All Wheat Mash overflow

[Mr_Beer]

Speculation is encouraged – I am puzzled and could use some direction.

16 gallon pot
11 gallon of water
24 # malted wheat

This is the all wheat version of Jambo’s recipe – with a difference in amount of grain and water. The grain bill was 2.18 #/gallon versus the Jimbo recipe which was 1.74 #/gallon. The projected OG was 1.061 and the measured OG was 1.062 -- very good correspondence to what was expected.

Wheat ground fairly fine. Added wheat at 152℉ and stirred with drill mounted paint stirrer. Covered and let it start to cool. ViscoSEB L enzyme used at about 122℉. The resulting mash had a very low viscosity – the ViscoSEB L seemed to work. A ‘cap’ started to form at about 100℉.

Let the mixture to cool overnight and the mash kettle overflowed and there was a big mess to clean up.

To be clear the mixture was not in a fermenter. It was still in the mash pot -- about 12 hours after adding the 150F water.

Headspace in the 16 gallon mash kettle was about 2 or three gallons – possibly not enough.

The question is why did it overflow? I certainly did not expect it to expand – not in the fermenter yet so it puzzled me. Is it a function of water to grain ratio or lack of headspace or ??

Are there some rules of thumb for this type of grain?

Second question -- ph is about 4. Is that too low? If so can I adjust as fermentation is occurring??

[zach]

Did it somehow start fermenting?

I had similar surprise this week with 12 gallons in a 23 gallon milk can, but it was the next day after the ferment got going. It was so vigorous that it made a mess the 2nd day after the start as well.

My mash was the result from someone cleaning her pantry after weevel infestation. ( rice, pasta, rice flour, wheat flour, ) Then I cleaned off a peach tree and added 20 lbs of smashed peaches .

Your PH is Ok for fermenting . I ferment grape wine in the 3.4 to 3.6 ph range

[greggn]

The question is why did it overflow?

Wheat has a lot of protein and if you don't remove that during mashing, via a hot break like the beer guys do, then the CO2 production of the yeast is going to push it up and out your airlock.

I love making AG wheat vodkas but have to time my ferments so that I can periodically shake the fermenter to keep the proteins in suspension during those first few hours.

I use a 3/4" blow-off tube into a large bucket and still get nervous with wheat or oats.

[Mr_Beer]

WAIT!!

The mixture was not in a fermenter. It was still in the mash pot -- about 12 hours after adding the 150F water.

Overflow on fermentation I understand but this certainly was not in fermentation mode.

[Twisted Brick]

There are any number of wild yeasts that can reside on grain, survive mash temps and care not what vessel they're in. One time I could not force chill a bourbon mash and had to leave it til morning in my keg mash tun/fermenter. I found it with a half-cap amid active fermentation and exuding a slightly off-smelling aroma. Needless to say I pitched my yeast immediately and made a mental note not to skip my post-conversion chilling step. Luckily my preferred yeast took over and all was well.

[Mr_Beer]

Well, I have sort of relaxed my quick cooling (wort chiller) vigilance. I have let some corn based and rye based mashes sit overnight without issues -- until I started using enzymes, they were much too thick to cool effectively.

FYI, the ViscoSEB L enzyme thinned out the mash very effectively so I could have used my wort chiller without any problem.

Good speculation, especially since my brew/distill area is fairly small and may harbor grain residues and associated bad stuff. On the other hand the mess was grain that had been pushed out of the mash pot and was on the floor in less than 10 hours -- sort of like the stories of rye mashes that overflowed their containers in some of the links TB provided. By the time I saw it this morning the mash had 'shrunk' back into the mash pot.

The yeast has been pitched and in a week or so I will understand more.

Thanks TB.

[greggn]

my brew/distill area is fairly small and may harbor grain residues and associated bad stuff.

Do you use a wooden mash paddle ?

[Mr_Beer]

I believe it is fermenting -- smells reasonable and some surface activity. Have some wine fermenting at the same time so everything smells good. Will wait another week or so before measuring the SG.

No, I use plastic/nylon mash paddles but in this case I used a drill mounted SS paint stirrer.

[shadylane]

Wheat definitely likes to make a big cap.
The craziest fermentation I ever saw was 100% steam crimped barely converted with enzymes.
Filled a 30gal barrel 2/3 full and pitched the yeast.
Next morning, the cap was 7" or 8" above the barrel.

[Mr_Beer]

Thank you shadylane -- reassurance is always helpful when you are inexperienced.