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Author Topic: Grain performance question - UPDATE (at the bottom of the thread)  (Read 1868 times)

Offline rgonzalez_me

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I know that crushed grains have a shorter shelf life. I get that....

I bought some pre-milled grains a little over 2 months ago. They have been stored in sealed bag inside a box in a dry place at room temp. They look good to me. I know that my extraction may suffer but should I add some DME to compensate?

My OG will be 1.060
and FG 1.012
Using WLP530 Abbey Ale

Thoughts?
« Last Edit: May 19, 2015, 07:56:12 pm by rgonzalez_me »
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Online hopfenundmalz

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Re: Grain performance question
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2015, 06:57:13 pm »
I would make some beer.
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Offline ynotbrusum

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Re: Grain performance question
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2015, 07:13:15 pm »
So would I.  Two months should not ruin anything.
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Offline kramerog

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Re: Grain performance question
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2015, 08:04:40 pm »
If you want to adjust the gravity do it late into the boil after measuring the gravity.  Don't try to adjust it ahead of time based on the notion that your efficiency will suffer because your grains are old.

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Grain performance question
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2015, 05:44:52 am »
So would I.  Two months should not ruin anything.

+1
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Offline Frankenbrew

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Re: Grain performance question
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2015, 03:34:17 pm »
So would I.  Two months should not ruin anything.

+1

I concur! Go for it!
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Offline bengelbrau

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Re: Grain performance question
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2015, 03:50:18 pm »
I don't think the lesser shelf life is due to loss of potential extract. Rather, I think it's due to oxidation of some of the stuff in the grains. Kind of like the difference in bread made with store bought whole wheat flour and freshly ground flour - the flour ground a while ago has an acrid bitterness that is absent from the fresh

Offline rgonzalez_me

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Re: Grain performance question - UPDATE
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2015, 07:55:00 pm »
i went ahead with my brewday.

I mashed for 90 min at a perfect 152F. PH right on the money
Then boiled for 60 mins everything spot one except...... My OG came at 1.055 out of an expected 1.067

Could it be my "oldish" grains?

Since it is a Belgian, can I boiled some clear Belgian syrup and add it tomorrow to compensate?

If so, how much water should I boil the syrup with?

“Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer”  -Henry Lawson

Keg #1: DD Pilsner
Keg #2: Sauvin-Mango-Hibiscus Ale
Primary: Saison
Primary: Paters Bier - Saison du Vin
Bottled: Chocolate-mocha peanut butter stout

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Grain performance question - UPDATE (at the bottom of the thread)
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2015, 07:23:20 am »
yes you can add sugar during fermentation. I wouldn't waste the money on clear candy syrup though. plain old table sugar is just fine. you can boil it if you want or just add it directly to the fermenter. it will disolve as the yeast work on it.
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Offline MDixon

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Re: Grain performance question - UPDATE (at the bottom of the thread)
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2015, 07:50:59 am »
Your lower than expected OG is a result of something other than old grains. You don't get less extraction as grains age, the sugars did not go anywhere, they are still right there in the grains.

If I had to guess I would say the crush was not very fine and the weight may have been shy of what was stated. Either of those would affect the OG. Most homebrew shops do not crush fine because they don't want to hear complaints about a stuck mash/sparge.
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Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Grain performance question - UPDATE (at the bottom of the thread)
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2015, 07:57:34 am »
yes you can add sugar during fermentation. I wouldn't waste the money on clear candy syrup though. plain old table sugar is just fine. you can boil it if you want or just add it directly to the fermenter. it will disolve as the yeast work on it.

I've added sugar directly to the fermenter on numerous occasions.  No worries.

If you're adding a significant amount of sugar, you probably want to stage the additions rather than adding it all at once.
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Online hopfenundmalz

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Re: Grain performance question - UPDATE (at the bottom of the thread)
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2015, 08:10:07 am »
Small breweries order the grain pre-crushed, as they may not have a mill or space for a mill. They might have some grains around for longer periods. Briess has stated that crushed malt can last up to 6 months if stored properly (dry cool environment). I would taste some of the grain to see that it has not gone rancid.
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Offline ynotbrusum

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Re: Grain performance question - UPDATE (at the bottom of the thread)
« Reply #12 on: May 20, 2015, 04:10:50 pm »
Another source of OG being shy is volume - if you ended up with more than expected, that is.  What were you measuring volume with?  Since you mention everything else being spot on, if the volume was properly measured, then I would say that the guys above have captured the most likely culprits....
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Offline rgonzalez_me

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Re: Grain performance question - UPDATE (at the bottom of the thread)
« Reply #13 on: May 20, 2015, 06:17:09 pm »
I used the amount of water that beersmith calculated and even though I used the "eye-meter" to measure water I don't think I could have been that off.
“Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer”  -Henry Lawson

Keg #1: DD Pilsner
Keg #2: Sauvin-Mango-Hibiscus Ale
Primary: Saison
Primary: Paters Bier - Saison du Vin
Bottled: Chocolate-mocha peanut butter stout

Offline MDixon

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Re: Grain performance question - UPDATE (at the bottom of the thread)
« Reply #14 on: May 21, 2015, 06:14:25 am »
Well let's assume your water was +/- a half gallon since it was eyeballed. So you were shooting for 5 gallons and ended up with 5.5 gallons and perhaps some of that extra volume was left behind in the boil kettle.

67 x 5 = 335 which was what you were expecting later in the thread (earlier you said 1.060)
335 / 5.5 = 60 or 1.060

FWIW - if you had 6 gallons your 1.055 OG would be right.

I still believe your crush affected your efficiency and OG, but compound that with a lack of volumetric measurement and it isn't difficult to miss the desired starting gravity.
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