Graining crushing without a mill

[KingKong]

nice cheap mill and if your using coffee grinder get a burr model

Sold. Good value and will do everything I need. Great find.

 

[professional_drunk]

Don't forget there's a bulk buy for grain mills happening right now.

 

[bum]

Yeah, guy doing 5L extract batches, buy a mill and sacks of grain.

This board, man. We've got way bigger problems than whether we're allowed to swear or not. Once they've stopped us from speaking how we wish I hope they move on to forcing some reading comprehension upon us.

 

[KingKong]

Yeah, guy doing 5L extract batches, buy a mill and sacks of grain.

This board, man. We've got way bigger problems than whether we're allowed to swear or not. Once they've stopped us from speaking how we wish I hope they move on to forcing some reading comprehension upon us.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion? Hopefully people dont choose to accept most with out seeking to accept only common and sensible advice?

 

[dammag]

While doing extract plus grain and while starting half batch BIAB I have successfully used a pestle and mortar to mill my grain. Once you get it together it isn't that hard.

Now I work out my months brews, order the base malts crushed and still use the pestle and mortar to mill my spec grain.

Works for me.

 

[Proffs]

Yeah, guy doing 5L extract batches, buy a mill and sacks of grain.

This board, man. We've got way bigger problems than whether we're allowed to swear or not. Once they've stopped us from speaking how we wish I hope they move on to forcing some reading comprehension upon us.

Mate, whilst I've only been on here a few months now, and I definitely realise you know your stuff and have paid your dues on here, I often wonder; what do you guys want? A forum where we are only allowed to talk about what were watching, listening to, or in the bottle? Are you guys that jaded by brewing that you can't bare to hear people asking about this awesome hobby we have any longer? I understand the whole "FFS do a search" thing, but is it that hard to filter the topics that you wish to read?

Flame suit already on and hoping I don't get exiled from the usual great help I've got from being here.

 

[chefeffect]

Mate, whilst I've only been on here a few months now, and I definitely realise you know your stuff and have paid your dues on here, I often wonder; what do you guys want? A forum where we are only allowed to talk about what were watching, listening to, or in the bottle? Are you guys that jaded by brewing that you can't bare to hear people asking about this awesome hobby we have any longer? I understand the whole "FFS do a search" thing, but is it that hard to filter the topics that you wish to read?
Flame suit already on and hoping I don't get exiled from the usual great help I've got from being here.

Here,here!! Or is it hear hear!!

 

[bum]

Mate, whilst I've only been on here a few months now, and I definitely realise you know your stuff and have paid your dues on here, I often wonder; what do you guys want? A forum where we are only allowed to talk about what were watching, listening to, or in the bottle? Are you guys that jaded by brewing that you can't bare to hear people asking about this awesome hobby we have any longer? I understand the whole "FFS do a search" thing, but is it that hard to filter the topics that you wish to read?

Flame suit already on and hoping I don't get exiled from the usual great help I've got from being here.

It's not hard, mate.

A bloke looking at making 5L (that's 5000ml) extract batches (his first not purely involving kit ingredients, not that everyone is expected to know that bit - just some trivia for you) asks how to crack his grain. Thread promptly fills up with people telling him to buy a mill and get his grain in bulk. It takes all of 20 seconds to read his post and maybe 5 seconds to work out if your immediate thoughts re: milling are remotely appropriate - but that last step seems a little too hard.

And the sad reality is that this is basically the template for every thread:

OP: "Here's a specific question about one narrow thing..."
Everyone else: "Bugger that. Get a 19L pot, some swiss voille and an STC. BEER!" (or "I didn't read anything but the title. Here's what I do...")

It's really not that hard to follow. Someone needing three poofteenths of grain cracked should NOT be being directed to a mill BB. It is pure nonsense.

Anyway, Scobieb. Your LHBS will do it for you.

 

[fletcher]

The 5 minutes it takes me to process 3.5-4.0kg of grain through my blender make it a very workable situation in my situation. I don't experience any astringency or drainage issues, but milling to flour consistency forces me into doing stepped infusion mashes to make doughball removal easier. Not such a bad thing. I routinely dough in below gelatinisation temps with a protein rest at 55C and then two successive 2L jugs of boiling water take the mash ~7C higher each ... so to 62C and then to an alpha rest depending on style, with more or less than 2L.

