Do you condition your grain?

[max384]

Just wondering how many here condition their grain prior to milling vs. how many just dump their dry grain into the mill.

 

[dmtaylor]

Never have conditioned the malt before crush. Haven't seen a need. I get high efficiency with a good quality crush, with the rare stuck runoff but nothing to cry about.

 

[enkamania]

Tried once, clogged up my mill.

 

[JawZziff]

I like the idea of conditioning. tried it once and not really even sure if it made a difference, I didn't actually check my efficiencies. but usually everytime I go to brew I forget to condition.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I tried it a few times and it worked well.....unfortunately I'm too lazy, so no, I don't condition.

 

[slym2none]

My LHBS doesn't condition - that's who grinds all my grains.

 

[Zepth]

Never have. Usually get around 80% efficiency on a 1.050-1.055 target. Somewhat higher if trying to make something more session based. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[CJ-3]

Haven't tried conditioning grains yet. Not that I am against it, just have not tried it.

 

[PartagasD4]

I condition my base grains which is usually a high percentage of my grist. Then I grind the last pound or 2 not conditioned to make sure there is no moisture left in the rollers. I brew in a confined area and it helps keep the dust down pretty well. I use 2% water and distribute evenly inside a bucket and let sit for about 30 minutes, it works quite well and a little bit extra work but it allows me to crush at .030 without any problems, even with 2 pounds of rye I had no problems. If I use wheat I condition it along with the base 2 row.

 

[drgonzo2k2]

I used to not do it, but I have for the last dozen or so batches, and I've been really happy with it. I get slightly better efficiency, have not had a stuck sparge since I started, and it seems to create a better filter bed than non-conditioned grain as the wort I collect has been a lot clearer than it used to be, and I rarely get even a tiny grain particle in the kettle now. I also notice a lot less dust in the air when I'm grinding.

I figure out what 2% of my grain bill is in ounces, and then that's the weight of RO water that I use. I do it in 3 batches, so add a little grain, mist a little water, put the lid on, shake, repeat until I'm done. I then let it sit for 10 minutes before grinding. I usually weigh out my hops in between, so it's not really wasted time.