Grain Milling Problem

SSBrew - 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
F

Foreigner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2007
Messages
259
Reaction score
1
:( Well folks, I'm frustrated.

I bought 2 25K sacks of grain and was excited about making 2 batches tomorrow.

I thought I had all my variables in order but now that I'm trying to crush my grains I'm finding out it is a logistical nightmare.

My options:

A) Take it to a brew shop and have them charge me to crush it thus negating a large portion of my savings (I have no relationship with any of them, all my grain has come from out of province).

B) Food Processor on "chop." I realize this will produce flour, reduce efficiency, lead to stuck sparges and cloudy beer.

C) Buy a grain mill. See problems associated with choice A.

D) Mortar and Pestle.

I was very much looking forward to tomorrow and am now really aggravated.

I Know, RDWHAH. I do have a few left over :)

So, I'm leaning towards doing one batch tomorrow to test out how a food processor will work out. Option B...


Anyone have any thoughts? Anyone have any alternate methods of milling grain?

Help, please.
 
Foreigner said:
A) Take it to a brew shop and have them charge me to crush it thus negating a large portion of my savings (I have no relationship with any of them, all my grain has come from out of province).

C) Buy a grain mill. See problems associated with choice A.
Click to expand...

Your best two options are above. It really won't cost much to have the HBS crush them for you. If you're serious about AG brewing, you really need a grain mill. Fresh crushed grain goes a long way in determining the malty flavor of your brew!
 
If you can afford it buy the mill. You will always use in the future and it is a good investment to make in your equipment. I'm not sure that a food processor is going to do the job well. How much would the shop charge to crush?
 
Dang.

I know I will soon require a good mill, but I was really hoping to be able to get right into it tomorrow...

I have always ordered my grain crushed in the past.

I appreciate your quick feedback. My previous batch of honey ale will have to last a little longer I guess.
 
I don't imagine it will be overly expensive to get the shop to crush them for me. I seem to remember reading a post on here (which I can't seem to find now) where they were being charged something like a buck a pound.

Seems like such a waste though...Maybe I'll do some more research and make a run to buy a corona mill.

Anyone know where I could buy one retail? I've been to various kitchen stores and the mills they have look like they would break if I sneezed on them...
 
Hey Foreigner, where do you live? You said 'another province' so I assume you are in Canada. If so, if you have a Princess Auto in town, they were selling Corona-style hand mills for $15. I have a Porkert version and it works much better than people give them credit for. I am getting mid-70's efficiency, and my best was about 85% with a really fine crush.

Anyways, for $15, well worth the investment.
 
I am in Toronto. Wow, an auto store sells a grain mill? How counter-intuitive.

I would be more than happy to have 70% efficiency. I don't know if there is a Princess Auto in toronto, but I will google it right now and hopefully find out.

Thanks FlyGuy!

Oh, I think I might need some more info about the mill itself. Is Corona the brand name? Is it the style of mill?

EDIT: Oh, neat, not an automotive shop! They seem to be everywhere except Toronto though...more surfing...
 
I wouldn't call Princess Auto an auto parts store. I went to the one at Dixie road/Derry road area and they seemed to carry practically everything under the sun.

I too have one of the porkert mills and my last couple batches have been low to mid 80% and the mill is less than $50. Well worth the money even if just to tide you over until you get a roller mill.

Edit: You could check out those LHBS shops as well, they may carry a corona style mill.
 
bradsul said:
I wouldn't call Princess Auto an auto parts store. I went to the one at Dixie road/Derry road area and they seemed to carry practically everything under the sun.
Click to expand...

This looks like a pretty cool store. I've never heard of it before.

I will have to make a run sometime when I can get access to a vehicle. Or...I think I will hit the yellow pages and call every HBS under the sun tomorrow.

Thanks guys.

Any other specific leads in the G.T.A?
 
I'm guessing that Corona was a brand name, but it's been copied so much that the name has become synonymous with that style mill.

Pros:
Cheap
Effective

Cons:
It was originally designed for making flour
It will pulverize a lot of husks, making stuck sparges likely if you don't get it adjusted correctly.
 
Yuri_Rage said:
I'm guessing that Corona was a brand name, but it's been copied so much that the name has become synonymous with that style mill.

