Premashers and grist hydrators - are they the same

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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!

 

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.

 

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/

 

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

Re-read page 212 when you get a chance.

Cheers!