What does a good crush look like, and does it matter if grains are overcrushed if batch sparging?

Question

I am looking for some advice on what a good crush looks like, and whether it matters on my system. The opinions and pics online are all over the place on this.

Background: I am buying small-batch all-grain kits at my LHBS, and the grains come pre-crushed. I am pretty new to all-grain. I batch sparge in a two-gallon cooler, using a paint strainer bag instead of a false bottom or bazooka screen. The crushed grains have mostly whole husks separated from the kernel, what seems like a lot of flour, and about an 80-20 mix of broken kernels to whole kernels.

Does the crush, especially having a high flour ratio) make a difference if I am batch sparging? I don't have to worry about stuck sparges, but my wort is very cloudy. My finished beer is hazy.

I am getting absorbtion of around 0.25 gal./lb., which is around double the 0.13 gal./lb. rate I saw on this forum. (I calculate absorbtion as: [water into mash tun] - [volume of two runnings into boil kettle]. My mash tun has negligible dead space, and I run everything out on the second runnings.) Could the crush explain my higher-than-predicted absorbtion rate?

If it matters in answering my question, my efficiency into the fermenter is around 62-63% on my system using this crushed grain, I don't test pH or my water, I use bottled water, my strike water to grain ratio is 1.5 qts/lb., and I then add my sparge water based on how much more wort I need by measuring first runnings.

Edit: Correction, I misread my notes on what I am collecting. My absorbtion loss is a hair over one quart per two lbs. of grain, so that is squarely in the .125 gal./lb. that the experts tell us to expect.

Answer 1

A good crush should keep the grain husks intact, since they will then filter out the flour and provide an efficient lauter. I also crush reasonably finely, which does produce some flour, but as long as the husks are intact you're good. I have a 3 roller mill - the sales pitch was that it doesn't pulverize the husks as much as a 2 roller. I've not used a 2 roller, so can't comment on the difference, but I do see the husks clearly in the grist and get very clear wort after 90 mins of mash recirculation.

Answer 2

Clarity of wort has no bearing on the clarity of the finished beer. Beer clarity is much more dependent on things like proper pH and mash conversion an d a large amount of flour should have no effect. My crush is very fine with a large amount of flour and my efficiency ranges from 80-85%. Based on that, it's difficult to believe your wort loss is solely due to absorption. Is there any dead space in your mash tun that could account for it?