Grain mill question

[IslandLizard]

It may have another advantage too but im not sure what since Ive never tried it.

I mill and fill the mash tun outside, so dust is not an issue. I also underlet the grist in the mash tun, it creates no dust.

The only time I conditioned grain I ended up with a lot of starchy goo stuck to the knurled rollers when all was done. Was a bit of a chore to get it off. The milled grist visually didn't look any better than without conditioning. Haven't repeated it since.

 

[fun4stuff]

I mill and fill the mash tun outside, so dust is not an issue. I also underlet the grist in the mash tun, it creates no dust.

The only time I conditioned grain I ended up with a lot of starchy goo stuck to the knurled rollers when all was done. Was a bit of a chore to get it off. The milled grist visually didn't look any better than without conditioning. Haven't repeated it since.

Underlet?

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I condition my grain. If you are getting a mealy mess, you are probably adding too much water. The ideal amount leaves the husks feeling "leathery", not damp.
If I don't condition, I find I get a ton of dust sticking via static to the underside of my mill and its mounting board, so when I move it, it drops messy dust all over. No dust with a light conditioning.
Also, I have a cheap mill and the rollers aren't the best, so conditioning helps the rollers get a better grip on the grain. If fully dry, it will sometimes just sit on top of the rollers and not get pulled in.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Underlet?

Underletting is the process of adding your water to the bottom of the mash tun, usually via the drain valve. This is as opposed to dumping it in from the top.
The advantages are mainly if you are trying to follow Low Oxygen Brewing (aka LODO) practices because it doesn't aerate your strike water like dumping in from the top does.
The other advantage, even if you aren't doing Low-Oxygen, is that you don't have to lift and dump your strike water - you just connect a hose from your kettle valve to your mash tun valve and let gravity or a pump transfer it.

 

[kh54s10]

Underlet?

Underlet is filling the mash tun from the bottom. Probably by pumping into the ball valve drain.

 

[augiedoggy]

Underlet?

pouring dry grain into mash tun and filling with mash water from the bottom valve... This avoids having to stir to dough in. or let air touch your mash once you have mixed the water with the grain if its an airtight mash tun. It works well for smaller recirculating systems but if not stirring or recirculating the liquid is continuously cooled as it travels up from the bottom through the much cooler grain resulting in much lower temps at the top of the grainbed than the bottom where the grain and tun has been preheated= uneven mash temps. I tried this with 3bbl mashes and the temp different from top to bottom was almost 20 degrees! with smaller mashes the effects will be much less drastic but worth mentioning if you dont recirculate or stir.

Now if you condition your grain with water before milling it, does that effect said oxidation? how about that light and fluffy grainbed with more air in it? or does the concern not become a thing until mash temps are reached? I know a steak will oxidize and turn color from it regardless when left out uncovered.. It would just seem that more flavor could be lost and more oxidation occuring from the grain through the surface evaporation but im just guessing here

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Now if you condition your grain with water before milling it, does that effect said oxidation? how about that light and fluffy grainbed with more air in it? or does the concern not become a thing until mash temps are reached? I know a steak will oxidize and turn color from it regardless when left out uncovered.. It would just seem that more flavor could be lost from the grain through the surface evaporation but im just guessing here

Not sure, but I do LOB and mill directly into my mash tun while pumping CO2 in through the bottom valve. It doesn't purge all oxygen by any means, but it does create an oxygen deficient environment in the mash tun, which will help. For any oxygen that does get/stay in the mash tun or is in the husks, that's why we use oxygen scavengers in the strike water (sulfite, ascorbic acid, gallotannins, and sometimes sauergut). It's very tough to eliminate all oxygen via equipment and process, so the scavengers pick up the slack.

 

[augiedoggy]

Not sure, but I do LOB and mill directly into my mash tun while pumping CO2 in through the bottom valve. It doesn't purge all oxygen by any means, but it does create an oxygen deficient environment in the mash tun, which will help. For any oxygen that does get/stay in the mash tun or is in the husks, that's why we use oxygen scavengers in the strike water (sulfite, ascorbic acid, gallotannins, and sometimes sauergut). It's very tough to eliminate all oxygen via equipment and process, so the scavengers pick up the slack.

I am thinking your process is not typical though..

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I am thinking your process is not typical though..

Pumping gas (CO2 or nitrogen) into the mash tun, or even truly purging it is not uncommon in the LOB crowd. Of course, different equipment limitations drive each person's process, but it's super easy to hook up a CO2 bottle to the mash tun valve to give yourself a leg up in the battle against oxygen.

 

[fun4stuff]

I’ll have to read up on LOB. First I’m hearing of i, but just BIAB. Of course, i go in brewing spurts over the years where my interest waxes and wanes.

I thought oxygen was good pre-fermentation! I guess this must just be post mash, pre-fermentation.