104 replies to this topic

[HVB]

just a suspicion that it would have a better  so it would grab more readily.

 

Love me some mu

[positiveContact]

Love me some mu

 

I love you mu too.

[denny]

I have read a lot of people having issues with BC in the past.  I am not sure if they were all around the same tired period or what.  I have had my JSP for a long time and it still keeps on going.

 

Same on I have.  Nearly 18 years and thousands of lb. of grain.

[Big Nake]

Based on what I have read over and over about barley crushers I would bet the knurl on Ken's rollers is not so good anymore. I mean, does anyone want to make the claim that Ken underuses his mill?
 
Also, not sure why a wet kernel would be more grippy with the rollers.

My mill was working "very well" before the conditioning. When I started to condition, I had more issues with the mill. I took the mill apart and cleaned it out and also lubed it up a bit. I ran about 8 ounces of honey malt through it (dry) and it worked nicely... that was right after cleaning it. I was travelling for about 12 days, came home and made a batch of beer with conditioned malt and the mill would not work so I opted to slightly open the gap. The benefit of conditioning is not that you can close the gap, it's so you don't completely pulverize the grain and husks. The moisture helps the kernels stay intact which could reduce the level of tannins that get into the beer. The reduced dust is a nice benefit too. In my case, my mill has plenty of miles on it. I'm sure the knurls are not in the best shape. But with the conditioning, my mill did not want to operate at the .39 gap that it was originally set to. A small adjustment got it working just fine and the crush looked great.

[neddles]

My mill was working "very well" before the conditioning. When I started to condition, I had more issues with the mill. I took the mill apart and cleaned it out and also lubed it up a bit. I ran about 8 ounces of honey malt through it (dry) and it worked nicely... that was right after cleaning it. I was travelling for about 12 days, came home and made a batch of beer with conditioned malt and the mill would not work so I opted to slightly open the gap. The benefit of conditioning is not that you can close the gap, it's so you don't completely pulverize the grain and husks. The moisture helps the kernels stay intact which could reduce the level of tannins that get into the beer. The reduced dust is a nice benefit too. In my case, my mill has plenty of miles on it. I'm sure the knurls are not in the best shape. But with the conditioning, my mill did not want to operate at the .39 gap that it was originally set to. A small adjustment got it working just fine and the crush looked great.

That makes me wonder if the moistened kernals are actually more slippery, thus exposing the wear on your knurls that didnt matter when the malt was dry. If you didn't take an efficiency hit for opening the gap (unlikely) than I'd say all is well at Mayfair Court.

[Big Nake]

That makes me wonder if the moistened kernals are actually more slippery, thus exposing the wear on your knurls that didnt matter when the malt was dry. If you didn't take an efficiency hit for opening the gap (unlikely) than I'd say all is well at Mayfair Court.

We're on the same page. I also noticed that when I had the conditioned malt in the mill and hit the drill and nothing happened... I would empty the hopper into a bucket and inspect the mill. The rollers seemed to have some schmenge (or was it schputz?) on them as if some of the damp grain had gotten into the knurls and rendered them useless. When I noticed that the first time, I broke out the power washer and got the rollers clean again. I don't necessarily think the BC is a piece of crap because I have heard from others who mentioned that their monster mill or other 2- and 3-roller jobbies ran into occasional trouble as well. Also, I probably haven't taken very good care of my mill. It's always in the garage because it's dusty and I don't want it in my brew area. Occasionally I hit it with the leaf blower to get as much dust off of it as possible. As soon as I get my hands on the feeler gauges, I'll measure things out on the next brewday and report back on the gap setting. I'll tighten it up, leave it there and expect good & consistent results after that.

[mabrungard]

I'm not inclined to say that conditioning helps with the kernels. My findings are that conditioning helps with keeping the husks from shredding or disintegrating. My MM2-2 almost completely pulverizes the kernels into flour, but the husks are mostly whole and the permeability of the mash stays reasonably high. 

[neddles]

Its legit. Ill post up a pic next time I brew.

Barke Pils crush today. Malt conditioned at 8ml/# and allowed to rest 10 min.

[denny]

I gotta tell ya that is doesn't look much different than my unconditioned malt.  I'll be curious to hear if you notice a difference when you use it.

[MyaCullen]

I gotta tell ya that is doesn't look much different than my unconditioned malt. I'll be curious to hear if you notice a difference when you use it.

same here

[neddles]

I gotta tell ya that is doesn't look much different than my unconditioned malt.  I'll be curious to hear if you notice a difference when you use it.

