Mills - Give me a direction

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I guess I'm looking for suggestions about specific mills and crushers. If I'm investing $200 on a mill, I want people's opinions about what they like and don't like.


What kind of crusher do you have? Why do you like it? If you had a chance to start over, what would you have bought instead? What do you wish you knew before you bought?
 
I have a Corona style mill ~$20. It is doing a good job so far. When I upgrade it will be a Monster Mill 2 2.0. All the others seem about the same but?? My other choice might be the one at Rebel Brewer.
 
Basically you get what you pay for. Corona mills work, but you may not get the best crush and speed is not a priority. My Barley Crusher served me well for about 3 years before she died. I can't say anything bad about it, I just think I used it way more than it was designed for. I recently purchased the Monster MM2 with the hardened rollers. Definitely in a different class than the Barley Crusher, as the BC was to a Corona. If your just getting started, I would go with the Barley Crusher design. Rather you buy the BC or the one from Rebel Brewer. The BC is in your price range, while the Rebel Brewer mill is a little more pricey, it looks a little more substantial. The bottom line is, if your going all grain, then a mill of some sort is a must.
 
PhineasJWhoopie said:
I guess I'm looking for suggestions about specific mills and crushers. If I'm investing $200 on a mill, I want people's opinions about what they like and don't like.


What kind of crusher do you have? Why do you like it? If you had a chance to start over, what would you have bought instead? What do you wish you knew before you bought?
Click to expand...

I have a Rebel Mill.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/all-new-rebel-mill-grain-crusher-now-available-rebel-brewer-284565/

I like it because it's built like a tank, had a huge hopper and was ready to use right out of the box. I'd definitely buy this mill again.

Make sure you own a corded drill or a cordless drill with an extra battery.
 
I have a MM 2 roller and I love it. It just keeps going and going. I remember carefully evaluating and researching. It wasn't an easy choice.

In the end I learned that there are several quality mills on the market including the barley crusher and crankenstein. It was the testimony from other satisfied owners and the great customer service from the president of monster mill that helped my decision. Fred Francis (the owner) can be found on this board and is very knowledgeable.
 
Hammy71 said:
Basically you get what you pay for. Corona mills work, but you may not get the best crush and speed is not a priority. My Barley Crusher served me well for about 3 years before she died. I can't say anything bad about it, I just think I used it way more than it was designed for. I recently purchased the Monster MM2 with the hardened rollers. Definitely in a different class than the Barley Crusher, as the BC was to a Corona. If your just getting started, I would go with the Barley Crusher design. Rather you buy the BC or the one from Rebel Brewer. The BC is in your price range, while the Rebel Brewer mill is a little more pricey, it looks a little more substantial. The bottom line is, if your going all grain, then a mill of some sort is a must.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but I'm troubled here. I fail to understand how a BC is in a different class than the lowly Corona type mill? You're B/C only lasted 3 years, I doubt you could wear out a corona type mill. My Corona type mill dilevers a nice crush at reasonable speed and will likely never wear out IMO, for about 25 bucks. Seems to me, you read of more people having trouble w/ a B/C than a Corona, I guess that is a different class of reliability:)

PhineasJWhoopie said:
What kind of crusher do you have? Why do you like it? If you had a chance to start over, what would you have bought instead? What do you wish you knew before you bought?
Click to expand...

1. I have a Corona type mill
2. I like it because it works very well, and was dirt cheap!
3. if I had a chance to start over, I would buy another Corona type mill
4. Prior to purchase, I wish I knew how well the Corona type mills work. This is due in my opinion to people trash talking these cheap
mills that have never even used one.

By all means, if you have the budget and the desire, go spend a couple three hundred on a mill, I'm just not positive you will taste the difference in your beer...all JMO of course....thanks and cheers!
 
