Brew day wrap-up

Ok, it was pretty cool brewing with the stand. More smooth, organized. It was definitely worth it. The challenge today was what is known as a "stuck mash" This generally happens when the grains used are, well, sticky. Rye can do this as can oats. Several other grains can contribute to a stuck mash, too. I was using rye, but I've made this recipe with no problem 4 or 5 times before. Two things contributed to my stuck sparge- the new grain mill (though actually just a crusher, not a mill) was set too narrow. So, the grains were made too small. This makes them compact more densely than is helpful. The second thing is my filter tube. I put a new valve on my mash tun, and the stainless braid got crushed a bit when I was vigorously stirring to free the sparge. Or by the fact that I had more grain in there thean I have ever before. Or the extra 1/2 inch higher the new valve is. In any case, it was stuck. So this beer is a Frankenstein. It's a good thing haze is appropriate for the Vulcan Rye style. I added peppercorns and cararway to the boil at 15 minutes. I also added red food coloring. WHAT?!? FOOD COLORING?!?!? WTF?!?!? you might ask. I figured that the particulates were going to make it pretty funky, so I wanted to creep i up a bit. It's my beer and I'll make it how I want to! I cooled in about an hour and I pitched SO4. We'll see if the peppercorns come through. If not, I can add some to the secondary. The stout was split into 2, 3-gallon carboys- one for the Raz Stout (with over 2 lb of raspberries) and one for a creme brulee, with 2 oz of vanilla extract.