Is my all grain kit milled enough?
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from what i've seen...very normal.....lol, but this is the way i do it myself...
Do you think ill have any problems hitting their OG? I have a pretty efficient system.
I’d probably run over it with a rolling pin- it looks poorly crushed from the photos.
FromZwolle
I don't want to be cremated, I want to be malted.
crushed by a fresh pillow, maybe.
Very annoying... I picked this up from Adventures in Homebrewing. Any experience with this site in the past? Got some kegging gear from them, this 1.109 porter was only like $28 or something
V-Fib
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In my early days that is how pretty much every crush I got from my LHBS and from anything pre-crushed online. I'm guessing they run with a bigger gap since they have to have the crush OK to run on any system and avoid stuck sparges. My crush at home looks just like Bracconiere's. If you run with that crush you might get a lower gravity then expected. You can add some DME near the end of the boil if you have any on hand to hit your target if it ends up low. In the end you'll still have beer no matter what. It just might be 0.5% less ABV.
I had the same question regarding milled grains from Adventures in Homebrewing. I always shop there but I do not have them mill my grains anymore.
Check out this thread.. Is this grain milled?
At my shop we offer three different crush requests. Unmilled, Normal Mill, Fine Mill.
On a scale of 0-10, If Unmilled is 0, normal crush is 5, and Fine is 10, I'd say the grain you got was something like a 2. I think they brought the grain over to the mill as a visual threat, but let them off with a warning. I know that Morebeer does that crap too and I just don't get it.
On a scale of 0-10, If Unmilled is 0, normal crush is 5, and Fine is 10, I'd say the grain you got was something like a 2. I think they brought the grain over to the mill as a visual threat, but let them off with a warning. I know that Morebeer does that crap too and I just don't get it.
AHB is my local store. Great people and prices but their crush sucks. Got the cereal killer and efficiency went to the roof. Yes that is a poor generic crush. Your efficiency will be low. Try to crush it more somehow.
mashpaddled
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A lot of shops do this as somebody said above to avoid stuck sparges. If you have a bad brew day then chances are good you aren't shopping there anymore. If you need to add a few gravity points well most people are going to chalk that up to a slightly off mash. Buying a mill is well worth the money. I also own a cereal killer and it's a very good mill for its price.
You said you have a pretty efficient system but you didn't specify how efficient nor did you mention if it was a conventional mash tun or BIAB. When you ask about grain crush this information is needed as the grain crush I use with BIAB would almost certainly get a stuck mash and a stuck sparge with a conventional mash tun but my brewhouse efficiency is normally in the low 90% range. If I were to brew with my BIAB and that grain crush my efficiency would be in the low 40% range.
Beenym88
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If I used that crush my efficiency would be terrible that happened to me recently I was constantly dealing with stuck sparges so I went for a coarse grain and I was no where near my OG. Turned out the problems with the stuck sparge was my system the whole time. I would definitely hit it with a rolling pin.
If you have a homebrew store nearby, they may let you run it through their mill.
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It does look like it could use some more crushing but I would grab a handful and rub it between my palms. Those kernels may break apart and the others would follow suit during the dough in process. If too many remain intact, then you should probably take the advice of previous posters and find a may to crack the kernels more before brewing.
I've had the same issue with AIH recently and it has cost me efficiency. I just ordered another recipe from them and it should be here tomorrow. I'll take a good look at it and hopefully remember to post. I've heard that some supply shops may also have issues with their mills falling out of adjustment if they are running constant orders through it. Sometimes an employee might "forget" to readjust.
So I emailed AIH these pics, they said this is their normal crush and that the husk of the grain is compromised, so water will flow into it and allow conversion while still allowing for a good grain bed. They said they go for 70% efficiency. Will probably do as everyone says and crush them up a bit before mashing.
They also mentioned that in any order in the "notes" section you can just ask them to over-crush the grain. The customer service was really good.
They also mentioned that in any order in the "notes" section you can just ask them to over-crush the grain. The customer service was really good.
ChiknNutz
Well-Known Member
Before I bought a grain mill, I had you guys double-mill for BIAB and results were great! Far better than what the OP showed. FYI to anyone looking for a great supplier, ABS is on point!
I'll try asking them that next time. I should mention that I've also had really good efficiency (80%+) on a few brown ales from them in BIAB. I would like to keep ordering from them. Their shipping is certainly on point as far as delivery times are concerned.
RSNovi
Active Member
AIH is my local store. Overall great place, but I had a batch that didn’t seem milled finely even though they claimed double milled. I have ordered three all grain recipes from them. First time I was in person and spoke to the person and got a reasonable grind. Second recipe was mail ordered and barely looked milled ending up with terrible efficiency. Third order I added a cereal killer and milled myself. Much better efficiency.
I never took the blue plastic from the inside. Didn’t even bother after all the work for the outside.
HAH! I was just about to guess it was an AiH kit but wisely ran down and read further first. Only time I have ever missed OG was with a crush like that on 2 kits from AiH. I wouldn't call that crushed or milled. I'd say it was maybe slapped with a glove and insulted.
RSNovi
Active Member
Glad to hear.
AiH is great for equipment and kegs. And I have had kits from them that brewed fine. Just an annoyance. Like another company whose kits make great beer, but their grain bags are too narrow to fit over the mash pipe when it comes time to dump out the spent grain. 
