I ordered an Autumn Amber Ale extract kit from Midwest and chose not to have the specialty grains crushed because I didn't think I would get to brewing it right away. Well I just realized now after brewing it and now drinking it from my keg that I forgot to crush my specialty grains before putting them in the mesh sock and steeping them. How big of a difference do you think it made? I have never made that particular kit but my first impression was that the beer didn't have much body or pop to the flavor. It could be just how that kit turns out but now that I realized my mistake can't help but wonder how much not crushing my grains effected it.
forgot to crush my specialty grains
- Thread starter jhubert
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NorCalHB
Well-Known Member
Kinda off topic but not really.. I cant answer your question but maybe you can answer mine. I just ordered an extract kit with speciality grains from AHB.. this will be my first brew with speciality grains. The grains came already in a sock... do they need to be crushed? It does not tell me to do this in the instructions. SHo
Well, ya sorta have to crush the grains to expose the endosperm (starch) storage layer and all the enzymes to convert that stuff into sugar. The outside sorta protects what ya want. That said you were extract brewing and although you get flavor and body from crystal you wanted the color too... Did you get the color, did the uncrushed grains still give you an amber color? So, two things, drink and enjoy the brew and don't judge the kit until after you brew it again with crushed grains.
FungusBrew
Well-Known Member
Most likely they're already crushed. Take a look at them. If the hulls (outer shell on the barley) are smashed to bits, and it looks like someone took a hammer to them, they're all ready to go.
As for the original posters question, it seems to me you're going to miss out on some of the "body" and potential flavor. It's still going to be beer, most likely pretty good beer, so I wouldn't worry. I've brewed without any specialty grains, and the final product was reasonable. Not great, but definitely drinkable. How long have you allowed your bottles to sit after priming?
It is still pretty good beer. It does actually have very good color. I kegged the 5 gallon batch and now am in the drinking phase and it is good. I will definetley try this one again and make sure I crush the grains, I might even add an extra .5oz of hops to the boil to kick it up a notch.
I have read many posts of brewers who were very critical in the quality of the crush. Many adjusting the gaps settings of the rollers on their home barley crushers. Trying to achieve a superior efficiency level in their brewing meaning extracting the most sugars as possible from the grain. So crushing your barley and to a perticular size is important to home brewers.
Crushing is less critical for specialty grains because you are mainly extracting flavors and aromas, not starches and enzymes. You did lose something due to having less surface area, but not a deal-breaker.
