Jack Arandir
Well-Known Member
I read about malt conditioning and I thought I would try it. The idea is you spray the grains with a little water before crushing, and it makes the grains more pliable for a better crush.
I tried it on a Best Bitter:
4 lb Munton's Maris Otter
4 lb Warminster Floor Malted Maris Otter
4 oz Weyermann Carahell
4 oz Thomas Fawcett Crystal 45
1 oz Midnight Wheat (for color adjustment)
2.5 g CaSO4
5.0 g CaCl2
0.3 oz Warrior 60 min
2.0 oz Willamette 10 min
1 pkg WY1968 London ESB
Target OG 1.045
Actual OG 1.033
Brewhouse efficiency 58% (Typical efficiency 80-82%)
Clearly I milled the grains too coarsely, and I noticed they were undercrushed too late. Apparently with extra pliability you have to narrow the roller gap.
I'm not worried; I just downgraded the beer to an Ordinary Bitter.
My question is whether malt conditioning is worthwhile enough to change my process. Should I bother adding that step and adjusting the mill to a finer crush?
I tried it on a Best Bitter:
4 lb Munton's Maris Otter
4 lb Warminster Floor Malted Maris Otter
4 oz Weyermann Carahell
4 oz Thomas Fawcett Crystal 45
1 oz Midnight Wheat (for color adjustment)
2.5 g CaSO4
5.0 g CaCl2
0.3 oz Warrior 60 min
2.0 oz Willamette 10 min
1 pkg WY1968 London ESB
Target OG 1.045
Actual OG 1.033
Brewhouse efficiency 58% (Typical efficiency 80-82%)
Clearly I milled the grains too coarsely, and I noticed they were undercrushed too late. Apparently with extra pliability you have to narrow the roller gap.
I'm not worried; I just downgraded the beer to an Ordinary Bitter.
My question is whether malt conditioning is worthwhile enough to change my process. Should I bother adding that step and adjusting the mill to a finer crush?