stir a few minutes before the mash finishes to make sure it drains well.

To sum up: more water, yes to rice hulls and yes to stirring and keeping an eye on it is my experience. Good luck.

 

[foxy]

Are rice hulls a necessity when using flaked oats... or even just for peace of mind when not using oats? The last two brews I've done using them on my 35l, I've had serious mash issues.
I think I'll be throwing in a handful or two from now on but I'm interested in others views on it.

J

A more fluid mash and stirring for 15 to 20 minutes for starch conversion to be complete helps. Otherwise any hulls will do, be it rice or oat. Just be aware all the cereal grains, rice especially are sprayed with fungicide pesticide and finally weed killer before they are harvested.
Before they can be used in animal feed they have to be washed, in some countries even use as chicken litter they have to be washed. So it is best to wash them before putting them into your mash.