crush aide??
- Thread starter dukes7779
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Has/Does anyone ever give a little extra crush with, say, a rolling pin??
slothorentropy
Well-Known Member
That's probably gonna get you better results than the rolling pin method.
Really though before you buy your next (or next three) pieces of equipment, ask yourself these questions:
-Is this going to increase my mashing/lautering efficiency?
-Is this going to give me greater control over when I brew?
-Is this going to allow me to save money by purchasing supplies in bulk?
For a grain mill, you can answer "yes" to all of those questions. The Barley Crusher is my most recent equipment acquisition, but all things being equal, I wish I'd bought it three months ago.
Really though before you buy your next (or next three) pieces of equipment, ask yourself these questions:
-Is this going to increase my mashing/lautering efficiency?
-Is this going to give me greater control over when I brew?
-Is this going to allow me to save money by purchasing supplies in bulk?
For a grain mill, you can answer "yes" to all of those questions. The Barley Crusher is my most recent equipment acquisition, but all things being equal, I wish I'd bought it three months ago.
Crushing more could help if what you get from your supplier doesn’t look like the husks are opened up enough. But, crushing the grain too much can cause clogging problems when sparging. Crush too much and the finer particles can turn into pudding, which will clog\stop the sparge runoff. You don’t want too much husk damage because the husk forms a bed that will drain and filter better.
Some other quick things to check\do for better efficiency:
- Condition the strike water with 5.2 stablizer, or, whatever may be necessary for your local tap water. Consult your local water district for stats on your tap water.
- Make sure your target temp is accurate and consistent.
- Don’t sparge too fast or too much. Too fast and the extracted sugars won’t thoroughly rinse out. Too much and wort is diluted. My sparge rate on a 22lb grain bill takes about 1-1.5 hours.
I recommend you pull the trigger on a mill. You’ll have better quality control over your crush, and, you can buy more grains in bulk and store them. Grains last longer (don’t get stale) when not crushed.
Some other quick things to check\do for better efficiency:
- Condition the strike water with 5.2 stablizer, or, whatever may be necessary for your local tap water. Consult your local water district for stats on your tap water.
- Make sure your target temp is accurate and consistent.
- Don’t sparge too fast or too much. Too fast and the extracted sugars won’t thoroughly rinse out. Too much and wort is diluted. My sparge rate on a 22lb grain bill takes about 1-1.5 hours.
I recommend you pull the trigger on a mill. You’ll have better quality control over your crush, and, you can buy more grains in bulk and store them. Grains last longer (don’t get stale) when not crushed.
