Need to crush this rye...

[slym2none]

The other day I was at Atlantic Brewing Supply to pick up grains for an upcoming beer, a red rye IPA. I went to ABS because my LHBS doesn't carry Red X malt. Of course, I totally forgot to pick up the rye when I was there - no worries, my LHBS has that. I went earlier and told them I just needed some rye, and, thinking it would be no big deal PLUS the fact my LHBS doesn't give the best crush anyway, and the rye is even smaller than barley, I figured I could do it at home with my blender, right?

Wrong... I put maybe a cup in the blender (I have 1.75 pounds to crush) and let the blender whir away for a while, checking on it periodically. No bueno, a little crush & some flour, but mostly whole rye grains. I kept on, and started to smell ozone from the blender (working it too hard) and didn't see that many more crushed grains.

****.

Next was the food processor. Didn't strain it at all, but it wasn't doing a thing to the rye, either.

Double-****.

Now, I don't know what to do. The brew shop is closed, so I can't go back there to have them crush it, and I am supposed to brew tonight.

Rye is one tough little grain...



Does anyone have any suggestions? Heck, anyone in the RDU/RTP area have a mill I could borrow?

 

[bfish]

place rye on cutting board and smash with the bottom of a pot/pan

 

[slym2none]

place rye on cutting board and smash with the bottom of a pot/pan

Heh - housemates complained enough about the noise from the blender. Rye is a VERY tough little grain to crack!

Anyone think moistening/"conditioning" the rye would help?

 

[Qhrumphf]

Stick it in a ziploc bag and hit with a rolling pin?

Or just buy a mill.

 

[slym2none]

Stick it in a ziploc bag and hit with a rolling pin?

Or just buy a mill.

That doesn't help me brew tonight.

*sigh* Looks like I will have to put this off until tomorrow night...

 

[GuldTuborg]

Rye, or rye malt? If you don't need it for conversion (either because it's unmalted or used in small quantity), just boil it well and add it to your mash. No milling required.

 

[slym2none]

Malted rye. I need it crushed/cracked for conversion.

I postponed brewing tonight so I could take this back to my LHBS and get it crushed, and will brew tomorrow night.

Thanks for all the advice & replies, everyone!

 

[GuldTuborg]

Yeah, sorry. Rye is super hard stuff. I end up milling it 2-3x just to be safe. Milling rocks is easier.

 

[slym2none]

Agreed! Also, Qhrumph is right, I should just get my own mill. I did actually try the bag & rolling pin method, twice. First was using the rolling pin as a bludgeon. Destroyed the heavy-duty freezer bag, didn't get too much in the way of cracked grains - I was restrained from bashing the **** out of it due to housemates. Then I tried rolling it with all my weight behind it, 200+ pounds. Much less effective than bashing it, and I still destroyed the bag.

One day, I will get my own mill... until then, LHBS crush, as half-assed as it is, will have to do, combined with a 75-minute mash.

 

[dmtaylor]

slym, you can use the blender, it will work okay. I used my blender to crush all my grains for every batch for about 3 years. Hundreds of pounds crushed fine in my blender, including a lot of rye malt. You probably just used too much at one time. Try just 3/4 cup. You need to find the balance between too much and too little. If too much, then only the bottom inch gets ground and not the rest. If too little then it just flies around everywhere but doesn't get ground. Balance the amount, whatever that is for your blender, crack for a good ~15 seconds per batch, repeat 1700 times until done. Yes, you might need to give your blender a little break in between if it's a lot. But as a specialty malt, I doubt this should be too hard on your blender.

 

[IslandLizard]

Like @GuldTuborg said, if you're already using a good load of diastatic malt in addition to your rye, just boil the rye for an hour before you start the mash. It should be thin to prevent scorching, and that thin porridge becomes (part of) your strike water. Average DP of your grist should be above 30 (or 40, to be sure) for full conversion.

