white mush on top of mash

[Jed Todd]

Hi all, i have just brewed 5 gallons of blonde ale, and noticed on top of the grain bed whilst sparging, a thick white crust developed. Is this unbrewable starch? Even though i used rice hulls, it still took six hours to fill the 30 liter kettle, lol, however the wort came in higher than expected at 1.062, from a forcast of 1.051. Can only assume that the longer sparge and several re-stirs and Lauter increased my gain. Any advice please? I use a big ten Gallon insulated mash tun, made for the job (lol) like a cooler box, square with a false bottom and blv. sorry if this subject has been covered elsewhere.

 

[Green Tiger]

Nothing can get too nasty on the mash side, apart from a stuck mash, which sounds like you've just experienced.
How fine was the crush? Did you crush yourself or buy the malt pre-crushed?
What did this 'white crust' look like? You will more than likely get a little foam on top of the, particularly after mashing in, but it shouldn't be anything to worry about.

 

[Jed Todd]

Hi Green Tiger, i say crust, but it is more like a silt deposit, but white/grey. Just did another 5 gallons tonight and the same thing again. Mixed all water into grainbed and sparged in one go. I got the grains from warminster maltings, through brew uk, pre crushed. Beginning to think it is too fine due to dust volume. Next sack will buy whole. Even used 200 g rice hulls to help.

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Hi Green Tiger, i say crust, but it is more like a silt deposit, but white/grey. Just did another 5 gallons tonight and the same thing again. Mixed all water into grainbed and sparged in one go. I got the grains from warminster maltings, through brew uk, pre crushed. Beginning to think it is too fine due to dust volume. Next sack will buy whole. Even used 200 g rice hulls to help.

Maybe some photos might help explain the issue.

 

[Jed Todd]

Maybe some photos might help explain the issue.

Hi, no issue, just curious as to what it is, am i right in thinkinking then that no one else gets it?

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Hi, no issue, just curious as to what it is, am i right in thinkinking then that no one else gets it?

Was this ‘crust’ as you say, solid? Of was it just foamy. I often get a good foamy head on the mash.

 

[Jed Todd]

no not foam, more like Trub, sorry did'nt take picture as had already cleaned out the tun

 

[Braufather]

Only similar thing I can think of happened to me once where there was a lot of white Very small clumps of what I can only describe as paper like mashy Stuff That occurred in boil. Never had it since and no idea what caused it- could it be similar to this?