[aaspinall]

I'm planning on brewing a weizenbock that has a total grain bill of 16lbs, and 4 lbs of that is red wheat malt. Trying to avoid a stuck sparge, I'm using rice hulls. What's the amount of the rice hulls should I use, and do I include that in my calculation of strike water volume?

[stpug]

I go with 1 oz hulls per pound of huskless adjunct/malt. In your case, 4 oz would be plenty. BUT, I also weight that against the amount of barley malt I'm using. In your case, you have a scant 4 pounds huskless to 12 pounds husked. I would probably skip the hulls altogether if it were me, and because I'm familiar with my system.

Edit: stuped speling

[factory]

I go with 1 oz hulls per pound of huskless adjust/malt. In your case, 4 oz would be plenty. BUT, I also weight that against the amount of barley malt I'm using. In your case, you have a scant 4 pounds huskless to 12 pounds husked. I would probably skip the hulls altogether if it were me, and because I'm familiar with my system.

I actually double that amount.  I would use 1/2 lb. of rice hulls in my system.  I mash in a 10 gallon Blichmann Boilermaker with the Blichmann false bottom.  I also don't account for any additional water because the rice hulls make up such a small percentage of the overall grist.

[HoosierBrew]

And if you soak the hulls in water overnight you don't have to account for any extra water at all. They'll be saturated by that point.

[denny]

If you have a good lautering system you won't need any at all.  I never have.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

at some point i realized I didn't need them either- and stopped using them also.....even on 60-65% wheat grist.

[HoosierBrew]

I used them a couple times, on a wit and a hefe, thinking 'I'd better or I'll get a stuck sparge'. Didn't with the hulls, but I never got stuck without the hulls since, either. 

[Wort-H.O.G.]

I used them a couple times, on a wit and a hefe, thinking 'I'd better or I'll get a stuck sparge'. Didn't with the hulls, but I never got stuck without the hulls since, either.

think that's how many of us ended up using them....read that we had too or trouble with stuck sparge. somewhere I said "let's see what happens without it".

[HoosierBrew]

I used them a couple times, on a wit and a hefe, thinking 'I'd better or I'll get a stuck sparge'. Didn't with the hulls, but I never got stuck without the hulls since, either.

think that's how many of us ended up using them....read that we had too or trouble with stuck sparge. somewhere I said "let's see what happens without it".

Yep. I followed the conventional wisdom back then as gospel. Shouldn't have. Now I'm all about trying things differently.

[Slowbrew]

I don't use them and haven't had issues with wheat in the grain bill (often use up to 33%). 

That being said I have considered using rice hulls when making Denny's Rye IPA recipe.  It gets solidly stuck once in a while when I make it.  It's on deck for Monday so I'll see what happens this time.   

Paul

[factory]

I've had a couple of issues with stuck/slow recirculation and sparging.  Mostly with wheat, and rye in the grist.  Maybe I recirculate to quickly, but for me rice hulls are cheap insurance against the headache of stopping the process, stirring everything up, and getting everything going again.

To each his own, I guess.

[leejoreilly]

They're solidly in the "cheap insurance" category for me. No downside to using them (that I know of), inexpensive, easy to use. Probably rarely, if ever, necessary, though.

[ynotbrusum]

I agree with the cheap insurance statement, but if you run off a bit more slowly than wide open, you will likely have no problem with a stuck sparge (the only stuck sparge said were high adjunct beers that I drained so quickly with a pump that it compacted the grain bed.)

[cempt1]

The only downside is you can't use your grains for spent grain flour

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[PORTERHAUS]

I only seem to need them with using a false bottom. Didn't use them for years, except for a few times before using a false bottom and again now using a false bottom. To each their own, I use them to save me the headache if I don't.