Even taking it to your LHBS for a crush will be futile unless they're willing to tighten their mill significantly (~0.021" gap). You should always mill small kernel grain (wheat, rye, flaked goods) at a narrower gap than barley.

Sounds like you need your own mill.

 

[RM-MN]

Agreed! Also, Qhrumph is right, I should just get my own mill. I did actually try the bag & rolling pin method, twice. First was using the rolling pin as a bludgeon. Destroyed the heavy-duty freezer bag, didn't get too much in the way of cracked grains - I was restrained from bashing the **** out of it due to housemates. Then I tried rolling it with all my weight behind it, 200+ pounds. Much less effective than bashing it, and I still destroyed the bag.

One day, I will get my own mill... until then, LHBS crush, as half-assed as it is, will have to do, combined with a 75-minute mash.

Today is "one day" and Discount Tommy has a mill for sale that works well for wheat, rye, and barley. It's up to you to set it properly for your type of mash but I use it for all my BIAB batches.

http://www.discounttommy.com/p-189-...er-for-wheat-grains-or-use-as-a-nut-mill.aspx

 

[slym2none]

Went to the LHBS. Got it crushed. Brewing tonight.

/thread

 

[Hello]

slym, you can use the blender, it will work okay. I used my blender to crush all my grains for every batch for about 3 years. Hundreds of pounds crushed fine in my blender, including a lot of rye malt. You probably just used too much at one time. Try just 3/4 cup. You need to find the balance between too much and too little. If too much, then only the bottom inch gets ground and not the rest. If too little then it just flies around everywhere but doesn't get ground. Balance the amount, whatever that is for your blender, crack for a good ~15 seconds per batch, repeat 1700 times until done. Yes, you might need to give your blender a little break in between if it's a lot. But as a specialty malt, I doubt this should be too hard on your blender.

Have you crushed rye? It's a bitch. I have MM-M2 and I can feel the resistance with rye the second it hits the rollers. The fact that a blender didn't do the trick doesn't shock me. I have a kitchen aid "pro" series blender and I would bet it still wouldn't work.

Grain, blenders work well...just not rye IMO.

 

[IslandLizard]

Went to the LHBS. Got it crushed. Brewing tonight.

/thread

Ah, good!
Did they tighten it down for you?

 

[dmtaylor]

Have you crushed rye? It's a bitch. I have MM-M2 and I can feel the resistance with rye the second it hits the rollers. The fact that a blender didn't do the trick doesn't shock me. I have a kitchen aid "pro" series blender and I would bet it still wouldn't work.

Grain, blenders work well...just not rye IMO.

I've successfully "milled" dozens of pounds of rye malt in my old blender. It took more time but it worked fine. If at first you don't succeed..... either get a better blender that's worth a crap, or go all-out and just buy a real mill. I never did buy a mill, but my wife got me one for Christmas because I begged her.

 

[slym2none]

Ah, good!
Did they tighten it down for you?

They will only run grain through their mill twice for us BIABers - no adjusting the mill. The guy did that, and there are no whole kernels anymore and a good bit of flour.

This is why I mash for 75 minutes... barley looks the same, usually. I just have to give the water time to get into the grain.

The Red X I got crushed at Atlantic Brewing Supply is really nicely ground.

 

[slym2none]

Have you crushed rye? It's a bitch. I have MM-M2 and I can feel the resistance with rye the second it hits the rollers. The fact that a blender didn't do the trick doesn't shock me. I have a kitchen aid "pro" series blender and I would bet it still wouldn't work.

Grain, blenders work well...just not rye IMO.

Maybe I'll get one of those Ninja blenders.

*LOL*

(Kidding, folks... if I were going to drop that kind of money, I'd get a real mill.)

 

[BaylessBrewer]

Maybe I'll get one of those Ninja blenders.



*LOL*



(Kidding, folks... if I were going to drop that kind of money, I'd get a real mill.)

Ninjas are cheap junk. You want a real blender get a Vitamix. I bought the 6300 model for my wife and that thing is a monster! Hot soup from cold ingredients in 5 min.