If you gave me a mill I'd use it, but by the time the drill and the hopper and the bucket are taken into account, it'd take me 3+ years to justify buying one.

Using a mill is often much easier with 2 people; a blender is very simple. And in my case was already on the bench.

And I get great no-sparge efficiencies.

on seeing your thread i do this too mate, and love how easy it is. i biab and when i mash in, i get dough-ball city, so by the time it takes me to locate them all and get the mash under way, it's literally 5-10 minutes later. is this a problem (apart from being annoying)?

do you use any sort of calculator to figure out the amount of water and temp to get to your desired temps? i'd like to try this. i'm sick of dough balls because i know i take a hit in efficiency because of them.

 

[fletcher]

It's not hard, mate.

A bloke looking at making 5L (that's 5000ml) extract batches (his first not purely involving kit ingredients, not that everyone is expected to know that bit - just some trivia for you) asks how to crack his grain. Thread promptly fills up with people telling him to buy a mill and get his grain in bulk. It takes all of 20 seconds to read his post and maybe 5 seconds to work out if your immediate thoughts re: milling are remotely appropriate - but that last step seems a little too hard.

And the sad reality is that this is basically the template for every thread:

OP: "Here's a specific question about one narrow thing..."
Everyone else: "Bugger that. Get a 19L pot, some swiss voille and an STC. BEER!" (or "I didn't read anything but the title. Here's what I do...")

It's really not that hard to follow. Someone needing three poofteenths of grain cracked should NOT be being directed to a mill BB. It is pure nonsense.

Anyway, Scobieb. Your LHBS will do it for you.

i have to admit, i'm guilty of that too. i think i just did it in the above post, or stole it for my own purposes. also, the word 'poofteenth' you used is possibly the greatest word i've ever read on the forum.

 

[stakka82]

I think nicks post was fairly appropriate... I have a mill now but when I do a small test batch on the old big w I still use my trusty ice capable blender. Most people have emalready in the kitchen, and like nick says, they smash 300-409g lots in seconds. One run, spec grains for 5 litre batch in under ten secs, with something the op may already have in the kitchen.

 

[manticle]

I agree with bum. There is a prevalence of people missing the main points in OPs and suggesting practices, etc. that don't take the op or the op's experience level into account. Temp control is a constant one.
Hopefully the OP sees there are a range of options available but a mill and a 25 kg sack of grain is among the last of them.

 

[Nick JD]

on seeing your thread i do this too mate, and love how easy it is. i biab and when i mash in, i get dough-ball city, so by the time it takes me to locate them all and get the mash under way, it's literally 5-10 minutes later. is this a problem (apart from being annoying)?

do you use any sort of calculator to figure out the amount of water and temp to get to your desired temps? i'd like to try this. i'm sick of dough balls because i know i take a hit in efficiency because of them.

I apply no heat to my pot until boiling the wort. The pot is filled with around 9L of hot tap water (and due to different hot water temps, this is where I can't give you a definitive guide) so at dough in, I have around 13L of mash that's in the early 50s. By the time the coffee kettle has boiled and I've smashed most big doughballs, I've done a 10 minute protein rest. Adding ~2L of boiling water brings it up to around 62C (if it's a degree or so here and there it doesn't matter) and by the time I've given it a bit of a stir and a mash and boiled the kettle again I've done a 10-15 minute beta rest for lots of maltose. When milling to fliour this rest needn't be long.

Then the next additions of boiling water are all about hitting the alpha rest. Usually I got for 67C, but sometimes I might only want lower, or higher depending on style. It's at this stage where I hit the temp and insulate the pot. By this stage there isn't a single doughball in the mash.

It's all about doughing in below 58C where the flour becomes sticky. But it means you are controlling your mash much better. Also means you can mash anywhere there is a power socket.

The key to doing it the first time round is to dough in with less water than you think as you can always add more boiling and cold to end up with 18L of mash volume and the correct final rest temp. Experiment.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I'm with mants, agree with bum.

Which is incredible on a number of counts.

And poofteenth is an awesome word.

Just to add to the haze the topic title reads "graining crushing....".

Maybe that confused some people.... just sayin'.

Seriously, for 5L - get it crushed at the brewshop. 25kg and a mill is if you're producing enough beer to warrant it. You are unlikely to ever produce that much beer, when brewing 5L at a time. If your brew shop doesn't do it, shop elsewhere.