i have a dumb question about crush

[bengerman]

and the search function doesn't seem to be working for me.


i don't have a grain mill (yet), and i've been getting horrible efficiency (55%-66% brewhouse, very consistently)
i can't figure out exactly where it's coming from, but i doubt if my LHBS grain mill is helping.

would running my grain through twice have any hope of helping? or any risk of hurting?

 

[samc]

Depends on how well it was crushed to begin with. If you over mill it you can wind up with a stuck sparge. If it was not well crushed then a second pass can help. Post a picture of the crush and get some opinions.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

You are looking for roughly the following, give or take:

1/3 husk
1/3 solid
1/3 powder

I agree with what samc said; post a pic of your crush and we can better help you that way.

 

[bengerman]

i'll try to remember to post a pic next time i brew (there's a household ban on brewing until after thanksgiving)

 

[Grumpybumpy]

If you biab, you can double crush with no worries

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Home Brew Talk

 

[Dog House Brew]

My guess is that if you are getting 55% and your calculations are correct, crush is your problem. My opinion would be to run it through twice or check their mill gap. Before I bought my mill, I had to run it through LHBS mill twice. I went from 55% to 70% by running it twice. Try and see

 

[huge1s]

My guess is that if you are getting 55% and your calculations are correct, crush is your problem. My opinion would be to run it through twice or check their mill gap. Before I bought my mill, I had to run it through LHBS mill twice. I went from 55% to 70% by running it twice. Try and see

On your next batch... try ordering the grains from a place like Austin Home Brew. My first few batches were at a consistent 77%-80%. I decided to give my local homebrew place a shot for my last batch and efficiency went down to 55% (had to fix it with DME). At least you could rule in/out crush by doing this.

 

[asterix404]

I will point out that most LHBS will not allow you to double crush because if they use a coffee grinder it can gum it up really badly. You can always do it with a double roller however, but you could also get some seriously shredded husks. If you always get 60% efficiency you could always just make recipes with 60%. The extra space generally won't matter too much depending on your equipment. Alternatively you should really just get a grain mill.

 

[pearlbeer]

Also hard to diagnose without knowing your sparging technique.

One of the most important steps is to stir, stir, stir. You need to be sure all of the doughballs are broken up.

 

[bengerman]

I will point out that most LHBS will not allow you to double crush because if they use a coffee grinder it can gum it up really badly. You can always do it with a double roller however, but you could also get some seriously shredded husks. If you always get 60% efficiency you could always just make recipes with 60%. The extra space generally won't matter too much depending on your equipment. Alternatively you should really just get a grain mill.

i'm working on getting a grain mill, but still brewing in the mean time.
the LHBS in question has a roller style and a coffee grinder. i always use the roller because the coffee grinder can only accomodate the small bag.



and, as far as sparging, i batch sparge per BeerSmith's volumes & temps.


i do stir stir stir, and i've only once seen a doughball try to form, which is one of the other reasons i'm thinking the crush is too coarse.

 

[scottland]

If there are any grains that aren't cracked open, or any grains that aren't cracked completely in half, the crush sucks.

Best Grind Setting for Grains | Brewer's Friend

That website has some great images. It should look like the first, with lots of powder. My LHBS's crush looked like the second image. Your efficiency will suck if your crush looks like that. Ask your LHBS to adjust their mill

 

[By-Tor]

I set mine at 031 and condition for half hour before crushing. 80% consistantly

 

[Hoppylikerabbits]

I do the same. Condition about 30-60 min prior to mashing in and I'm getting 80-82% eff every time. Gap set at .031

 

[bengerman]

quick follow-up:
made a batch the other day, ran it through the mill twice. got up to 71% brewhouse efficiency.

thanks, everybody!

i don't know for sure, but i think their mill is set to .045 (at least, that's written in sharpie on the hopper)