Milling Steeping Grains?

Hello all,

I am attempting my first now kitted beer. I am trying Cheese's Vanilla Caramel Creme Ale. The directions call for 1# of Caramel 60L, and my question is, do i need to mill the grains to steep them or can i just steep the whole grains? And if I do need to mill them, how can I mill them without a mill?

All answers are appreciated.

Thanks,

Chip

You should mill the grain first. I have heard of using a rolling pin but have never done it myself. I assume you would put the grain in a heavy duty zip lock bag and roll away, a little at a time.

If the grain isn't milled I heard a blender works but you don't want to turn it into powder, so be real careful.

Yes, must be milled.

Rolling pin does indeed work. Fortunately, 60L Crystal will crack open fairly easy. Then steep 20 min at 150F, remove, and rock on!

Next order - online or your LHBS, get it milled for you. If you order and aren't ready to brew, throw the ziploc in the fridge or freezer.

That, or start that horrendous, wonderful, slippery slope that is brewing equipment

Rolling pin works pretty well - leave the grain in a heavy duty ziplock and roll away. Don't use a blender or a coffee mil because it will pretty much turn the grain to dust.

i used a coffee mill when i started and it worked fine. just keep it coarse. but a rolling pin, mallet, hammer, meat grinder all work. you just don't want to make flour, keep it coarser than that and you will be fine.

Wow hopefully this is the answer I was looking for! Recently did a batch for pale ale from an extract/partial grain kit, but LHBS helped me up the gravity by adding 2lbs pale malt grains and then some extra hops because that seemed like a good idea. I made it and everything went ok but gravity was almost exactly what kit indicated. Upon returning to LHBS fro next recipe, he sold me more grains, then took them out and milled them. I guess I was supposed to mill my grains for last batch, but I had no idea! Would using unmilled grains provide any benefit at all? Sorry for long post but I am pretty frustrated.

If it is a kit the grains might be milled already. The LHBS by me mills all the grains in their kits.

Firebelly-- if you didn't mill, then mash the pale malt, it wouldn't contribute much to the beer. Typically, specialty grains are "washed" of the sugars and caramels they already contain from the way they are procesed. But base malts must be mashed, that is, the starches must be broken down by enzymatic activity into shorter chain fermentable sugars.

This was in addition to a kit, and this LHBS typically mills any grains you buy, or at least offers to. I guess he just forgot and I obviously never knew in the first place. I did perform the minimash as instructed in Deathbrewer's Sticky. Beer seems fine, but yeah its like the Pale Malt didn't even exist according to OG. Live and learn I guess. Thanks for the replies