[erockrph]

So, from all of the above, it looks like I should set the gap in the 0.030-0.040 inch range and fine tune from there as I get experience with my brew set-up and styles.

Yup

+1 - visually inspect your crush as well. My settings on my mill may not give the same results on yours. But that's as good a starting point as any.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[tommymorris]

One thing about these gap settings; one man's 0.030" is another's 0.035". I may set for a tight 0.035" and you a loose 0.030" and we may have the same actual gap.

[Philbrew]

So, from all of the above, it looks like I should set the gap in the 0.030-0.040 inch range and fine tune from there as I get experience with my brew set-up and styles.

Yup

+1 - visually inspect your crush as well. My settings on my mill may not give the same results on yours. But that's as good a starting point as any.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

  "visually inspect your crush as well".  What am I looking for?  Husk size?  Flour amount?  Particle size/amount vs. flour amount vs. husk amount?  You can tell that I haven't done any crushing yet, cuz I don't even know what questions to ask.  Sorry!

[erockrph]

So, from all of the above, it looks like I should set the gap in the 0.030-0.040 inch range and fine tune from there as I get experience with my brew set-up and styles.

Yup

+1 - visually inspect your crush as well. My settings on my mill may not give the same results on yours. But that's as good a starting point as any.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

  "visually inspect your crush as well".  What am I looking for?  Husk size?  Flour amount?  Particle size/amount vs. flour amount vs. husk amount?  You can tell that I haven't done any crushing yet, cuz I don't even know what questions to ask.  Sorry!

You don't want the husks to be shredded - you want them to be as intact as you can. You want the kernel to be crushed as fine as you can without a lot of flour (think grits). Having said that, if you're doing BIAB, then you can get away with a lot of flour without an issue, since you don't have to worry about lautering.

[a10t2]

  "visually inspect your crush as well".  What am I looking for?  Husk size?  Flour amount?  Particle size/amount vs. flour amount vs. husk amount?  You can tell that I haven't done any crushing yet, cuz I don't even know what questions to ask.  Sorry!

With a two-roller mill, you're looking for all the husks to be opened, but preferably not shredded into more than 2-3 segments per kernel, and some flour, but mostly endosperms that are also split into 2-3 uniform chunks. Numerically, approximately half the material (by mass) retained by a #14 sieve, half the remainder by a #30 sieve, half *that* remainder by a #60 sieve, and what's left (~10%) as flour. The full ASBC method breaks it down even further but is overkill for actual brewing IMO.

A good overview: http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Assets/Presentations/Briess_2007CBC_Practical_Milling.ppt

[denny]

You don't want the husks to be shredded - you want them to be as intact as you can. You want the kernel to be crushed as fine as you can without a lot of flour (think grits). Having said that, if you're doing BIAB, then you can get away with a lot of flour without an issue, since you don't have to worry about lautering.

There's quite a bit of flour in my crush, but my lauter system doesn't care.  But I've learned that through experience.  It's best to start a bit on the conservative side and go from there.

[coolman26]

I use a MM-3 mill and fly sparge with a manifold.  My copper manifold is made with slits I cut with my porta-band saw.  I hadn't measured my gap since moving to fly.  I measured mine and it is .032.  When I run wheat I just run it through twice.  I've never had a stuck sparge with this setup.  I tried conditioning and really didn't think it made any difference for me.  It really is system dependent, not any cure all number.     

[Steve L]

I have a Barley Crusher and crank it by hand, so like Denny said it may not be applicable, but I crush at 0.030". That's an easy setting/check because it's the thickness of credit card stock.

This is me as well. I hand crank my Cereal Killer and I just set the gap at a credit card thickness. I can't afford a gap gauge.