The Barley Crusher has a lifetime warranty ...after 3 years should of called them up

I've got one its okay..It took me about a dozen tries before I got the crush I wanted.. Lots of adjusting I had to do...Also took me awhile to find the right drill... Needs to have good torque and speed

If money isn't an option I would go Monster
 
What to look for:

1 - longer rollers - this speeds up the crushing, shortens the time needed. The Monster Mill has 6 inch rollers, others have 5 inch rollers.

2 - Roller diameter (this is important) - the thicker (and more expensive) the diameter, the better the crush quality. A smaller diameter mill is more likely to shred as opposed to crush. You ant small chunks, not flour and shredded husks.

3 - can the roller be run with a drill / ease of doing so? Crushing 12+ pounds of grain will take 15+ minutes with a hand crank. If thats ok, make sure the crank is long enough, and this adds so much expense its close to the cost of a drill like this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-93632.html

4 - is the gap adjustable? If you ever plan on grinding very large kernals, corn for example, most mills may not handle that. I think the Monster Mill 2 - 2.0 can

5 - Roller material - this is important - the Monster Mill is made of harder metal and will last much longer than some less expensive mills.


Having said this, there are a number of people who are happy with the inexpensive Corona type mills. It seems they vary in quality, some are bad, and some are ok.
 
I own a Corona Mill, it was cheap to buy ( around $20) and easy to get setup a system to catch all the milled grain and use a automatic drill.

I brew maybe once a month on average so the cost of buying a bigger system wasn't worth it to save a few minutes. I would guess it takes 30 seconds to mill a pound of grain and I see no difference in crush compared to a roller style mill.

For the Corona style being 1/5 to 1/6 the price of roller mills, you can't beat it!
 
My corona style took a bit of dialing in, and the manufacturing tolerances are a bit loose. I get a great crush out of it, and attaching a upside down water jug for a 24 lb hopper was a breeze.

The roller mills in my opinion look a lot better. And are manufactured to a tighter tolerance.


In my case price was more important than appearance when all I really needed was the ability to crush grains at home.

If I had had extra money in my pocket I would have probably gone with a barley crusher.
 
barhoc11 said:
I own a Corona Mill, it was cheap to buy ( around $20) and easy to get setup a system to catch all the milled grain and use a automatic drill.

I brew maybe once a month on average so the cost of buying a bigger system wasn't worth it to save a few minutes. I would guess it takes 30 seconds to mill a pound of grain and I see no difference in crush compared to a roller style mill.

For the Corona style being 1/5 to 1/6 the price of roller mills, you can't beat it!
Click to expand...

This is pretty much my situation too. I do BIAB so too fine a crush wasn't a concern. Works great hooked to a drill. Couldn't justify price of a more expensive mill, since this works great for me. Money saved bought a lot of ingredients.
 
wilserbrewer said:
This is due in my opinion to people trash talking these cheap
mills that have never even used one.

QUOTE]

Touchee....but have you used a MM2? My comment wasn't meant to blast or demean Corona mills. My experience with them, and therefore my opinion is, they work....but a Corona mill didn't meet my expectations. Trust me, my expectations are a heavy cross to bare. Just ask my SWMBO!! :tank:
Click to expand...
 
As is true with most things in this hobby, the amount of space or time you have to devote to something will be a better indication of your satisfaction than the dollars spent.

I have a 2-spool crankandstein. I use it over a 5gal bucket, or over my MLT. I turn it with a cordless drill. If I had the space for a permanent set up, I would be super-thrilled with it. Since I have to pull it off a shelf and set it up, and the base (while quite hefty) shifts a bit over a bucket, it's not the pleasure to work with as it would be if it were permanently mounted.. or if I had a permanent motor mounted to it and could turn my back on it as it did its thing.

In brewing beer, at our level, it's often the spacial needs and convenience that determine your overall satisfaction more than the extra half of a percent of efficiency. I'd buy a bigger place, create a permanent milling area and motorize what I have before I dropped an extra hundred on a nicer mill. And if I were getting good results with a corona mill, I'd probably say the exact same thing. As I would if I had a MM. It's not the mill that makes your life easy... it's how you set it up and use it.

