What effect does a finer crush have on extract yield?

A finer crush increases the surface area of the malt particles exposed to water during the mashing process, which facilitates the extraction of fermentable sugars, proteins, and other soluble compounds. This enhanced contact means that more starches can be converted into sugars by enzymes present in the malt, resulting in a higher extract yield compared to coarser crushes.

While a finer crush does lead to increased efficiency in extracting these materials, it may not necessarily lead to a dramatic increase—hence "slightly increased" aptly captures the outcome. Options suggesting a significantly higher effect might overstate the impact, and those indicating negligible or about the same suggest a misunderstanding of the relationship between particle size and extract efficiency. The correct understanding of the fine crush relates to moderate improvement in extraction, which aligns with the answer that indicates a slightly increased yield.