Wheat Mash

[mikem108]

Last Wheat beer I did the sparge went incredibly slowly, I was wondering if there was something to do to free up the flow? I have redesigned the mash tun from a copper manifold design to stainless steel screen but haven't used it yet.
I can't seem get any rice hulls etc
Would batch sparging help?

 

[Andrew]

Hi Mike,
I rekon the S/S screen may help but it will never ever completely solve your problem, you'll most likely still have to underlet it to clear it now and then if you try and draw off too quickly. Its the nature of the wheat...

Cheers

 

[wessmith]

Mikey, get some rice hulls - try ESB in Peakhurst. A couple of handfulls in the mash will solve the problem

Wes.

 

[mikem108]

Thanks for quick response guys, last time I was at peakhurst Mel told me he couldn't get Rice Hulls anymore.

Would sparging at a higher temp help?

I guess I'll just have to start the brew day earlier.

BTW Pirtek in Mascot has all the nice stainless bits and peices for converting boilers and mash tuns that you see on http://www.zymico.com/cooler/
I'd been looking everywhere for this stuff only to discover it was across the road from my work.

 

[Batz]

mikem108
Have you tried stainless brad for a manifold?
I can't recommend it too highly , I've tried them all

Batz

 

[Gout]

will a protein rest help? (dont go on my word, look into it)

rice hulls work magic for me, when a stuck sparge has me at my knees the rice hull gods look apon my mash and wammo its free flowing

 

[mikem108]

Thanks for that guys,
1. SS braid mainfold will go on its maiden voyage to the land of mash this saturday
2."Doing a protien rest " Due to the size of my mash tun I find it difficult to successfully do multi rest mashes but I will take your advice and experiment with this- I got a good 12Kg's of wheat malt to work through.
3.Where have you been getting the Hulls from?

 

[Gout]

I am in melbourne (grain and grape)

i am sure someone on the list can help ??? if not call the brew shops till you find them

they really really help

 

[Jovial_Monk]

If you have a lot of wheat in the mash definitely step mash and decoct. I never found wheatmalt hard to sparge, raw wheat is entirely another story

Jovial Monk

 

[nonicman]

Last five brews have been wheat based beers. Had all sorts of problems with stuck sparges at first. Last two brews went really well. I'm using a SS false bottom, the first lesson I learned the hard way was to rap the false bottom in a grain bag, otherwise I've found that the wheat malt chokes the false bttom arm. The other lesson I've learnt is to start the run off slowly, allowing the grain bed to gently settle and get to work as a filter (only near the end of the run off did I open the tap all the way). I batch sparge with only one run off (add the sparge water to the mash tun with the entire kettle volume coming from the one run off).

Have not been able to get hold of any rice hulls, and I don't believe I need them anymore. Not sure on the protein rest/docotion route as being the best stuck sparge solutions, my double docotion with a Wit went well (for raw wheat I used torrified wheat which helps), however I've also had a stuck sparge with a weizen that had a protein rest. Last two brews (a wit and a weizen) I was lazy and only did a single step infusion, neither resulted in a stuck sparge. Hope this helps.

 

[mikem108]

Thanks for all the help, I'm excited instead of aprehensive now.
I will get the ol' ProMash out and redo the mash to include a protien rest.

 

[tdh]

Hi Mikem, we at Grumpy's can send you a kilo but postage is as always restrictive.
We sell them for $2/kg. If you go to the website www.grumpys.com.au you'll find them there.
Otherwise send me an email [email protected] and I'll put them in a post pack for you, $11 would be the all up cost though.

tdh

 

[Snow]

Guys, what is the flavour difference between raw wheat and wheat malt? If I were making a weizen, what percentage of each should be used?

- Snow

 

[mikem108]

I will be in Adelaide over the Xmas holidays and of course a trip to Grumpy's is on the cards- need to restock the "one shot"- Grab a pizza and some beers - see you then

 

[Jovial_Monk]

We stock Terminator, $5.95 a 250ml bottle ;^)

Jovial Monk

 

[nonicman]

Guys, what is the flavour difference between raw wheat and wheat malt? If I were making a weizen, what percentage of each should be used?

Snow, I'm not real good on the taste opinion, the examples I know of (what I've brewed lately ) are strongly favoured by the yeast, coriander, other malts. The malted wheat seems cleaner/lighter than malt barley but a little tart (could be an infection or the yeast, but I read that it should be a little tart), the raw wheat is different, with a more fresh grain favour, not tart, more sweet? but not too sweet. Can't wait till the Wits (2 (1 day, and 6 days in bottle) and the first weizen (in secondary with a fading sulfur smell) are ready.

wheat malt, malted wheat, same malting process as for barley, soak and germinate, then kiln. Seems very fine (no husk) compared to barley, and it blocked the false bottom when making a stout/porter brew (hence use a grain bag over the false bottom if you use a false bottom).

raw wheat, is not malted. I have only used this grain in the torrified form. Torrified wheat has been hot air dried, and has a puffed wheat look with a hard shell.

For a true weizen I don't believe unmalted wheat is allowed.

Edit: 40%-70% malted wheat

 

[Jovial_Monk]

Wheat, especially unmalted, adds a tanginess to a beer.

I use spelt, whole, cracked in the Valley Mill. Spelt, the original form of wheat has more flavor than modern wheat. It also has a husk, so lautering is much easier

Jovial Monk

 

[action man]

using wheat in a brew will make it take longer to lauter as there is more dissolved protein in the extract and possibly some more beta glucans that increase wort viscosity, making for a slower run off.

i have brewed using a 50% malted wheat mash and it took about twice as long to run the wort when compared to a normal (barley) mash.


the solution i have found is to not get impatient and try and run the work out quickly. all good things take time. open the valve a little and let the bed settle so that it acts as a good filter, recirculate so that you have a nice bright wort running and then you can begin to transfer to your kettle.


i just bottled my weizen today its its showing promise of being someting special.

 

[devilsaltarboy]

I have found difficulty in wheat especially over 50%. A protein rest helped a fair bit on last brew. I took the slack option and put about a third of my water for saccharification to get a really stiff mash at around 50ish.
I would kill for some rice hulls though could sparge 80% wheat no probs, not easy to get hold of in perth, have rang everywhere including milling places.
May have to give goliaths a call, seems an expensive way to get rice hulls. If u are thinking of ordering rice hulls interstate remember may be worth getting a few kilos since as far as I remember they charge a flat rate and a certain amount per kilo. May pick myself up 5 kilos.

 

[Gout]

just remember hulls are light so 5Kg is a LOT of hulls, and lots of space when you sit it next to 5Kg of grain

that said it wont go off and once you have them you will use them often