I will be attempting My first All-grain brew soon. and was wondering about mill settings… I,ve been told 45-50 thousanths is a good setting…(batch sparging method) Thoughts?..Tank :cheers:
It depends more on your system and is trial and error. I will say that is a pretty loose crush. I fly sparge and get away with .0032. With a batch sparge you should be able to get away with a little tighter crush, theoretically.
I suggest starting in the low 40’s and adjusting up or (more likely) down from there until you get a good crush. Learning what a good crush looks like and aiming for that every time is more important than the gap measurement.
Even after you arrive at a setting that generally works well, you may find that you have to adjust the gap or do a double crush sometimes. For example, I use Rahr 2 row as my base barley malt ~60% of the time and Crisp MO ~40% of the time. I find that I need to double crush the MO. I also run wheat and rye malts though separately and normally twice.
Tighter crush = better efficiency.
Too tight crush = stuck sparge.
Loopie is right, it depends on your equipment, and consistency is more critical than actual setting because that is what allows you to predict efficiency when creating or adapting recipes.
I’ve got mine set at 0.030" and leave it there for everything. But I also condition my grain before crushing, which allows me to crush that fine without getting stuck sparges.
Set it, (0.035 is a good gap), brew a few batches to establish your efficiency, and forget it. All that matters is consistent, predictable results. Grain is cheap if you want to increase your extract gravity.
I have mine set at .039, which is the default for the Barley Crusher that I have. I have moved on to Fly Sparging, and I seem to have to vorlof a few quarts, but my efficiency seems to have gone up with the new mill and the false bottom.
At .039, I still have a lot of “powder” in my crush. I’m wondering if I should back it off a bit. The crush is more than just cracking grain, but really does grind it. I am wondering if I should back it off a tad.
I had posed this question here because the president of our brew club recommended 50 thousandths to start. he said 45 could probly work…I just like to get other opinions and base my start from there thanks a bunch all and if,n your ever somewhere around OH. look me up fer a brew Tank :cheers:
Interesting…These are the largest gaps I’ve seen discussed on here in 2 years. I set my barley crusher to .028 and have used it for BIAB as well as batch sparging in a cheap n’ easy cooler setup. Worked great. I’m adjusting it out a bit for each brew recently to try and offset the ridiculously high efficiency I’ve been getting BIAB. .045-.050 sounds like a huge gap to me.
Like Danny, I’m running a .028 gap. I condition first by moistening the grain well and letting it set for a half hour before crushing. I then generally run the grain through twice. The hulls stay pretty well intact because of the conditioning and it breaks the rest of the grain up a good bit finer. I’ve had no problems with a stuck sparge doing it in this manner, but my efficiency is also a good deal higher than predicted. I think I’ll deal with the efficiency issue by adjusting my grain bill a bit…
Like Danny, I’m running a .028 gap. I condition first by moistening the grain well and letting it set for a half hour before crushing. I then generally run the grain through twice. The hulls stay pretty well intact because of the conditioning and it breaks the rest of the grain up a good bit finer. I’ve had no problems with a stuck sparge doing it in this manner, but my efficiency is also a good deal higher than predicted. I think I’ll deal with the efficiency issue by adjusting my grain bill a bit…[/quote]
I had considered doing the same Marty but some other experienced brewers on here advise against adjusting your grist bill too much to compensate for efficiency. They say you’ll end up with watery low body beers. I’m OK with the money I’m spending on grain so I figured I’d play with the crush.
This is what I get at .028. Each grain broken into at least 3-4 pieces, lots of flour and pretty much intact hulls.
Like Danny, I’m running a .028 gap. I condition first by moistening the grain well and letting it set for a half hour before crushing. I then generally run the grain through twice. The hulls stay pretty well intact because of the conditioning and it breaks the rest of the grain up a good bit finer. I’ve had no problems with a stuck sparge doing it in this manner, but my efficiency is also a good deal higher than predicted. I think I’ll deal with the efficiency issue by adjusting my grain bill a bit…[/quote]
Same here, .028 gap, condition and mill twice. I use a homemade false bottom and have never had a stuck sparge, regardless of the grain.
