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Barley shell/kernel separation

TLAR

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Tanum Brewery
Has anyone tried to separate the shell from the kernel when milling barley to only use the kernel when mashing? Thus to prevent the bitterness from from the shell getting into the wort?
 
You need the hulls to provide a place for water to flow. Otherwise it gums up. As long as your temps aren't too high, the bitterness (tannins) will stay in the hulls.
 
Ideally they don't contribute any flavor at all.

I do a decoction mash, which means that to raise the temperature of the mash I remove a third of it (hulls and all), bring it to a full boil, and mix it back in. I've never had any problems with tannins in my beer.
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
Ideally they don't contribute any flavor at all.

I do a decoction mash, which means that to raise the temperature of the mash I remove a third of it (hulls and all), bring it to a full boil, and mix it back in. I've never had any problems with tannins in my beer.

I'm brewing as I type this.  I just did a decoction mash out (boiled the thickest part of the mash) on a Red IPA.  It's just past half way through the boil

I'm doing back to back brews.  I have the exact same grain bill in the mash tun right now.  I'm going to lauter and drain the mash tun into my boil kettel.  Bring it up to a boil (just the wort) and put it back into my mash tun to get the grains up to mash out temperature.  Then I'll lauter, drain and boil as usual.

The hopping and yeast are identical.  The only difference between the two batches is the mash out.  I want to have everything identical between the two beers (at least as best as I can), except for the mash out. 

By doing this, I hope to understand better how a decoction mash out affects the color, flavor, aroma, etc.

I'm expecting the color to be slightly deeper on the decoction mash out and I expect a little more carmelization.  I'll know a lot more in about 6 weeks when they're ready to sample.
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
You need the hulls to provide a place for water to flow. Otherwise it gums up. As long as your temps aren't too high, the bitterness (tannins) will stay in the hulls.

While you can control mash/sparge temp to prevent tannins you're better off controlling pH to control tannins. As Scott Ickes says, when you decoct you BOIL the grains and if your pH is off you WILL get tannins from that but if it's on target (<6 or so) you're golden and don't have to stress about temps. Plus good pH in the mash helps with clearer beer with better flavor, head retention,  and storage ability.
 
The only time I ever use PH strips is to test my StarSan.

Like I said, I've had good results. If it ain't broke...
 
morticaixavier said:
if your pH is off you WILL get tannins from that but if it's on target (<6 or so) you're golden and don't have to stress about temps.

Methinks that if one's pH is 6 or above, one will not have much conversion. Definitely a differing set of problems than what the OP was asking.
 
TLAR said:
But do the hulls contribute to any other taste than bitterness?

To the extent that other replies have mentioned, there is no flavor consequence to having husks in the mash. Barley is wonderful stuff. It wants to become beer. It does all it can to make that a reality.

It's beer trivia, but in answer to your first question: Yes, there are breweries that remove the husk before mashing. Trumer is one and they use a special belt mill to gently twist the husk off the grain. However, once mashed, the husk is reunited with the grain for lautering. Trumer is making a Pilsner, though.
 
brewfun said:
morticaixavier said:
if your pH is off you WILL get tannins from that but if it's on target (<6 or so) you're golden and don't have to stress about temps.

Methinks that if one's pH is 6 or above, one will not have much conversion. Definitely a differing set of problems than what the OP was asking.


I can't see that a pH of 6 would mean no conversion. how do you figure that? ideal range is 5.2-5.8 with a sweet spot being 5.3-5.5. 6 isn't going to stop conversion it's just risking tannin extraction. and I was responding to the concern about tannin bitterness from the husks. this extraction happens at temps above 170f AND pH above 6.
 
morticaixavier said:
I can't see that a pH of 6 would mean no conversion. how do you figure that? ideal range is 5.2-5.8 with a sweet spot being 5.3-5.5. 6 isn't going to stop conversion

I didn't say "no" conversion. I said "not much." The comparison being similar mash times, temperatures and water ratios.

Other variables being grist and water composition, mashout vs none, strike temperature, all play a part in conversion and efficiency. Higher mash pH reduces the ionic attraction between enzymes and substrate, slowing conversion significantly.

In homebrewing, BIAB and single batch sparge negate a lot of mash effects for pH, leaving only the potential of downstream issues like bittering efficiency, bittering stability, microbial stability and staling. Those downstream effects are typically negated by the very short time homebrew tends to go unconsumed.

BTW, I taught the first judge exam classes for your club.
 
cool,

misunderstood your post. I try not to get above 5.4 so I do not know exactly what would happen above 6.
 
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