I don't brew with your unconditioned malt.

 

My mash drains quicker.

[denny]

I don't brew with your unconditioned malt.

 

My mash drains quicker.

 

I'm curious about that second statement.  How much quicker does it drain?  Was that a problem before you did the conditioning?

[neddles]

I didn't condition my malt to solve a problem. Nor have I made claim that it would solve any. It drains about 2 minutes faster on 9-10# of malt. No-sparge, brew in a bag.

[mabrungard]

While lauterability is a desirable aspect, I'm not sure that its a big asset in a regular mash. However in my RIMS, it is a welcome improvement. The photo by Neddles looks similar to what I see, excepting my mill seems to produce a bit more flour. 

[neddles]

I wasn't looking for increased lauterability. I brew in a bag so draining the mash is not an issue. I wasn't looking for anything in particular. I was asked if I noticed anything different. A slightly increased lauter time was noticed. The process legitimately reduces husk shredding... the only claim I made and which I pictured above. I did not adjust my mill from where it was before.

[Big Nake]

I started to condition the malt as a part of the low-O2 thing. I was looking at the various things I could do while also noticing things that I could or would not do. I read a little about conditioning on various forums and saw some of the things that were supposed to be beneficial. Because I made a number of changes at the same time, I can't really say that it's making a difference and I don't have time at the moment to do any controlled experiments. I get less dust and the husks are supposed to remain more intact which could reduce tannins and also reduce oxidation. I was at my FIL's house today and picked up his feeler gauges so I could properly adjust my mill and know the new setting of the roller gap. I will report back once I set it.

[neddles]

I started to condition the malt as a part of the low-O2 thing. I was looking at the various things I could do while also noticing things that I could or would not do. I read a little about conditioning on various forums and saw some of the things that were supposed to be beneficial. Because I made a number of changes at the same time, I can't really say that it's making a difference and I don't have time at the moment to do any controlled experiments. I get less dust and the husks are supposed to remain more intact which could reduce tannins and also reduce oxidation. I was at my FIL's house today and picked up his feeler gauges so I could properly adjust my mill and know the new setting of the roller gap. I will report back once I set it.

When it only takes 3 minutes to spray some water on the grain and mix it up... the return on the time spent doing a controlled experiment is many years and many batches of beer from away. In the meantime your are realizing some possible benefits and essentially zero downside. 

[Big Nake]

When it only takes 3 minutes to spray some water on the grain and mix it up... the return on the time spent doing a controlled experiment is many years and many batches of beer from away. In the meantime your are realizing some possible benefits and essentially zero downside.

I agree. What I envisioned Denny saying (I apologize in advance, Denny ) is that you're basically doing something for no apparent reason. It's like weighing out your grains and then running around the block in your sister's dress because some nutjob told you that it would lower O2 pickup. What I saw on other forums (including the AHA forum) was that a number of people had seen or heard that conditioning was beneficial and as you say... there is really no downside. I have gallons of distilled water (which I use for conditioning with a fine spray bottle) and it takes almost no time. Yes, I had an issue with my mill but the mill is adjustable so it's all good. Actually... the aroma of the grain when you mist it is really, really nice... just my 2¢. Cheers.

[denny]

I didn't condition my malt to solve a problem. Nor have I made claim that it would solve any. It drains about 2 minutes faster on 9-10# of malt. No-sparge, brew in a bag.

 

Thanks for the info!

[denny]

I agree. What I envisioned Denny saying (I apologize in advance, Denny ) is that you're basically doing something for no apparent reason. It's like weighing out your grains and then running around the block in your sister's dress because some nutjob told you that it would lower O2 pickup. What I saw on other forums (including the AHA forum) was that a number of people had seen or heard that conditioning was beneficial and as you say... there is really no downside. I have gallons of distilled water (which I use for conditioning with a fine spray bottle) and it takes almost no time. Yes, I had an issue with my mill but the mill is adjustable so it's all good. Actually... the aroma of the grain when you mist it is really, really nice... just my 2¢. Cheers.

 

Yeah, that's part of it.  The pother part is that since I saw no difference from conditioning, I'm honestly trying to understand what it is that makes people do it. to me, there is a downside unless there is a noticeable benefit.  But that's some we each get to decide for ourselves.