I would take a corona mill and 10 dedicated sq ft for storing, weighing, and milling grains (at the flip of a switch) over the bag of grain in the basement, the fanciest mill money could buy sitting on a shelf, and a corded drill in my tool box. Any day. But with that said, a two or three roller mill is nice to have from the "everybody knows how it works" aspect. However, like BIAB was years ago, there's plenty of ardent corona mill supporters out there and, while I can't speak from experience, they probably have a good point if money is tight.
 
Schumed said:
The Barley Crusher has a lifetime warranty ...after 3 years should of called them up

I've got one its okay..It took me about a dozen tries before I got the crush I wanted.. Lots of adjusting I had to do...Also took me awhile to find the right drill... Needs to have good torque and speed

If money isn't an option I would go Monster
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm going to send it back, get the rollers redone and sell it. Like I said, I can't complain about the BC. But, after 3 years and several thousand pounds of grain, it finally gave me the finger. There is a long thread on this site about this common problem for the BC and the rollers just not lasting for us that brew a lot.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/barley-crusher-customer-service-297352/
 
I have a Barley Crusher and really like it a lot, have no complaints really. Since getting it and not dealing with dealer crush my efficiency has gone from low and all over the place to a consistent 81%. I got the 7lb hopper one since I don't mind simply refilling the hopper with the rest of the grains.


Rev.
 
ArcLight said:
What to look for:

1 - longer rollers - this speeds up the crushing, shortens the time needed. The Monster Mill has 6 inch rollers, others have 5 inch rollers.

2 - Roller diameter (this is important) - the thicker (and more expensive) the diameter, the better the crush quality. A smaller diameter mill is more likely to shred as opposed to crush. You ant small chunks, not flour and shredded husks.

3 - can the roller be run with a drill / ease of doing so? Crushing 12+ pounds of grain will take 15+ minutes with a hand crank. If thats ok, make sure the crank is long enough, and this adds so much expense its close to the cost of a drill like this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-93632.html

4 - is the gap adjustable? If you ever plan on grinding very large kernals, corn for example, most mills may not handle that. I think the Monster Mill 2 - 2.0 can
Click to expand...

+1 on the comments above. To emphasis the point on roller diameter, I offer the following. Kunze in his text: Technology Brewing and Malting says that a brewery shouldn't consider a mill with roller diameter of less than 10 inches!. Obviously that diameter would require a machine that is ridiculously large in a homebrew environment, but it highlights the effect of diameter on the quality of crush.

Get the largest roller diameter available to improve your crush quality. To my knowledge, 2 inches is the largest available in the homebrewing market.
 
I've been using an MM3 for I guess a little more than a year now. I love it! I was using the Grain Gobbler that MoreBeer! sells before that and I can say that I would not recommend the grain gobbler at all. For slightly more you can get a big boy grain mill.
 
WOW! I really appreciate all of the input. You've given me a few things to consider and your replies are exactly what I was looking for. I'll let everyone know what I finally get and my initial impressions.
 
Going to tell the SO to get me a mill for Christmas. Money won't be an option. I want something that will last a long time. Guess I'm leaning towards the MM2. Should I get the hardened rollers or the SS 303 rollers?
 
hefehawk said:
Going to tell the SO to get me a mill for Christmas. Money won't be an option. I want something that will last a long time. Guess I'm leaning towards the MM2. Should I get the hardened rollers or the SS 303 rollers?
Click to expand...

If money isn't an option get the MM3. SS won't rust like the others in case you keep the mill outside, or in a garage
 
I love my Barley Crusher. Get the one with the 14# hopper, especially if you brew on your own a lot. I have the 7# hopper and the 14# would make milling go by a little quicker.
 
Gameface said:
I've been using an MM3 for I guess a little more than a year now. I love it! I was using the Grain Gobbler that MoreBeer! sells before that and I can say that I would not recommend the grain gobbler at all. For slightly more you can get a big boy grain mill.
Click to expand...

