Double crush specialty grains for steeping?

[MarcGuay]

Hi folks,

Any advantages or disadvantages to having specialty grains double crushed for steeping in an extract recipe?

Marc

 

[mredge73]

Depends on the crush, if the mill is set up right you shouldn't need any more than one pass.
Doubling it up will result in more flour = higher yield (good) + higher undesirable tannins (causes dry mouth, bitter, taste like strong tea) + higher protein/gluten (cloudy, hard to clear).
Extract batch has no worries on a stuck sparge. Often the higher yield outweighs the negative effects.

 

[MarcGuay]

Thanks. Would it be smart to lower the quantity a bit if the grain is double crushed then?

 

[porterpounder]

Excess tannin extraction may be a concern if the water is alkaline and above 170F or so. Just to be safe, it may be useful to acidify the water a bit. I like 88% lactic acid for that job. There are many fairly easy ways to test water pH and spreadsheets to help with correct additions. Other than that it should be fine.

 

[Lefou]

Doubling it up will result in more flour = higher yield (good) + higher undesirable tannins (causes dry mouth, bitter, taste like strong tea) + higher protein/gluten (cloudy, hard to clear).

If you're looking to create a weizen/wit style beer, a finer grind of your steeping grain will lend itself to a thicker, cloudy haze - if that's what you want.

If you're looking for a bit more clarity, add some pale base malt like Pilsner, malted wheat, (or Vienna if you want a slightly darker tint) to your steeping grain at a slightly lower steep temp. It adds some diastatic boost for a bit more starch conversion in your steeping grain.