Brew Day Mistake, non crushed grains

[NWBasementBrewer]

So earlier this week i was at the LHBS talking with the guy working about growing hops etc etc. and i grab my 10lbs of 2 row pale and some choclate malt to make a porter. So just my luck i keep talking and dont crush my grains.

Now fast forward to today i set my mash tun up with hot water to get ready to mash and notice my grains arnt ground up.

So question is can i get by not crushing them by.... mashing longer?

Btw i just rolled the grains in my hands to half ass crush them and tossed them in. Did i fark myself over with this beer or am i just paranoid an RDWHAHB

 

[Poobah58]

Sorry, but you MUST crush the grains. Don't even bother brewing if not crushed!

 

[stevecaaster]

I read somewhere in BYO i think in the article by john palmer that a brew without crushing the grains will get AT LEAST 35 percent efficiency, he said dont ask him how he knows that tho... so uh oh, but I think you might still get a very very light beer. let us know what happens!

 

[EvilTOJ]

Oh yea, this is going to be a VERY light ABV beer. The grains need to be crushed in order to get to the starches inside.

 

[vfinch]

Time break out the rolling pin and a bucket load of elbow grease...

 

[Fingers]

Well, you could always add a bunch of sugar to get the ABV up and call it a Budweiser clone. But seriously, if you do a very small sparge you might get a gallon or two of wort that's heavy enough to ferment. Otherwise you're just wasting more space and time.

 

[NWBasementBrewer]

well i tried using a paint mixer that is new and clean to try and crush them against the side of the cooler, after being retarded i just tossed the grains. i dont want to waste my 20$ in hops i have so im gunna go get new crushed grains. thanks for scaring me lol

 

[NitrouStang96]

I did the same thing the last time I was at the LHBS, so I stuck them in a big ziploc and went to town on em with a rolling pin. It was just .5lb of steeping grains for my extract brew, though. Also, I ended up with waaaaaay more powder than what you get out of the crusher at my LHBS, but I have no idea what effect that will have on my brew.

 

[Jekster]

Why didn't you just save the grain, take them back later and get them crushed. no point in tossing out fine grain.

 

[IrregularPulse]

^^ +1 especially since you went back to get more grain, why didn't you just go back and get the grains you already had crushed?

 

[Redweasel]

Why didn't you just save the grain, take them back later and get them crushed. no point in tossing out fine grain.

He already tossed them in his mash water.

 

[tranceamerica]

my first PM beer I had the same problem - grain was uncrushed. I crushed w/a rolling pin and mashed.

The result:

1) well, the beer is almost undrinkable. BUT
2) I don't think it's because of the crush, but rather a sanitization problem (didn't rinse bleach enough)

3) other than the off flavor, it has good alcohol level

Therefore, I believe that a rolling pin crush is "fine" but prob, doesn't get you very high eff. I didn't get a stuck sparge, FWIW.

 

[enohcs]

oops. try again.