Noble Grape Grain Crush

A spot to talk general homebrew
Post Reply
wader98
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 257
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 8:22 pm
Name: Wade

Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by wader98 » Wed Jun 03, 2020 11:49 am

So the last 2 brews I've done on my grainfather i've had stuck sparges. I always used to get my grain at Everwood and never had issues. The last 2 I've had to remove the top plate and scrape the bottom to make sure the water can circulate again but doesn't work all the time. Anything I can do (other than get my own mill) to avoid this in the future? Not sure if they can change the settings per customer or.....

User avatar
Tim Gregory
Award Winner 8
Award Winner 8
Posts: 1150
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 3:18 pm
Name: Tim
Location: Downtown Dartmouth

Re: Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by Tim Gregory » Wed Jun 03, 2020 11:51 am

I haven't had any trouble in the robobrew. In fact I've noticed better efficiency when I get grains from NG.

User avatar
BBrianBoogie
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 771
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 8:21 pm
Location: Halifax

Re: Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by BBrianBoogie » Wed Jun 03, 2020 12:02 pm

You can use rice hulls to help with that.

wader98
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 257
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 8:22 pm
Name: Wade

Re: Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by wader98 » Wed Jun 03, 2020 12:48 pm

Tim Gregory wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 11:51 am
I haven't had any trouble in the robobrew. In fact I've noticed better efficiency when I get grains from NG.
Strange part is that my mash effenciency was great @ 85% but no matter how much I stired the mash, the water would not filter thru.

User avatar
know1
Award Winner 1
Award Winner 1
Posts: 861
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 9:59 pm
Name: Jeramy Slaunwhite
Location: Sackvegas

Re: Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by know1 » Wed Jun 03, 2020 4:26 pm

With my cooler mash, I've gotten a stuck sparge if I drained too quick. I now do a couple vorlaufs and ramp up the out flow gradually after I feel the grain bed is set without over compacting it. But yeah, especially if you have a thick mash and/or significant wheat/oats/rye, rice hulls are certainly a good idea.
Kegged: El Dorado IPA, Rocketfuel 2.0, Wet Hopped Pale, Ryrish Red, Marzen, BN Exchange Dunkel, BN Exchange NEIPA, Lies Lies Lies - Citra <0.5% ale
Fermenting: NZ Pilsner with Enigma, Strawberry brett cider

User avatar
joe_r_harvie
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 90
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2015 8:10 pm
Name: Joe Harvie
Location: Middle River, Cape Breton

Re: Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by joe_r_harvie » Wed Jun 03, 2020 8:11 pm

It might just be a fluke that you got 2 stuck sparges in a row. I've been milling my own for many years and get the odd stuck sparge. Say 3 out of 50 batches. I crush mine to the point where I know I will get full penetration of the grain and good efficiency and accept that the odd time it will get stuck. I re-stir, re-vorlouf and carry on.
Primary -
Secondary -
On tap - Golden Ale, Standard Bitter, Best Bitter, Blonde, Best Bitter, Premium Bitter, IPA

User avatar
LeafMan66_67
Award Winner 2
Award Winner 2
Posts: 4596
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:10 am
Name: Derek Stapleton
Location: Lower Sackville, NS

Re: Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by LeafMan66_67 » Thu Jun 04, 2020 6:18 am

I crush my own grains so can't compare with Noble Grape. However, with my Robobrew, I get a very slow to stuck sparge when using Weyermann Pils. The rest of my brews with either pale malt or maris otter were fine. Rice hulls in the mash fixed that up.
"He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato

User avatar
McGruff
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 626
Joined: Wed Feb 29, 2012 8:46 am
Name: Chris Storey
Location: Cavan, Ontario

Re: Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by McGruff » Thu Jun 04, 2020 8:10 am

What is your water/grain ratio. I use 1.7 qts/lb of water to grain, never had a stuck sparge.

wader98
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 257
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 8:22 pm
Name: Wade

Re: Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by wader98 » Thu Jun 04, 2020 8:56 am

McGruff wrote:
Thu Jun 04, 2020 8:10 am
What is your water/grain ratio. I use 1.7 qts/lb of water to grain, never had a stuck sparge.
right now i'm at 1.3 qts /lb

ScotianHobo
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:15 pm

Re: Noble Grape Grain Crush

Post by ScotianHobo » Sun Jun 07, 2020 7:05 pm

wader98 wrote:
Tim Gregory wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 11:51 am
I haven't had any trouble in the robobrew. In fact I've noticed better efficiency when I get grains from NG.
Strange part is that my mash effenciency was great @ 85% but no matter how much I stired the mash, the water would not filter thru.
I always put 100g through at NG as a test and at least half the time I have to adjust the rollers as it's way too fine a grind. Last person may have done wheat or oats or who knows. Grinding your grist to mostly flour DOES bump that efficiency though ;)


Sent from my SM-N950W using Tapatalk


Post Reply

Return to “General Homebrew Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests