JSP Malt Mill vs AHB Cereal Killer vs ...? Help!

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I'm curious as to where you will be storing this mill.

Also, not to hijack the thread, but what is the advantage of having both sides adjustable vs only one? Seems like there wouldn't be a difference, but I bet I'm missing something.
 
WileECoyote said:
Hello eric19312, I think most of us have purchased a mill more for.

1 the convince of being able to get in on bulk purchase pricing.
2 the connivence of having grain on hand to be able to brew whatever type of brew we want on a whim.
3 having the ability to set our crush to our needs=better control/better consistency of our brews, instead of getting whatever the crush happens to be on the LHBS or retailers mill.
4 some of us just like doing every aspect of the brew process that we can.

5 My personal belief on the aroma/freshness of grain crushed right before you brew is its going to make better beer with more flavor and aroma, I look at it like this if you take two oranges, cut one in half and place both in the fridge, let sit for 3 days, then pull them out, which one would you rather eat, one is going to be better than the other.

I think grain is the same as the oranges, but on a much slower reacting scale.

Just my 2 cents and thoughts. :)

Cheers to everyone thats brews :mug:



Agree with all these reasons. I bought my mill because my LBHS was new and didn't have one yet. I picked it because ii liked the features offered for the price, and couldnt yet imagine needing something a lot more " heavy duty". I showed my Barley Crusher to my LHBS he has one in the store now.

I am very happy with it and really can't compare it to anything except not owning your own mill. Compared to no mill mine is awesome! I'm sure the others also good, but I've not used those.

I was really reacting to an earlier post that suggested buying bulk grain crushed or buying uncrushed and using a friends mill. I really don't like the idea of storing pre-crushed grain. I Believe your orange analogy is applicable, and matches exactly what I was saying, but I don't have any evidence that grain actually behaves that way.

You can buy a 50 lb sack from one of the online vendors and get them to crush it. But seems like a bad idea to me unless you are brewing on a large scale and can use it all right away.
 
I'm curious as to where you will be storing this mill.

Also, not to hijack the thread, but what is the advantage of having both sides adjustable vs only one? Seems like there wouldn't be a difference, but I bet I'm missing something.

With both sides adjustable the gap you set can be the same from one end to the other so the crush is consistent. If only one side is adjustable the gap goes from the setting on the "fixed" side to the adjustable side.
Say the fixed side is .039 and the adjustable is set to .035 a portion of the grain will be crushed along the whole which slight as it is will be different. I really doubt that it is enough to notice in the big picture. I bought mine used off of here and have run abut 20-25 bags of grain through it, JSP's are made for the commercial brewing so are built to last. Once I worked my crush to where I needed it I have been holding 80%-85% on all my beers, I can get to the 90's but it starts getting cloudy then so not worth it in the long run for me.
 
Agree with all these reasons. I bought my mill because my LBHS was new and didn't have one yet. I picked it because ii liked the features offered for the price, and couldnt yet imagine needing something a lot more " heavy duty". I showed my Barley Crusher to my LHBS he has one in the store now.

I am very happy with it and really can't compare it to anything except not owning your own mill. Compared to no mill mine is awesome! I'm sure the others also good, but I've not used those.

I was really reacting to an earlier post that suggested buying bulk grain crushed or buying uncrushed and using a friends mill. I really don't like the idea of storing pre-crushed grain. I Believe your orange analogy is applicable, and matches exactly what I was saying, but I don't have any evidence that grain actually behaves that way.

You can buy a 50 lb sack from one of the online vendors and get them to crush it. But seems like a bad idea to me unless you are brewing on a large scale and can use it all right away.

I agree with you, and like you said, I have no proof ether, but then again, I do know that food spoils with time, even grain.
I also have not had any other mill for comparison, but I did just purchase
260 lbs of grain, 3 sacks bulk and 110 lbs of specially grains in 8 to 10 lb bags just so I can make up a grain bill on a whim, crush and brew it, I love having a mill.

I know you were reacting to another post, I was just trying to add to your reply, I didn't mean to step on your toes or offend in any way.

Cheers to you my friend :mug:

OK its time to get brewing, brewing a beer for my wife today Lu Lu's coffee.
 
WileECoyote said:
I know you were reacting to another post, I was just trying to add to your reply, I didn't mean to step on your toes or offend in any way.

None taken!

Brewing pale ale double batch now all is good!

Cheers
 
Here's the thing....With a mill I don't store any crushed grain. I want that wonderful fresh crush smell you get right after crushing to get into my beer. I think that smell means there are volatile compounds that you are losing by storing crushed grain. I've Al's heard shelf life of crushed grain is lower than in crushed. But maybe this is just all propaganda from people selling mills...

I don't have evidence that fresh crush makes better tasting beer but not sure that is an experiment that I'm interested in doing now that I have a mill... But I guess the experiment wold be to buy grain for 2 batches, crush half, store crushed and uncrushed side by side for maybe a month. Then on brew day crush the in crushed and brew two identical batches back to back. Ferment, package and triangle test....

Missed my point here. I mean that I think I could buy a 50# sack, take it home to store it, then take back a few lbs here and there to have them mill it right before brew day. Maybe. That would prevent storage of crushed grains.
 
thadius856 said:
Missed my point here. I mean that I think I could buy a 50# sack, take it home to store it, then take back a few lbs here and there to have them mill it right before brew day. Maybe. That would prevent storage of crushed grains.

If you have a cool LHBS they might let you. I think it would be reasonable if you bought the sack from them and only brought it back to mill if you were also buying specialty grains to mill at the same time.
 
Precisely. They only sell specialty grains by the 50# sack and per #. No 5/8/10# bags. And I won't go through more than say, 10# of any particular one in a year as far as I can tell.
 
In choosing a mill, I had a couple of priorities

Price - I was willing to spend around $150, but I did not want to spend too much more.
Adjustability -- I wanted a mill that I could adjust both ends to achieve a uniform gap
Hopper size -- I wanted something that would hold a decent amount of grain

Price requirement eliminated the Monster Mill. Hopper size and full adjustability eliminated the JSP Mill.

Having said that, I purchased Barley Crusher. Because you are not interested in this model, I would recommend the Cereal Crusher from Adventures in Homebrewing or the mill from Rebel Brewer.

Best of luck on your search.
 
I was in the same boat a couple of months ago. Decided on the Monster Mill MM2 2.0 since the larger diameter rollers made logical sense to me in terms of crush quality. I use a big old 1/2 drill to power it. For $170 (twenty bucks more than your limit of $150 I would take a serious look at it) I thought it was the best value for long term use and consistency. I like having both sides adjustable, and it is a beast. Heavy! Knurls are quite aggressive and would take years to start wearing. I went with the standard alloy since my mill will stay in my basement away from the elements. I really wanted something that would last 10+ years and retain its value if I somehow decide to sell it. The crush quality is fantastic! I am getting high 70's to 80% with intact hulls and gap set to .040

I have a MM2 and love it. This thing will last a really long time! It came with a base and hopper. I don't remember the price now its been a while since I bought it. But, I never look back now. The crush is amazing and the beers I make now seem to be better than when I had the LHBS do the crush.
 
If you have a cool LHBS they might let you. I think it would be reasonable if you bought the sack from them and only brought it back to mill if you were also buying specialty grains to mill at the same time.

We live in the Dallas Area and we buy our grain from Homebrew Headquaters. We buy our base malt in full bags and only mill what we need and take the rest back to our brewery in food grade plastic buckets. We get a discount for buying the whole bag. The next time we brew, we take our grain and get any specialty grain and Liquid Yeast and mill it then. I like to have "fresh" grain that is probably better stored (living a pipe dream) than I can. Of course, it always from the "last?" harvest.:fro:
 
Ok, well. I splurged. I did the math and I could barely make the hopper for $30 myself. Why waste a whole day to save $10?

I went with the MM2-2.0 for $177. And the stainless upgrade and 1/2" shaft upgrade for $80 (ouch!). And the base/hopper for $40.

With shipping, it came out to more a bit more than I'd liked to have spent. I just really don't want to have to re-upgrade equipment for a very long time, and I think this one could last a lifetime. :)

Thanks for the advice, all. I couldn't follow everybody's at the same time, but it did help me a lot in choosing. And hopefully this thread will be found in the future so it won't have to be re-created. :p
 
Just bought a MM3 with 1.5 rollers and half inch drive spline. I will give it a try this Saturday and reply back on my findings. I have heard that some people have issues with jams and am hoping that is not the case.
 
rkorn74 said:
Just bought a MM3 with 1.5 rollers and half inch drive spline. I will give it a try this Saturday and reply back on my findings. I have heard that some people have issues with jams and am hoping that is not the case.

Mine runs great. Get the side plates square and adjust the rollers even on both sides.
 
Awesome thread. I've going through this same "struggle" too. (First world problem, I know I know.). But thanks to all for posting. Please do let us know how you like your new purchases.
 
Assembled my Monster Mills MM2-2.0. Yeah, the name's fairly accurate.

I'm very impressed by the solid rollers. That seems like it'll make a difference in maintaining smooth forward momentum of the shafted roller. I think the stainless upgrade was probably worth it.

The hopper is thick and the base is sufficient. My only complaint is that the hopper is galvanized, not stainless. Haven't used it yet, but will post more impressions once I mill this coming weekend.
 
Totally love the performance of my mill. Only had to make one run through and hit my target OG exactly. I highly recommend getting a monster mill.
 
buying a mill is 90% want and 10% need. IMHO
like buying handtools. snap-on is pretty & sleek , mac, cornwell , S-K , even sears all will get the job done but snap-on and other big names make the speciality tools that help get the job done easier/faster.

it's all about preference and perception.
i had a corona mill and it would've served me well i'm sure from all reports i have read but i jumped and bought an $89.00 AIHB roller B.C. clone which was a little more than twice the cost of the corona. the AIHB mill has served me well but the point is the corona would have too.

i do BIAB and the crush isn't as critical as with fly sparge brewing.

match your mill to your brew style and save money or just say F....it and buy what you like/want/or supports your self-esteem....either way just enjoy making yer brew!:)

Gd:mug:
 
buying a mill is 90% want and 10% need.

Not for me. Driving an hour to get my grains is not something I want to do for a brewday. If I had to order kits or drive somewhere to get the grains, I'd probably not be brewing anymore. Keeping all the grains here at my house, unmilled until I decide what I want to make, that's how I need it.
 
Same for me. Three batches crushing partial mash grains with a rolling pin, then hitting them with cast iron frying pan, finally throwing in towel and dumping into food processor...a functional mill was a need.

Could have gone Corona but even my LHBS that sells corona recommended roller mill if I planned to go all grain.

Almost pulled trigger on monster, am sure if I had I'd be happy to sing its praises...but in the end went with the mostly happy Barley crusher crowd. Liking it so far at about 100 lbs crushed. If it gets me to 1,000 lbs crushed I'll be more than satisfied.

I don't think you will regret getting a mill. Pick something that makes sense to your wallet and have fun.

Oh do make sure you have $ left to get a proper drill to run it. Man it is fun crushing a big beer in a few minutes, and not much fun having your drill fail and having to crush by hand.
 
If my mill failed within the first 1000#, I'd be pissed.

I'm "amortizing" my mill on a 10 year flat-line schedule. I expect to use minimum 15# per month, up to 30# per month, and that gets me into the 1800-3600# range over its useful life. ;)
 
All my "capital equipment" gets amortized over 30 batches. Right now that is hitting me for about $22/batch. But with luck I can wipe that stuff off the books in less than a year and add new gear. SWMBO is a CPA and approved this schedule :)
 
Ok, well. I splurged.

