Hi all,
All of the other extract kits I’ve ordered have the specialty grains already crushed when I get the kit. I noticed the instructions for this Peat-Smoked Porter kit state to crush the specialty grains before steeping them. I had already put the grains in the bag and started to steep them, though, when I noticed this. i took the bag out and took a look, and the grains looked crushed to me. Am I mistaken and should I have crushed them ‘more’? It definitely looked and smelled like an earthy peaty aroma. Thanks for any feedback. Frank.
Took a look at the recipe and noticed the confusion.
If the grains looked crushed then they probably were, ie. crushed grains looks a lot different than whole. So, I think you’re OK.
[quote=“phrankndonna”]Hi all,
All of the other extract kits I’ve ordered have the specialty grains already crushed when I get the kit. I noticed the instructions for this Peat-Smoked Porter kit state to crush the specialty grains before steeping them. I had already put the grains in the bag and started to steep them, though, when I noticed this. i took the bag out and took a look, and the grains looked crushed to me. Am I mistaken and should I have crushed them ‘more’? It definitely looked and smelled like an earthy peaty aroma. Thanks for any feedback. Frank.[/quote]
I think you are good to go sir. If it smelled peaty, it will impart some of that flavor to your wort. If it actually looked peaty, I’m guessing it was definitely crushed. If you’re really worried about it, send a 12 pack over here and I’ll taste test it and give you an definitive answer 
Seriously, don’t worry about it… 90 percent chance the grain was crushed, the 10 percent that it wasn’t will still make a good beer. Enjoy it! :cheers:
[quote=“phrankndonna”]Hi all,
All of the other extract kits I’ve ordered have the specialty grains already crushed when I get the kit. I noticed the instructions for this Peat-Smoked Porter kit state to crush the specialty grains before steeping them. [/quote]
If this was an NB kit, the grains were crushed.
I’ve been doing all-grain for the last several years but recently just wanted to kick out a quick brew, so I stopped in the St. Paul store for an extract kit. When I opened the box to pull out the grains at the mill I noticed that they were already crushed. One of the employees explained that based on conversations with Briess, the shelf life of crushed vs uncrushed is negligible in light of how fast NB turns over kits. If they had kits sitting for weeks and months, that would be bad.
I have no complaints about the kit I used, however, being a control freak I know that I would much rather crush the grains myself.