I wouldn’t think .050 would effectively crack the endosperm.
Like Danny, I’m running a .028 gap. I condition first by moistening the grain well and letting it set for a half hour before crushing. I then generally run the grain through twice. The hulls stay pretty well intact because of the conditioning and it breaks the rest of the grain up a good bit finer. I’ve had no problems with a stuck sparge doing it in this manner, but my efficiency is also a good deal higher than predicted. I think I’ll deal with the efficiency issue by adjusting my grain bill a bit…[/quote]
I had considered doing the same Marty but some other experienced brewers on here advise against adjusting your grist bill too much to compensate for efficiency. They say you’ll end up with watery low body beers. I’m OK with the money I’m spending on grain so I figured I’d play with the crush.
This is what I get at .028. Each grain broken into at least 3-4 pieces, lots of flour and pretty much intact hulls.[/quote]
That’s a good crush, Danny. Mine looks more powdery than that after crushing twice (looks just like yours after the first time through), so maybe I’ll try a single crush next time and see how my efficiency works out. I was wondering about the body of my beers as regards reducing the grist bill as well, so maybe I’ll forget that idea. I’m with you, the cost of the grain isn’t a big deal. I’d rather spend a few more cents and have good beer. :cheers:
Looks like I better adjust down some then…In the interest of learning more,please describe this "malt conditioning"you,ve mentioned…Thanks…Tank :cheers:
I first read about it on Kai’s site, braukaiser.com. Basically, you add a small amount of water to your pre-crushed grain, then let it sit so the husk will absorb the water. About 3 oz of water per 10-11 lbs of grain. It allows you to mill tighter without tearing the husk. You want to keep the husk intact to act as a filter.
It also helps with a large amount of malted wheat, even though it doesn’t have a husk.
Do not condition flaked grains, it makes a sticky mess in your mill. :oops:
I like the results I get with 0.034" setting, but I find it difficult to get my Barley Crusher to reliably operate at that setting. I can’t get the second mill to turn consistently. The primary will just spin. I’ve used it for several years, and I hope that it’s not because they are getting dull. If I open it up a little, say 0.38" - 0.042" it seems to work better. I have never conditioned the grain first, I don’t know if that would help pull the grain through or not. I usually do an over-night mash, so I would think that it’s going to convert everything that the enzymes can reach, and I’m pleased with the results.
[quote=“mrv”]I first read about it on Kai’s site, braukaiser.com. Basically, you add a small amount of water to your pre-crushed grain, then let it sit so the husk will absorb the water. About 3 oz of water per 10-11 lbs of grain. It allows you to mill tighter without tearing the husk. You want to keep the husk intact to act as a filter.
It also helps with a large amount of malted wheat, even though it doesn’t have a husk.
Do not condition flaked grains, it makes a sticky mess in your mill. :oops: [/quote]
Important note: spray the water onto the grain and mix it well, then let it sit for a bit before crushing. Don’t just pour in a glass of water.
Conditioning the grain would not help it feed better - probably the opposite as the water makes the grains very slightly more sticky. I don’t have a Barley Crusher, but there have been a few thread over the years that talk about problems with the rollers not spinning. Opening it up and cleaning out the dust seems to be the solution.
Right. I’ve never opened mine, but I do blow it out after every use. The dust will build up in the bushings and in the knurls.
My Barley Crusher wasn’t working right half way through my crush this morning. One roller would just sit there. Turns out the black rubber spacer (not sure exactly what it’s called) ripped. I’ve had this thing for just 3-4 batches, and it ripped. I had to run it through without it, and it seemed to work well enough. I hit 72% efficiency, so I’m not upset.
If you look at the instructions, they say the o-ring won’t last very long. Mine’s been gone for about 4 yrs.
The grain will keep the roller moving.
