Monster Mill

periwinkle1239 · 01-23-2012, 01:13 AM

This has been talked about on here plenty already, but what is everyone's opinion of the Monster Mill? Either version 2 or 3?

I was going to put off buying a grain crusher for a little while, but figure if I buy bulk (50 lb bags) of base malt that the mill would pay for itself eventually.

The Monster Mill looks the coolest. Am I right?

**crazyseany** · 01-23-2012, 01:32 AM

I like mine so far! Only used for two brews but this thing it's a heavy beast! Lol

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/bc-vs-mm2-277130/

Sojourn · 01-23-2012, 01:42 AM

My LHBS has the MM3-2.0 mounted up with a high torque drill and it is quite the beast. The three rollers yield a great crush and it'll eat my grain bills in about a minute.

periwinkle1239 · 01-23-2012, 02:29 AM

Nice, I'm trying to decide if the MM3 is worth it over the MM2.

pelipen · 01-23-2012, 03:15 AM

Considering people on here are making beer with everything from rolling pins to corona mills, you can't go wrong with either the 2 or 3. I got the mm2, and couldn't be happier. My efficiency went up too. I'm also planning to get in on a group buy to offset the cost.

I got the base mill and made a hopper out of a plastic trash bin and some scrap wood.

**jldc** · 01-23-2012, 03:25 AM

I have the MM2 and I've been very happy. Built like a tank and does a great crush.
The MM3 might be even nicer, but I doubt there's much need in a non-commercial setting.

L

kh54s10 · 01-23-2012, 03:32 AM

I have a corona mill clone for About $19. I'm guessing, since it was a Christmas present, but the one I indicated was $19 and I was told they got one elsewhere because the shipping on the one I flagged was too much.

I got 75%+ efficiency on the 2 brews I have done with it so far. I can take the $125+ savings and use it for ingredients!

**Golddiggie** · 01-23-2012, 03:52 AM

I went with the MM2-2.0 model with hardened steel rollers (last longer than the other rollers by leaps and bounds) and couldn't be happier. I also opted for the base, hopper, and hopper extension from Monster at the same time (ordered direct). The entire thing is built like a tank. I use my 18v DeWalt cordless drill (1/2" chuck) to run it. With a 39# hopper capacity, there's no way you'll want to hand crank it. Customer service/support from Fred is top notch too.

I had a BC before this and it's a toy when compared with my Monster mill. The C&S my brew buddy has also looks small when you put them side by side.

I reviewed tons of posts by corona mill users before getting my first mill. All the crud they needed to do to get the mill adjusted so that it would crush properly was too much work IMO. Plus, the tiny hoppers included (even when you ordered a larger one it only held a few pounds) was ridiculous... The BC I used for some months did a decent job, but neither the corona or BC are in the same class as the Monster mills. It's like the difference of tether-ball to MLB...

If you go with the 2" diameter rollers with the Monster mill, I don't see you ever regretting it. Get the hardened steel option and your great grandchildren will be using it to brew after the alien invasion is over.

PSUSkier · 01-23-2012, 05:08 AM

I opted for the MM2 pretty much because I didn't see myself needing 2" rollers. I haven't had a lot of time to use it so far, but I will say so far it's worked great. Much better than the mess my LHBS puts out. Also the support is excellent. When the mill arrived one of the plates was damaged and with a single email Fred shipped out a replacement.

The only two reason I opted for the Monster Mill over the Crankandstein was because I liked the hopper design much better and because I liked that the entire roller was knurled. But from what I've heard it is hard to dislike either of them.

SankePankey · 01-23-2012, 10:02 AM

I have the 3 v.1 with 1.5" rollers that are Stainless (Hi-my name is Spanky and I'm a stainleholic).

Anyhoo, the owner of MM uses a 2 roller and says he can't tell the diff between the two in crush. The 3 is great and I love the crush. If you are going to motorize it, that means you are going to make your own base (likely), and that means it will give you some headaches regarding squaring on the mount. With the 3 roller, there's one more roller in there to bind (because the end plates of the mill aren't totally square with each other) when you get going. This issue would be mitigated with the 2 roller somewhat.

If you don't 'have' to get the 3 roller, get the 2 roller. That's from an owner of a 3 roller. I love mine though, I just have to fill the hopper all the way before I start the motor (so there's enough weight to force the rollers to keep going and not bind). I'm still working on a solution, but this works every time so it's less priority.