Barley Crusher

[bribo179]

I recently bought a barley crusher. How is the default crusher settings? Will I get a good crush our should I adjust it?

 

[FastAndy]

I've been really happy with the factory gap, i suggest using it for a batch adjust afterwards if you feel you need it.

 

[eanmcnulty]

I am happy with the factory setting also. Give it a try.
Edit: oh yeah, I found it very difficult to use with the crank arm, so I use a variable speed drill. Works like a charm!

 

[Cimerian]

I got the malt mill and have been using the factory settings and totally happy with them so far.

 

[thisoneguy]

I got my BC just before Christmas and wasn't able to check mine with a feeler gauge until after the first time I used it. I found that the factory setting was a bit uneven... .038 on one side and .042 on the other side - got 81% mash efficiency on that batch. Based on some reading that I did, I adjusted it down to .036 on both sides for the brew I did yesterday and got 86% mash efficiency. I liked the look of the crush on this setting, and was happy with the efficiency, so I think I'll probably leave it at .036.

Somebody else mentioned that hand-cranking this thing sucks... I agree 100%. It only took about 1 minute for me to decide that my 18V DeWalt cordless drill would be used to drive this for the rest of the time I own it.

 

[ClarnoBrewer]

+1 to factory settings...

Unless you condition your malt. Search the forums on this for the details. I condition all the time now and I use a narrower gap. I get a finer crush and intact hulls. Higher efficiency and no stuck sparges.