Steeping grains- whole or crushed

I’m planning on brewing up a batch of German Alt next, and haven’t done a kit yet where I’ve had to steep the grains. It doesn’t really say anywhere about if the grains should be left whole in the bag, or if they should be lightly crushed. Would just like to hear some of the experts take on it.

Crushed

Always crushed.

If you buy a kit mail order from NB they should come crushed. If you buy it in the store they will ask you if you want them crushed and the answer to that should be yes please :slight_smile:

If you forget and they don’t do it have fun with a rolling pin and a ziplock bag…

I know it’s not ideal, but if it’s just steeping grains, a food processor for a few seconds will do the trick. Again, NOT a good way to crush grains because it’s not crushing them, but it will work for what you need.