help needed... my (new) LHBS crush

i have had horrible conversion on the last two batches i have brewed... after doing my research around the boards, i think the crush might be the problem. here is a picture of the left-over i had tonight.

thoughts?

I think 'crush' is a generous term describing that.

That grain needs to be FAR more broken down than that. Have a look at this article on the wiki, it will show you what you're looking for in a decent crush.

That looks more like Kashi breakfast cereal than crushed grain for beer...

bradsul said:

I think 'crush' is a generous term describing that.

That grain needs to be FAR more broken down than that. Have a look at this article on the wiki, it will show you what you're looking for in a decent crush.

Click to expand...

figured as much... thanks. so is it bad etiquette to ask your LHBS to stop clowning around? in reality, my crush looks like 90+ mil.

doesnt even look cracked at all

williec30 said:

figured as much... thanks. so is it bad etiquette to ask your LHBS to stop clowning around? in reality, my crush looks like 90+ mil.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't put it quite like that. But if they aren't willing to give you a better crush, I'd look for alternatives. Either get yourself a corona-style or roller mill or find a different LHBS (or an online supplier).

At the very least, I would have your LHBS run the grain through their mill twice. If any of the grains remain whole or uncrushed I would not be satisfied. Mashing grain that is intact is a waste of time and money.

As Brad said above, your LHBS is not really "clowning around". A marginal crush like that will likely never result in a stuck sparge, therefore satisfying customers in another regard.

I would look into getting your own mill.

coronal style....$30 - $40
roller mill.........$80 - $120

Either of the above will give you better results than where you are at now, and will allow you to purchase bulk base malt on the cheap.

At first glance from the title I thought you had the hots for someone working at the LHBS and were using a high school term.

Anyway, some pieces in that crush reminds me of Honey Smacks...you know, with the "Dig 'Em" frog???

I have the same problem with my LHBS. I was coming up pretty short on my OG. I then used AHS for an order and overshot the OG by a little (not a bad thing in my book). Do you think a LHBS would be offended by asking them to run the grain through twice (I wouldn't really care if they did, just curious) and do you think it would help much?

I stopped buying most of my grains from the LHBS because of this issue, rudeness and the fact that they routinely ran low on common grains such as Belgian Pils. I don't like buying online, but customer service is king.

N.B. Many homebrewers don't have the space to mill their own grains. I'm sick of bad business people complaining about online competition. If you don't want to provide superior service, then don't be shocked when your customers leave.

I run my grains trough a regular cooking blender, then mash.
I know it will sound sacrilege for some, but i get a lot of nice flavor using this method.

Stef1966 said:

I run my grains trough a regular cooking blender, then mash.
I know it will sound sacrilege for some, but i get a lot of nice flavor using this method.

Click to expand...

It depends on the brewing method you're using really. If you're doing extract+steeping grains then that method will definitely maximize the flavour and colour you get from your grains. But trying to do that with AG or partial mash will most likely result in a stuck sparge. But it depends a lot on the individual system how fine you can go, so if it works for you, that's awesome! What I did when I got my first mill was to crush finer and finer each batch until my sparge finally stuck on me. Then I backed it off a bit and got the best of both worlds.

As for the LHBS being offended if you ask them to run the grain through twice, it's a pretty stupid thing for them to get worked up about. If they won't let you run it through twice or won't adjust the gap, I'd think about switching to another supplier. Whether or not running it through twice will make a difference... possibly not, but it can't hurt to try.

Go back to that HBS, get some grain. Have them crush it. If it isn't good enough and they give you attitude or don't do it for you just leave and they will be stuck with half crushed grain.

My LHBS asks ME if THEIR crush is good enough. Now that's customer service as well as knowing that every brew setup runs better at different crushes.

You can also ask the store employees to show you how to run the crusher. I worked at a homebrew store for a year and know the guys at the store I go to. They love it when regular customers know what they want and can get their supplies without help. This let's you get in and out; and frees up the employees to help the less experience. Just a thought....

adamjab19 said:

Go back to that HBS, get some grain. Have them crush it. If it isn't good enough and they give you attitude or don't do it for you just leave and they will be stuck with half crushed grain.

My LHBS asks ME if THEIR crush is good enough. Now that's customer service as well as knowing that every brew setup runs better at different crushes.

Click to expand...

this is ultimately where i was going... i know they aren't in practice "clowning around", but customer service would be tops on my list if i was in this business.

then again... wtf do i know.

Just ask them to run it through again, they should understand. Explain that it works better that way for your system.