Malt Conditioning the EASY WAY!!

hafmpty · 02-26-2010, 01:17 AM

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. So I was going to condition my malt for the first time the other day when I realized I didn't have any sort of bin or container large enough to pour my grains into so I could spray them with the water and mix them up. So I thought...I guess I'll just have to do it in a bag.

So I dumped my grain in a big garbage sack and began spraying them with water. Well, instead of mixing the grains up by hand, I had one hand on each side of the bag and would rock it side to side alternating one hand up and the other down. This would kind of roll it side to side on the ground. It got the grains mixed and circulated in addition to spreading the water evenly. I actually began spraying the sides of the bag on each side and would let the water run down a bit and then sort of "throw" the grains into the side of the bag where I'd sprayed the water. I did this until the water I needed to spray was gone. Took only a couple minutes. Then I tied the bag up and let it sit for the 10min and then milled it.

This method mixed the grains up very well and I got a really good crush too. I don't know if it's better than doing it by hand or in a large bin, but there was nothing to it for sure. I think just to be sure I'd use two garbage sacks next time because my basement floor is a little rough. But other than that, this worked great.

If you've never conditioned your malt before...DO IT! It's super simple and I saw a definite difference in the visual character of the grains. The husks weren't nearly as broken as others I've seen.

How do you do it? Take your total grain bill and convert it from pounds to ounces. Then multiply this number by .02 to give you WEIGHT in ounces of water you need to spray on the grain.

For example, I was using 21lbs of grain. 21lbs=336oz (21lbs x 16oz in a lb = 336oz)

336x.02=6.72oz of water. So this is what I sprayed over my pre-milled grain.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! The ounces of water is how much the water WEIGHS not the number of ounces. It's the difference in measure. It's ounces by WEIGHT, NOT ounces by VOLUME.

Here's the websites I learned about this from if your interested:
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Malt_Conditioning
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Malt_Conditioning
http://www.brewersfriend.com/2010/01/16/malt-conditioning/

**Hugh_Jass** · 02-26-2010, 01:23 AM

When I condition my malt, I'll dump 1/4 malt into a bucket and pour 1/4 of the water...stir with mash paddle....repeat until all of the malt/water is added. I'll then pour the malt with water added back and forth between buckets, maybe a dozen times or until the malt/water is evenly dispersed. Wait 10 minutes and crush with my mill. The difference is amazing.

shortyjacobs · 02-26-2010, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hafmpty

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! The ounces of water is how much the water WEIGHS not the number of ounces. It's the difference in measure. It's ounces by WEIGHT, NOT ounces by VOLUME.

Great writeup, but FYI, you don't need to worry about the ounces by weight/volume thing.

Fluid ounces are rather close to ounces of water. 1 fl oz = 29.57 mL. 1 oz = 28.34 g. 1 mL of water = 1 g.

So if you just wanna save time, you can use a measuring cup and measure ounces of volume. At most, you will be off by (29.57-28.34)/(28.34)= 4%

Bru · 04-20-2010, 01:31 PM

I mill my grain before brew day to lessen the work load - when does conditioned malt need to be used by ? Im concerned a delay and the additional moisture could cause problems -souring etc.

hafmpty · 04-20-2010, 03:40 PM

I read somewhere on this forum, maybe Bobby_M or Kaiser or someone, that a day before is totally fine. No need to worry at that length. Any additional info guys/gals? Maybe a post link? Don't know where I read it but I'm certain I did.

**BuzzCraft** · 04-20-2010, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hafmpty

I read somewhere on this forum, maybe Bobby_M or Kaiser or someone, that a day before is totally fine. No need to worry at that length. Any additional info guys/gals? Maybe a post link? Don't know where I read it but I'm certain I did.

Kaiser indicated it's not enough moisture to worry.

I haven't had any problems conditioning and milling the night before.

SpanishCastleAle · 04-20-2010, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shortyjacobs

Great writeup, but FYI, you don't need to worry about the ounces by weight/volume thing.

Fluid ounces are rather close to ounces of water. 1 fl oz = 29.57 mL. 1 oz = 28.34 g. 1 mL of water = 1 g.

So if you just wanna save time, you can use a measuring cup and measure ounces of volume. At most, you will be off by (29.57-28.34)/(28.34)= 4%

+1. The old saying is: A pint is a pound the world around. Or something like that, let's just ignore the fact that most of the world doesn't use pints or pounds.

**jpsloan** · 04-20-2010, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpanishCastleAle

let's just ignore the fact that most of the world doesn't use pints or pounds.

Just the sexy parts!

archiefl98 · 04-20-2010, 07:45 PM

Seems like every time I pour a pint I gain a few pounds.

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