Premashers and grist hydrators - are they the same

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by perfection, Aug 16, 2021.

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  1. perfection

    perfection Initiate (172) Apr 6, 2018 India

    I was wondering whether the above two accessories for mashing are identical in their task objectives
    Can the be used with traditional style British mash tuns as well as other mash conversion vessels?
    and can they be used with adjunct mash or only malted barley mash?
     
  2. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I gotta admit, I've never heard of either of those terms. Looking forward to the responses.
     
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  3. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Premasher is what Grist Hydrators are generally called in Europe. AFAIK, they could be used with any kind mash tun, as long as the port through which the malt is loaded matches the output of the hydrator.

    @BBThunderbolt, Grist Hydrators moisten the already milled grist just as it's entering the mash tun. This helps to avoid clumping when the grist and the brewing liquor meet.

    @perfection, are you asking in a homebrew context? IMO, the usefulness of hydrators increases with batch size. For homebrew, they would be a solution looking for a problem.
     
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  4. Beer_Life

    Beer_Life Initiate (0) Dec 5, 2020 New York

    If I recall correctly, there is an interesting description of a similar system in Malt by John Mallett. However, that system involves adding water to the grain before milling it—a lot of water, not just a spray of water to moisten the grain. The book cites various advantages including less oxygen exposure, minimal dust creation, and higher efficiency. (I can't vouch for any of these, obviously.) It's definitely not for homebrewers though.
     
  5. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    What you are describing here is something called wet milling (pg. 212 of the Mallet book).

    A similar concept is malt conditioning which generally speaking mean wetting the grain with lesser amounts of water prior to milling.
    Perhaps that is the case for the 'full-up' wet milling process but I have read posts from homebrewers who choose to condition their malt using a spray bottle prior to milling. You can read more here:

    http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Malt_Conditioning

    Cheers!
     
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  6. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    What you're describing is Malt Conditioning, a different process from Grist Hydration (with a different purpose). It allows fine crushing of the endosprem without shredding the hulls. Also, it's not a lot of water. It's normally only about 2% of the weight of the grain.
     
  7. Beer_Life

    Beer_Life Initiate (0) Dec 5, 2020 New York

    It's been a while since I read the book, I'll have to refresh my memory when I get a chance. But I formed the impression that Mallett was describing something much more water-intensive than malt conditioning. Anyway it doesn't matter as it's not what is under discussion, just something that I found interesting when I read (or misread?) it.

    Edited to add: What is described at this link is closer to what I am remembering:

    https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/gSvKCQd4VB/
     
  8. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    John wrote about both: "wet milling" and "malt conditioning".

    Re-read page 212 when you get a chance.

    Cheers!
     
    Beer_Life likes this.
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