Pros:
Cheap
Effective

Cons:
It was originally designed for making flour
It will pulverize a lot of husks, making stuck sparges likely if you don't get it adjusted correctly.
Click to expand...
Yep. But I think these styles of mills got a bad rep with the fly spargers. It really does shred the husks a lot, which causes two problems when fly sparging: stuck sparges and tannin extraction.

But with batch sparging using a SS braid, I have not had a stuck sparge. Once I did a really fine crush on a 3 gal batch and got a stuck sparge, but that wasn't using the braid (grain bag in the cooler -- which gets sucked into the spigot). And I certainly have not had any tannin off-flavours (even in my lightest ales). So for batch spargers, I think the Corona-style mill is going to make a comeback. I hear a lot of people saying that they get low 80's for efficiency with one -- hard to do much better batch sparging.

I also have mine rigged to my electric drill, and it works flawlessly. It will crush grain much faster than I can load the hopper. I have really been eyeing up a Barley Crusher, but honestly, it is hard to justify spending the cash.

There's my 2 cents (1.5 cents CDN).
 
But has anyone actually tried one? I've read lots of theories, but that's all. Sometimes you can get this stuff a lot cheaper than online sticker prices. I thought it might be worth a try if I can get one cheap.
 
mr x said:
But has anyone actually tried one? I've read lots of theories, but that's all. Sometimes you can get this stuff a lot cheaper than online sticker prices. I thought it might be worth a try if I can get one cheap.
Click to expand...
I just read a really good post on another board by someone who tried it. It actually worked reasonably well, apparently (about the same as a Corona). The downside with those grinders is that they have a SMALL hopper, they are slow to grind a volume of grain, they put a lot of stress on your stand mixer, and they are an EXPENSIVE attachment. For the same money, you can get a Barley Crusher or Crakenstein. Or you can save a ton of money and buy a Porkert or Corona mill.

EDIT: Here -- I just found the post on the B3 forums:
http://forums.moreflavor.com/viewtopic.php?t=22353&highlight=kitchenaid
 
Well, we seem to have a lot of good info out here.

I think I am set on getting a corona mill. It makes little sense to me to buy a bulk sack of grain for $20 and then pay ~$50 to have it milled.

Anyone seen a corona mill at a retail store I might have easy access to?
Anyone got a line on the best adjustments for milling to our needs?

Mr X, I have to agree w/ yuri, if you're paying that much might as well get a real roller system. .02
 
Foreigner said:
Mr X, I have to agree w/ yuri, if you're paying that much might as well get a real roller system. .02
Click to expand...
I think you guys are getting hung up on price. I'm more interested in does it do a good job and is it durable. I shop a lot at Princess, and they have good prices on some stuff, but I have to say, some of their stuff is junk. Sometimes, you don't get what you don't pay for.
 
mr x said:
I think you guys are getting hung up on price. I'm more interested in does it do a good job and is it durable. I shop a lot at Princess, and they have good prices on some stuff, but I have to say, some of their stuff is junk. Sometimes, you don't get what you don't pay for.
Click to expand...

Hey, if you can find it for $20 then more power to you. But why pay $150 for something you can get for 1/3 of that?
 
True enough, but if Yuri says it is a glorified corona I would tend to believe him.

.02

Anyway, let us move on.
 
There's a reason why Cranandstein and Barley Crusher are the most well known - they're the best. Why spend $50 on something you'll be luck to recoup $10 if you sell it? Spend the money once on something you KNOW you'll want. It's not worth it to buy it incrementally.

Therefore, if you've got other bills to pay this month, go down to your LHBS, bring you grain, and try to spend at least $15-$20 in the store. Buy another vessel, or some specialty grains, or yeast, or something. Don't abuse their generosity. At the least, come armed with good homebrew.
 
Cheesefood said:
Therefore, if you've got other bills to pay this month, go down to your LHBS, bring you grain, and try to spend at least $15-$20 in the store. Buy another vessel, or some specialty grains, or yeast, or something. Don't abuse their generosity. At the least, come armed with good homebrew.
Click to expand...

Now that is not a bad idea. I could always use another carboy. My mead is taking up so much space!

I was just worried that since I have no previous relationship with them I would pay out the nose for the milling.

thanks for the idea.
 
FlyGuy said:
Yep. But I think these styles of mills got a bad rep with the fly spargers. It really does shred the husks a lot, which causes two problems when fly sparging: stuck sparges and tannin extraction.

