Crush question...

[Ivan Lendl]

Im heating up my mash water right now, so it kind of doesnt matter but when i got my grain today in the mail everything was crushed except a pound of chocolate. so i just put it in 2 ziplocks and took a hammer to it. Was this a bad idea? Its a stout w/ 9 lbs pale/6 oz b patent/4 oz roasted barley/1 lbs chocolate

 

[Dude]

Im heating up my mash water right now, so it kind of doesnt matter but when i got my grain today in the mail everything was crushed except a pound of chocolate. so i just put it in 2 ziplocks and took a hammer to it. Was this a bad idea? Its a stout w/ 9 lbs pale/6 oz b patent/4 oz roasted barley/1 lbs chocolate

Shouldn't be a problem, I did it that way once or twice before I had a mill.

 

[Beer Snob]

Hehe.... well... I never actually used a hammer before really.... I think the rolling pin might work a little better, but hey if it does the job why not! How was the crush?

 

[Ivan Lendl]

Hehe.... well... I never actually used a hammer before really.... I think the rolling pin might work a little better, but hey if it does the job why not! How was the crush?

first i tried the rolling pin, but mine is plastic, so that didnt work too well. Next i tried a big candle in a glass, which worked ok, but then i checked the grain and at least half were untouched, so i took out the hammer and banged away. I didnt go apesh*t on it, but it definitley got crushed. Im not too worried, everything else was crushed.
Maybe ill buy a roller mill? Probably. What do most people use, a crankerstien?, or corona? whats the pro's/cons/cost/usability etc...? (i guess this is another thread entirely)

 

[Glibbidy]

I have been using a Corona mill for several years, and (from what I have researched) it is not quite as efficient as the Crankenstein, the Maltmill, or the phil mill, IMHO it is the most cost effective solution to milling your own grain.

Corona Mill= +cost effective, +simple design, -lacks efficiency
Roller Mills= +efficient milling of malt, +simple design, - Wicked Expensive

With that said maybe I'll have to start saving for one of these fancy schmancy roller mills.

 

[Sephro]

I thought you where not supposed to crush the really dark grains because they will turn to powder that will be impossible to clear???

 

[MagicMan]

most everything I have read and have been taught by some friendly brewmasters is that the crush is very important. If the crush is too course, your yeild drops dramatically. If it is too fine, the mash bed can become cement-like and a "stuck mash" can result.

Most any method other than a roller mill will damage the husk, causing tannins to leach out , resulting in an unwanted astringent taste. Also, the damaged husk will not be as effective as a filter bed when sparging.

A roller mill set at 70 thousandths for 2 row grains works very well. For 6 row grains you can either close the gap a few thousandths or run them thru twice.

 

[Glibbidy]

the grains must be crushed to expose the sugars to the water in the mash.

this section of Palmers guide may provide some additional insight on how the mash works, and why the grain needs to be crushed.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter14-1.html

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Most any method other than a roller mill will damage the husk, causing tannins to leach out , resulting in an unwanted astringent taste. Also, the damaged husk will not be as effective as a filter bed when sparging.

Gotta disagree. I've been using a Corona for about a dozen batches now with great efficiency and no astringent taste. I used it on a Weizenbock with 60% wheat and no stuck mash, though runoff was predictably slow. With all barley grists it'll drain a batch sparge in minutes. I've heard these arguments bandied about the internet, but my empirical evidence is to the contrary and I've never heard anybody with actual empirical evidence supporting it.

I do agree with glibbidy's +'s and -'s, although I can get great efficiency out of my Corona. I see it as high value, and when I have the extra $$'s I'll be looking for a snazzy roller mill.

 

[Sephro]

I fully understand how the mash works and why you need to mill the grains... I just always thought that the very dark (burnt) grains did not need to be milled.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I fully understand how the mash works and why you need to mill the grains... I just always thought that the very dark (burnt) grains did not need to be milled.

They definitely need to be crushed...depending on the grain they still contain non-fermentable sugars (possibly carbonized), aromatics, proteins, etc. which all serve a function in the finished product. The husk itself doesn't actually contribute very much color or flavor...that still comes from the roasted endosperm inside.

 

[Ivan Lendl]

They definitely need to be crushed...depending on the grain they still contain non-fermentable sugars (possibly carbonized), aromatics, proteins, etc. which all serve a function in the finished product. The husk itself doesn't actually contribute very much color or flavor...that still comes from the roasted endosperm inside.

also i noticed its kind of hard to get a course crush aint it? I mean the little buggers just turn to dust. the black malt i had that they crushed was very fine compared to the pale malt. Same with the roasted barley. It makes sense cuz the pale grain has alot more moisture then the (somewhat) burnt chocolate, black and roasted.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

It's definitely powdery, but it's generally a very small percentage of the overall mash (even in a stout or porter).

 

[Ivan Lendl]

It's definitely powdery, but it's generally a very small percentage of the overall mash (even in a stout or porter).

man, i left a sample of this stout in my hydro jar and i just tasted it, its soo damn good! its the best tasting wort if ever had, i drank the whole sample! usually i just take a sip to get an idea of bitterness, but this was too good to throw out...that b*tch is fermenting its arse off right now...

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Gotta love it when you fire on all cylinders with a good brew.

 

[Sephro]

curious what was the OG of that stout?

 

[Ivan Lendl]

curious what was the OG of that stout?

1.044...It was kind of low, i was shooting for 1.050 but everything else went as planned. Im still getting used to my new system.