My Ugly Junk- Corona Mill Station...

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Finally got around to my first crush. Any thoughts?


2012-05-06_15-28-03_294.jpg
 
Finally got around to my first crush. Any thoughts?


2012-05-06_15-28-03_294.jpg

any whole husks in that? looks like a few in the upper right. you want to adjust so no whole husks, or at least that's how i have mine and i hit my numbers every time, and some batches 4-6 points higher. I run a little thinner mash becuase i recerculate with a pump and if i make it to thick it will compact the mash if I have the flow up to much.
 
If there's no whole grains in there, you're good. Don't worry about the husks being slightly shredded. There are plenty there to form a filter-bed.
 
Finally got around to my first crush. Any thoughts?

+1 to go finer
I see too many grains that look either whole or just cracked in half.

A good crush is a mix of partially intact husks and cracked grains. This is a little tough to get perfect with a corona style mill. I get pretty good results with mine if I start to see a little flour in my grist.
 
+1 to go finer
I see too many grains that look either whole or just cracked in half.

A good crush is a mix of partially intact husks and cracked grains. This is a little tough to get perfect with a corona style mill. I get pretty good results with mine if I start to see a little flour in my grist.

Agreed. Use a credit card as a feeler gauge to get an approximate starting point. Crank down from there until you're scared. You will see some flour. I used this method, and have never had a stuck sparge with my Corona-type mill.
 
Agreed. Use a credit card as a feeler gauge to get an approximate starting point. Crank down from there until you're scared. You will see some flour. I used this method, and have never had a stuck sparge with my Corona-type mill.

Yeah, I've read about the credit card method. However, I can only get a credit card in there if I push hard and the upper part of the circular plates touch.

I'll give it a tighter setting and try it out. Thanks
 
Again, you only need some husks in there to create a filter-bed. If you're worried about stuck sparge, throw some rice hulls in the mash (handful). They are incredibly cheap and work well.
 
Again, you only need some husks in there to create a filter-bed. If you're worried about stuck sparge, throw some rice hulls in the mash (handful). They are incredibly cheap and work well.

I'm not worried about a stuck sparge (Since I'm currently using BIAB methods). I am only concerned about astringent off-flavors.
 
Very important when setting the gap on your mill!Always,always always use your swmbo's credit card!
 
If you're BIABing, crank it down. Tannins are more a factor of PH and temperature than the condition of the husks.

This. If you're sparging very thin with high temps (over 180ish) the PH is very alkaline and you run risk of tannins.
 
Rivenin said:
nope, none at all as far as my taste buds can tell.

Good to know. Probably the only thing that concerns me about using this mill.

After I've found a great setting for the crush, a great brew day, and everyone's assurances, i'm definitely a happy camper.
 
i'm a firm believer that a Corona-style mill can be every bit as effective as a roller-style mill. Many brewers use them for many years and make great beers. Heck, even my crush isn't too dissimilar from that of roller mills when it's dialed-in properly.
 
for the people that have drills on your mill, how fast are you running the drill?
I just got a bolt that fits and used my cordless drill the first time which runs pretty slow compared to my larger drill. the second time my drill was about dead so i used the larger drill and was worried about running it to fast so I tried to keep it just moving with the veriable trigger. wasn't much of a problem but just wondering if i could just hit it and let her rip. Not sure if that would mess with my grind or the mill.
 
for the people that have drills on your mill, how fast are you running the drill?
I just got a bolt that fits and used my cordless drill the first time which runs pretty slow compared to my larger drill. the second time my drill was about dead so i used the larger drill and was worried about running it to fast so I tried to keep it just moving with the veriable trigger. wasn't much of a problem but just wondering if i could just hit it and let her rip. Not sure if that would mess with my grind or the mill.
I use a 3/8" Dewalt; I find that my crush is more consistent the slower that I run the drill.
 
I use a 3/8" B&D and while I don't think it likes it, I run it slow as I can. I wish it had the VSR dial that I could lock in. It's VSR but doesn't lock other than full-speed. Eventually I want a 1/2" with the VSR dial/lock so I can mount it on something and walk away.
 
Here's my new ugly junk...now if only I had some grain to crush! Thanks for the help in this forum!

Lot's of ingenuity on this thread. (I'm known for stating the obvious) Great work everybody! Each time I see a pic with a drill attached, at a quick glance it looks as if it is suspended in air. :mug:
 
Yeah, that's old "Discount Tommy." You have to watch him......that mill's back up to $42 now, but it'll be back down again to what you paid. I gave about the same amount as you shipped over three years ago, but you have to wait for his low price. Great mill....mine has chewed through a lot of malt.
 