I did the same after struggling with my cheap corona mill. My brewing hobby is supposed to be relaxing and fun, and I could see that the corona wasn't going to cut it in that regard. I threw that thing away after two uses and bought the exact same Monster Mill you did, except I went ahead and got the hopper extension, too. It was way more than I wanted to spend as well, but after it came in and I saw how ridiculously strong it was built I realized why they cost so much. This thing will definitely last a lifetime for me, and it mills grain like a Cadillac compared to the corona. If you can stomach the price, I'd recommend the MM2 2.0 to anyone. It's a beast.

(Also, I hate to keep slamming corona mills, because a lot of folks use them with great results. They can be great, but I just don't have the time right now to do all the DIY rigging up that a corona requires. Not having a LHBS puts me in a situation where I have to mill my own grain, and I just ran out of patience with my corona. Dropping 10+ lbs of grain all over the floor because of my crappy hopper job didn't help its image, either. It just wasn't my cup of tea. Chalk it up to another case of YMMV.)
 
I got a used JSP Malt mill for $80 on craigslist... works great and a decent price. Its not adjustable, but has 10" rollers. Very happy with the crush. 3rd batch done and no stuck sparges. Also have nailed down my efficiency. Probably not the best mill out there, but works great for me and I'm happy with the price... also my son gets a kick out of running the mill so I barely have to do any work :)
 
Anyway everybody has a price point, and here are some very satisfying roller mills between the cost of the monster and the corona.

I agree. I almost went with a Barley Crusher or Malt Mill, but got caught up in the "bigger rollers are better" hype. The MM is overkill for the average homebrewer (read: me), but I tend to go overboard on gear.
 
I just looked at Crankandstein's website. All their mills have gears on the end. I assume that means that both rollers are spinning at the same rate, thus you get a more even crush? Most, if not all the others have independent rollers, correct? (I don't really know what I'm talking about.)

Do other companies sell rollers with gears? Also any happy Crankandstein customers?

I see that Monster and Crankandstein are both from Atlanta. That seems odd. That's alotta competition.

Finally, Monster says all their stuff is manufactured in the US which makes me want to support them more. Does anyone know of other companies that only manufacture in the US?
 
Good question


Checked the barley crusher website and found weasel words suggesting probably not US made..."Hand made American product"...

Anyway I'm still liking the product but if that is important to you would look for something that can actually claim "made in USA".

Typing this on my iPhone made in...
 
I just looked at Crankandstein's website. All their mills have gears on the end. I assume that means that both rollers are spinning at the same rate, thus you get a more even crush? Most, if not all the others have independent rollers, correct? (I don't really know what I'm talking about.)

The C&S gears are grain-driven. They rely on grains falling between them for one gear to drive the other. I don't understand why they're there, honestly. Grain falling between the rollers should have the same effect.

Do other companies sell rollers with gears? Also any happy Crankandstein customers?

The JSP Malt Mill can be bought with gears. They're on the outside of the housing, on the shaft side. They do not need grain to drive them. The downside is that gears aren't meant to be adjustable - they have a single optimal meshing distance, so that model is not adjustable on that one side. Most people leave their mills at or very near the factory setting, so it's not really a big deal, unless you want to mill corn (why?).

I see that Monster and Crankandstein are both from Atlanta. That seems odd. That's alotta competition.

They used to be one company, then split off to their own operations over a disagreement.

Finally, Monster says all their stuff is manufactured in the US which makes me want to support them more. Does anyone know of other companies that only manufacture in the US?

Didn't look at it as a purchase criteria, sorry. Can't answer this one.
 
JSP malt mills are also US made also been around the longest with great service and advice

Some posts I've read indicate that he has good pre-purchase support, and terrible post-purchase support. He also seems to be reported as a generally surly individual.

Beautiful macaw, by the way. Is he an Illiger's? Hard to tell from such a small picture.
 
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