But with batch sparging using a SS braid, I have not had a stuck sparge. Once I did a really fine crush on a 3 gal batch and got a stuck sparge, but that wasn't using the braid (grain bag in the cooler -- which gets sucked into the spigot). And I certainly have not had any tannin off-flavours (even in my lightest ales). So for batch spargers, I think the Corona-style mill is going to make a comeback. I hear a lot of people saying that they get low 80's for efficiency with one -- hard to do much better batch sparging.

I also have mine rigged to my electric drill, and it works flawlessly. It will crush grain much faster than I can load the hopper. I have really been eyeing up a Barley Crusher, but honestly, it is hard to justify spending the cash.

There's my 2 cents (1.5 cents CDN).
Click to expand...
I fly sparge (with a rectangular cooler) and I get low to mid 80's as I mentioned. When I batch sparge I get high 70's. So I'm quite happy with my Porkert mill.

Edit: Oh and EVERYTHING at Princess Auto is crap, but it's cheap. :D When it comes to tools I buy quality over price but the Porkert I've found you get both, I'm extremely satisfied. While I do want to get a roller mill later, I have a lot of other things I want to get first (my kegerator up and running for example). Everyone has different priorities so you need to decide what works best for you.
 
Foreigner said:
Now that is not a bad idea. I could always use another carboy. My mead is taking up so much space!

I was just worried that since I have no previous relationship with them I would pay out the nose for the milling.

thanks for the idea.
Click to expand...

It doesn't cost them anything (if they let you mill it yourself). Bring them some brew, ask them to critique it for you while you mill your grains and offer to do it yourself. But if you buy some stuff too, they won't care that you're milling a competitor's product as much.

Most of those guys are cool and own an LHBS because they just wanted better equipment prices and to brew all the time. Not highly profitable (usually), but an enjoyable way to retire.
 
bradsul said:
I Oh and EVERYTHING at Princess Auto is crap, but it's cheap. :D When it comes to tools I buy quality over price but the Porkert I've found you get both, I'm extremely satisfied. While I do want to get a roller mill later, I have a lot of other things I want to get first (my kegerator up and running for example). Everyone has different priorities so you need to decide what works best for you.
Click to expand...
I'll be around PA next week, I may pick one up for fun. If I don't like it, I can always chuck it at the neighbor's dog. Or maybe I'll just bring a bag of grain into the store grab a power drill off the rack and crank away.lol
 
Cheesefood said:
There's a reason why Cranandstein and Barley Crusher are the most well known - they're the best. Why spend $50 on something you'll be luck to recoup $10 if you sell it? Spend the money once on something you KNOW you'll want. It's not worth it to buy it incrementally.
Click to expand...
Yes, good point. But by the same logic, should one definitely get the cheaper option if they AREN'T sure they know what they want? What if someone drops a wad of cash on an AG setup, including a top-of-the-line mill and decides that 6 hour brew days just aren't for them? I think this is a real concern with a lot of people.

Honestly, if you can get something for $20 that will do a good job, I say get it. If you want to move up to the more expensive gadget later, no great loss. When I decide to upgrade to a nice new Barley Crusher, I am going to give my old Porkert to one of my brew buddies who will gladly accept it and make good use of it. It won't go to waste.

It's all about perspective, and there really is no right or wrong way to do it.

Sorry to belabor the point (post?).
 
Right, but if you look, there's never a used Crank or BM on eBay or Craigslist. It goes to show what happens to them - people love them or don't need to work hard to sell them.
 
Yep, fair enough. You don't need to sell me on them -- it will be my next purchase. (I just hope I don't regret the 'upgrade'! LOL).
 

Similar threads

hilljack13
Rate my grain crush
Replies
5
Views
396
Red over White
Red over White
agentbud
Motor for Grain Mill
Replies
26
Views
852
jerrylotto
jerrylotto
Zenmeister
Making wort from grain for starter
Replies
19
Views
515
Miraculix
Miraculix
hilljack13
What I "brewed" while drinking...
Replies
10
Views
513
hilljack13
hilljack13
RCope
SS brewtech grain mill belt
Replies
1
Views
233
Indian_villager
I
Williams Brewing 300

Latest posts

Back
Top