I use a 3/8" B&D and while I don't think it likes it, I run it slow as I can. I wish it had the VSR dial that I could lock in. It's VSR but doesn't lock other than full-speed. Eventually I want a 1/2" with the VSR dial/lock so I can mount it on something and walk away.

That is what I would like to do also, set it, turn it on and do something else while it's doing its job. I used a 1/2" skill hammer drill that I have, you can turn the hammer off. wasn't worried about the drill burning out, but having one that you could set the speed and lock would be a plus. I have 3/8" drill that I might try but I don't think that one is VSR but it might run at a lower speed. I have a couple lager's I am going to try to get to (one hopfully this weekend) so i might try the other drill or at least check the speed on it.
 
Olive Drab said:
any difference in modifying the amazon corona vs discount tommy's mill?

I only have ever used a Victoria ( same as corona) but, it appears that the castings are different, so I'll stop short of saying the parts are interchangeable( they may be), however, the designs are identical and the way it's assembled and functions is going to be identical from one to the other. Several people here have used the tweaks in this forum on Tommy's mills.

Someone else may know more about the Tommy's mills specifically.
 
any difference in modifying the amazon corona vs discount tommy's mill?

Except for the old original Corona's, I think they are all pretty much the same chinese junk, and will differ even within the same supplier due to non existent quality control. Kind of a spin of the wheel, yours may work fine or may need some tweaks. I would try it unmodified, then if you can't adjust for enough gap (too fine a crush / all flour) add washers under the mill face bracket. If the mill burr plate is crooked (allowing uncrushed grain through) due to the big ass cotter pin being jammed through the shaft, replace it w/ a smaller pin or bolt, or drill the hole out a smidge to allow the grinding plate to float or wobble freely and it will tend to self align w/ the pressure of the grain, and it will produce a more consistent crush.

Just play with it as needed to be sure that all the grains are being crushed, and no whole pieces make it to the mash tun...it's really that simple.

I like the bucket mount method linked below on the right.:)
 
I have a drill question: I just got this as a gift. Think it'll do the job, or will I burn it up or something?

I ran through both batteries, but the drill it seemed fine otherwise, though it was for a small batch (I brew 2.75 gal stovetop BIAB). The bolt threads seemed to be a bit mangled when I was done, though. I'm not sure I'll use the drill again.
 
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I ran through both batteries, but the drill it seemed fine otherwise, though it was for a small batch (I brew 2.75 gal stovetop BIAB). The bolt threads seemed to be a bit mangled when I was done, though. I'm not sure I'll use the drill again.

While cordless tools are very handy, sometimes you are best off plugging in to the grid...that looks like a very nice cordless drill...be a shame to overwork it. I am surprised you needed both batteries for such a small batch?
 
Saw a few posts back, someone had a litter box for a grain catch. I use a litter bucket for my mill housing.

2012-05-11_08-57-45_970.jpg


I cut out the bottom and the lid keeps flour dust to a minimum.
 
They were brand new, so I'm not sure if they shipped fully charged. I tightened the crank down a lot since my last batch and had a lot of flour and really small particles, but I hit 76% efficiency. I might crank down a little more, but I'm pretty happy with that.
 
has anyone dealt with this astringency aspect of the beer or is it just solved by aging?

basically, is it worth it to go with a cheap DIY mill and have to wait for proper flavor or just spend some for a crank and stein? Plus i'm reading mixed efficiencies from 75 to 85
 
has anyone dealt with this astringency aspect of the beer or is it just solved by aging?

basically, is it worth it to go with a cheap DIY mill and have to wait for proper flavor or just spend some for a crank and stein? Plus i'm reading mixed efficiencies from 75 to 85

If you're getting astringency I'd take a look at your mash PH, I crush my grain really finely and tear all sorts of husks, but don't get any astringency. Maybe try some 5.2 buffer to see if that helps? Do you get astringency all the time or only with a particular beer? Lighter beers or Darker beers?

On the efficiency, if you are not getting consistent efficiency you might want to look elsewhere in your process unless the mill isn't giving you a consistent overall crush. If you brew the same beer 2X, you should get the same efficiency for both batches if you did everything the same. One of the biggest factors for me is whether or not I recirculate my mash & the size of my grain bill. I use BIAB.
 
i dont use a mill yet but i was reading about the astringency here several times. I'm still using LHBS mill.
 
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