Crushed or whole?

[CanuckBrewing]

So ive been reading around, and im sure this has been asked before but i havent seen it around. Im making my first AG brew, and i notice that on the websites i buy my grain from there is the option to buy crushed/milled grain. Is it necessary to get it milled, or not?
I dont know if this affects the decision at all or not, but im goin to be making a lager. Any info/ recommendations you guys could provide would be great!

 

[Tonedef131]

It is necessary to get the grain milled.

 

[ajf]

Welcome to the forum.
You must have the grain milled before you can mash.
If you have your own grain mill, then you can buy unmilled grain, which is usually a little bit cheaper, and lasts a lot longer in storage. If you don't have a grain mill, I strongly advise you to buy milled grain. Trying to get a satisfactory crush by using a rolling pin will produce very inferior results when compared against even the worst shop crush.

-a.

 

[78kombi]

also i do not reccomend using a hand crank mill...though they do crush the grain well. it just takes too long to do 8lbs or more, i do have one but only use it rarely for specialty grains..really not worth the effort i think

 

[ajf]

also i do not reccomend using a hand crank mill...though they do crush the grain well. it just takes too long to do 8lbs or more, i do have one but only use it rarely for specialty grains..really not worth the effort i think

But I love to hand crank. It warms up my drinking arm so I don't pull a muscle while drinking HB during the brew.:rockin:

-a.

 

[andyb0527]

also i do not reccomend using a hand crank mill...though they do crush the grain well. it just takes too long to do 8lbs or more, i do have one but only use it rarely for specialty grains..really not worth the effort i think

I crushed 22 lbs of grain with a hand crank in just over 30 minutes the other day. I can do 8 in about 10. I kind of like using the hand crank mill.

 

[CBBaron]

also i do not reccomend using a hand crank mill...though they do crush the grain well. it just takes too long to do 8lbs or more, i do have one but only use it rarely for specialty grains..really not worth the effort i think

Probably depends on the mill. But I like using my Barley crusher as a hand crank. Takes me less time to measure and mill my grain than it does to heat the strike water.

For the OP, you want crushed grain. Whole grain will remain fresh much longer in storage allowing you to buy grain in bulk saving money, but it must be crushed before use. Crushing effectively requires a grain mill.

Craig