I recently attempted a double batch of a THA clone and only got a single batch in the end, stuck sparge(s). This has never happened to me before, and the only change AFAIK was the use of my new MaltMill I got while in the US. I noticed that while the husks were much prettier (and in better shape) than with the old corona, the amount of flour seemed much higher than I was used to. What is a normal amount (2 ounces per pound? etc)? Perhaps I didn’t add enough from the HLT? Ratio was 1 kg of malt to 2 liters of water, perhaps not enough…
MaltMill is adjustable, right? What’s your mill’s gap?
More importantly, though, is what is your lautering setup? Batch/Fly, Manifold/Braid/FalseBottom, etc. Those factors are probably going to be your main issues.
Which model of malt mill did you get?
Is it adjustable?
I was looking at the specs for the normal Schmidling MaltMill & saw that the non-adjustable one has rollers set .045" apart.
To me, this seems extremely coarse.
I set my Barley Crusher at .027" & condition my malt.
I never get stuck sparges, with that setting… But, I also batch sparge.
Seems strange to me that you’d have trouble with a .045" spacing.
Is your malt extremely dry?
That mash seems slightly thick, to me…You might want a little more water.
If it was me, I’d shoot for closer to 3 liters per kilogram.
But…That depends on the beer, of course.
(3 liters per kilogram would give you 1.44 quarts per pound…While 2 liters is more like .95 quarts per pound.)
Flour shouldn’t really matter as it gets converted to sugar. I always get plenty of flour in my grist. The average size of the chunks is about 1.5mm. You can always increase your gap a little. Mashing at 1qt/lb (1kg/2L=1.04 qt/lb) is the low end for ratio, if you have room you would probably find a higher ratio would stir up and run off easier and it won’t hurt your efficiency.
I have the non-adjustable version and am unsure of the gap. I’ll check tonight and get back to you.
+1 on the higher water/grist ratio. I would even go as high as 4 liters per kilo but for sure above 3.
We’re gonna need a bigger mashtun…
Just a bit off topic:
When you say you condition your malt, you mean you wet it a bit before crushing, right? (I’m a noobie looking into getting into all grain).
That’s how I understand the process. You spritz the malt with water whilst mixing it up just to moisten the hulls. I guess the idea is that it gives the hulls a little more flexibility so they are less likely to shatter when milled. Thus you can grind finer but still have a good filter bed.
Yes…Here’s what I do:
I fill a spray bottle with room temperature water.
I pour all my grain into a tub, like this one:
TUB
Then, I mist the grain & mix…
Then, I grab a handful & drop it.
If it starts to stick to my hands, it’s wet enough & I stop.
(Don’t over mist…Your mill will with gum up as if you poured concrete into it.)
I then let my grain sit & absorb the mist, while I heat my strike water (usually about an hour).
After sitting, it’s ready to run through the mill & the moistened hulls allow you have a finer crush, while leaving the hulls more intact…Like stated, above.
(Special thanks to Bryan Rabe, for teaching me this.)
sometime in the past year or two Kai wrote a nice zymurgy article on conditioning malt