To crack or not to crack?

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skybrew

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Hi all,
I have been lurking for a little while and just registered!
I just bottled my first ever batch, an amber ale, and thanks for all the posts here.
I am going to brew my second batch on Saturday but I have a question.
I am brewing a Blueberry Wheat Ale from an extract kit, but the kit came with whole grains for steeping instead of cracked grain like the crystal was in my first kit.
Do I get the hammer out and crack the grain or is it supposed to be used whole for steeping?
Thanks
 
skybrew said:
Hi all,
I have been lurking for a little while and just registered!
I just bottled my first ever batch, an amber ale, and thanks for all the posts here.
I am going to brew my second batch on Saturday but I have a question.
I am brewing a Blueberry Wheat Ale from an extract kit, but the kit came with whole grains for steeping instead of cracked grain like the crystal was in my first kit.
Do I get the hammer out and crack the grain or is it supposed to be used whole for steeping?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Welcome! Where in the 'Burbs are you? I'm in Elk Grove. If you're close by, you can swing by and run them through my mill.
 
Easiest way (outside of Cheese's mill) is to put them in a ziplok bag, put it on your kitchen counter and roll it with a rolling pin. Before I bought a grain mill, that how I did it.
 
Cheesefood,
close mileage wise, I'm in Aurora but with our tollway system hours away! :mad:
Thanks I can crack it myself.

Rhoobarb, that is the way I was planning on doing it.

The question really was do I need to crack before I steep or is it suppose to be left whole?
 
All grains should be cracked before use. Increased surface area gives better flavor transfer in steeping.
 

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