Grain conditioning for milling.

[Agentgonzo]

That's what I do, except that I do it in two half-sized batches in orange B&Q buckets (easier than one big bucket for milling/conditioning/doughing-in). I weigh the bottle at the start, then spray-and-mix-and-reweigh until I've used the right amount of water.
You can stick the grist in your grain basket and suspend above some warm water and let the steam condition the grain, but to me that sounds like more effort than the spray bottle.

 

[Pennine]

Did you tighten the mills' gaps?

Also, what 'calculator' did you use?

I usually mill as tight as it will go, it was much harder to mill than when dry.

I use the beersmith for BH efficiency and most of my stats.

 

[Pennine]

I have a larger plastic storage box that is wider than tall that I mounted my mill to that I use. It's pretty easy to spray and shake the malt up to get consistent application.

I might run the grain through the mill twice next time to see if that helps with efficiency. I am limited by volume of malt I can add to the braumeister so efficiency is important for me.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I use spray bottle as @Agentgonzo , use a big rectangular storage box spray and mix. Leave lid on it for 20 minutes and then mill into another rectangular storage box. leave lid on it overnight.
The other methods of steaming etc seem too much faff.

 

[aolcot]

Steaming does sound too much like a faff!..

Ok, yeah I agree I think maybe I need to review my "misting" container, it sounds like something wider/box like and less bucket like might better, and split my misting in half

Thanks.. I'm defo sold on conditioning though, if nothing else, the amount of dust seems to be significantly reduced..

 

[Weizenberg]

Guys, it's not a big deal. Unless one starts to condition seriously large amount, one doesn't need an apparatus. I don't even bother spraying. I just sprinkle the water over the grain, mix it and off we go. It helps doing this in a plastic storage box big enough to hold your grain. Works rather well over the years.

For larger amounts, one invests in something like this or this.

But then, given the expense, I'd rather mill under water with a Hydromill from Meura

 

[Agentgonzo]

Guys, it's not a big deal

I don't know what you mean. No-one on the forums ever overthinks anything to do with process

 

[Agentgonzo]

it was much harder to mill than when dry

Squeezing the trigger on the drill still take the same amount of effort for me, but the drill definitely does seem to have a harder time of it

 

[clyne]

Yes I agree, I've been conditioning my grain for ages. I was pointing out to @clyne that the grain is already " wet" with 4% water and made" a little wetter " by conditioning. Which as you say in real terms is still dry.
Do remember to include the added water in your calculations for mash and efficiency. It will make a small difference.

Thanks - still haven’t tried this yet (although haven’t brewed in a while!) but this gives some good context and makes me far more willing to give it a bash!