Rice hulls

Mashing
1

I am brewing an all -grain lager Sunday morning. I have a new barley crusher that I am trying for the first time. My local HBS has been crushing my grain for me.

Question: Do I run the rice hulls through the crusher with the rest of the grain bill or just mix them in whole. I have a Blichman Brew-easy.

Thanks,
Reb

2

Why do you think you need them ? If your using a high portion (30%) of adjuncts then rinse them, soak them, then add them to the mash. No reason to mill them.

3

Thanks Loopie, I did a lager last week, a Dos Equis clone, and got a partially stuck mash. It finished Ok with a little tending, but I wanted to avoid that this time. Thus the rice hulls.

I appreciate the quick response.
Reb

4

Sorry should have included that wheat and rye can contribute to stuck mashes. If your getting a stuck mash with normal grains then there is an issue. Look at your crush first. You BIAB, batch sparge, or fly sparge?

5

Also, you don’t need to worry about rinsing rice hulls. I used to and don’t anymore. They don’t absorb a meaningful amount of water and I have never noticed any type of flavor or color contribution–even in very light beers. It certainly does not hurt to rinse them. Just know that you don’t need to.

6

I used the rice hulls today and everything worked fine. I did a 125 deg. dough in with the rice hulls and other grains for about 20 minutes and then mashed. They mixed in well and the sparge drained without sticking.

Thanks for all the input.
Reb