I first bought a grain gobbler and returned it right away. Wasn't part of it plastic? (I forget)
 
Rollers on barley crusher are too skinny, eventually they have issues catching grain. They say they have a lifetime warranty but I hear people have problems getting the company to replace/repair.
Morebeer Mill: 4" roller is too small, maybe viable if broke/BIAB/extract brewing.
Rebel Brewer mill- Adjustment seems questionable, not sure of roller size. Expensive.
Monster Mill- My MM2.0 required some tweaking before it worked really well. But since getting it adjusted (new drill, playing with the gap, hopper instructions kinda sucked) I have been making really great beer with a very consistent crush. Plus the lifetime warranty is great and the manufacturer is in my state.
New MM's probably have all the kinks worked out. The MM3.0 is a sexy beast. Go hardened steel rollers, stainless is just unnecessary bling.

Ideally with a mill you'll need a feeler gauge (amazon it) and you'll have to decide for yourself what crush is right for your tastes and system requirements. I keep my mill at a gap of .39 and hit 85% efficiency with aggressive recirculation.
 
SouthernBrew said:
I first bought a grain gobbler and returned it right away. Wasn't part of it plastic? (I forget)
Click to expand...

Yeah, two of the four sides. The thing would constantly get jammed up so that the roller that was driven by the drill would spin but the other one wouldn't. The rollers are small and short. There were ways for grain to get through without getting crushed. Just several annoying issues. The most frustrating part was trying to get both rollers to spin consistently. Sometimes I'd spend more time goofing around with it to get it to work than I did milling grain.

No such issues with my monster mill. The monster mill is built like a tank. It's one of those pieces of equipment that you just look at and smile.
 
I went with the MM2-2.0 mill with base, hopper, hopper extension and hardened rollers. I did those options so that I would never need to get another mill. For me, stainless is not needed. The hopper extension puts its grain capacity to 39#. I've put 30# into it so far. Using my 18v DeWalt cordless hammer drill to power it without issue. Run it at the right speed range and you're golden.

I also had a BC and it cannot compare with the the Monster Mill. I sold the BC so that I could get the MM2-2.0. I wouldn't even look at another mill with less than 2" diameter rollers (at least six inches long too). Adjusting the gap is easy enough too. Plus its easy to communicate with Fred (from Monster) if you have questions.

Highly recommended the MM2-2.0 mill over all others in the home brewers arena.
 
I haven't seen mention of the "Cereal Killer" mill yet. I am using that one and really like it. Only two millings so far, so I cannot attest to the longevity. It is the newer model with the ball bearing upgrade.
 
At home I have a Victoria (corona style) mill and have been consistently happy with it. My LHBS (I work there part time) has (soon to be had) a Barley Crusher and after about 3.5 years we have worn through two sets of rollers. We are upgrading to a Crankandstein 328D, three 8-inch long 2-inch diameter rollers, powered by a 1-HP TEFC motor. A set of 1.5 inch and 9 inch sheaves will give us just under 300RPM at the mill. (There will be a build thread soon)
 
I have the Cereal Killer and for my last beer a Wit, I set the gap at .31 and conditioned the heck out of the grain. I and had a 50% wheat grain bill and didn't have any issues with the sparge and my grain was dust. So far I am loving this thing for the money, a Crank or MM would be nicer but at 89 shipped I love that thing.
 
How big of a diff are the 1.5" rollers and 2" rollers? Looks like a pretty big price jump.

For my use, I will be grinding about 50 lbs of grain per month.

Thanks!
 
NewBrewB said:
How big of a diff are the 1.5" rollers and 2" rollers? Looks like a pretty big price jump.

For my use, I will be grinding about 50 lbs of grain per month.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

From the Monster Brewing Hardware description of the MM2-2.0...

"The larger diameter rollers allows a finer crush with more minimal husk damage, and milling at smaller gap settings without worry of skipping."
 

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