Malt Conditioning... WOW it rocks! - Page 11

The Pol · 11-21-2009, 02:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synovia

Have you actually checked your PH while sparging to see if its the problem?

Yes, I have a digital PH meter.

Beerrific · 11-21-2009, 03:05 AM

I finally tried this. Works for sure. I am not sure if it changed anything in my process as I was doing some weird stuff that day. Probably will continue to do it as my malt just looked happier after milling.

**3 Dog Brew** · 11-21-2009, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beerrific

I finally tried this. ...edit... Probably will continue to do it as my malt just looked happier after milling.

Can malt truley be happy before it is introduced to hops and yeast?

beach · 11-21-2009, 01:43 PM

It does rock! I brewed two batches this week and conditioned the malt both times. Great crush, I was able to go tighter with very good results. This will be added to the process for every brew day.

Beach

**bendavanza** · 11-23-2009, 03:17 AM

I did a 10g recipe today and my crush was so much nicer, no flour, husks were much more intact, and the flow was improved. The BC's rollers were clean, too. I think this will be a regular practice.

BigJay13 · 11-23-2009, 11:34 PM

I conditioned my malt today for a Cascade Blonde Ale but I wasn't impressed. The crush looked incredible but I vorlaufed like a gallon of wort, 1 quart at a time, and it never went clear. Luckily I have a hop screen made out of a paint strainer so I was able to keep the larger pieces of grist out of the wort. I think I'll pass on this until I get a RIMS or HERMS system set up. Usually I vorlauf 1.5 quarts and I'm able to let 'er rip. I was pumped too b/c the crush looked incredible.

If the beer turns out great maybe I'll give it another go.

Hermit · 11-23-2009, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigJay13

I conditioned my malt today for a Cascade Blonde Ale but I wasn't impressed. The crush looked incredible but I vorlaufed like a gallon of wort, 1 quart at a time, and it never went clear. Luckily I have a hop screen made out of a paint strainer so I was able to keep the larger pieces of grist out of the wort. I think I'll pass on this until I get a RIMS or HERMS system set up. Usually I vorlauf 1.5 quarts and I'm able to let 'er rip. I was pumped too b/c the crush looked incredible.

If the beer turns out great maybe I'll give it another go.

Did you get any efficiency gains? Just wondering.

BigJay13 · 11-24-2009, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hermit

Did you get any efficiency gains? Just wondering.

Maybe a few points higher--I didn't pay attention to it today. It definitely wasn't a 10% hike.

oldschool · 11-24-2009, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Pol

It depends...

It will let you crush finer if you are looking to get a finer crush without sticking the mash, since it keeps the husks intact. My conversion eff. is about 97%, so that is not a factor for me. But for some, it would improve conv. eff. .

Palmer say's that a finer crush will only speed up the conversion process not improve the effeciency, as long as your mash time is adequate

Kaiser · 11-24-2009, 05:58 AM

Wow. Why is this suddenly catching on? I have seen threads like this on the NB and AHA forum as well. But I'm glad it works for you guys. With some time we may also get some side-by-side experiments that evaluate the differences in lauter speed.

A number of breweries use this technique while others don't bother. For some that don't bother the idea of water in the malt house is more hassle than what malt conditioning would buy them.

In the end, even if the crush looks so great, I'd like everyone to remain critical even of this technique. It the wetting of the grain, less somewhat uneven flow through the hopper or the added force necessary may not be wort it.

But I like it a lot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldschool

Palmer say's that a finer crush will only speed up the conversion process not improve the effeciency, as long as your mash time is adequate

But what if an adequate mash time with a coarse crush is 3 hrs?

And yes, somehow efficiency crept into this thread as well

Kai