Milling Grain by Hand?

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Larso

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Hi, I'm considering getting a crankandstein 2S. Just wondering if any of you guys mill grain by hand and how long it takes. My drill is crap and I dont want to buy a new one just yet.

Thanks

L
 
Never done it, never will. But my mate hand cranked his for the first few batches through his mill and said it would take up to an hour sometimes and his arm would be stuffed afterwards!
 
I'll go against the grain on the above thoughts.. (pun intended)

I don't have the same grain mill as you, I have a Barley Crusher. I truly enjoy hand grinding the grain. When I first got the BC I used a drill. Later I started grinding by hand. In my experience the crush is better, my effeciency better and I've ground 17lbs in maybe 15-20 minutes. I didn't time it. To each their own, I enjoy manually hand grinding. It really is not hard to do, usually do the night before I brew. It's like foreplay to brewing.
 
I just got done milling 10lbs of 2row and 10lbs of red wheat. Red wheat was pretty tough and would stop the drill if it wasn't going wide open. The only way I would grind by hand is if it was the end of the world with no power, no other people, and I couldn't train a zombie to do it for me.

Black Friday in less than a week someone has to be running a deal. Google it.
 
Thanks guys, I'm not even goin to buy the hand crank then. I need to shorten brewdays, if anything. I reckon Dan is probably built like Arnie
 
I crush all my grain manually. I have a ~100 yr old grist mill. It takes about a minute per pound. I usually use 27 to 28 lbs per batch. It has a very large, iron, heavy, round crank that acts like a fly wheel. I think that makes it easier than a simple hand crank.
 
I crush all my grain manually. I have a ~100 yr old grist mill. It takes about a minute per pound. I usually use 27 to 28 lbs per batch. It has a very large, iron, heavy, round crank that acts like a fly wheel. I think that makes it easier than a simple hand crank.

Yeah sounds very different from the normal BC/MM/C&S mills... and very very awesome!
Do you start cranking that thing to get the rollers going and then drop the grain in?
 
I hand mill...it does suck if its a really big beer but its not that horrible. I probably can probably do 3lbs/min. But I do think I'm allergic to the dust. I get super congested when milling.
 
I asked the same question back when I switched to all grain and was told hand cranking would suck. I use a standard corona mill (appropriately adjusted for the proper gap) and it is a lot of work to be sure. I sweat every time I do it but I actually enjoy it. I usually do a pound or two per arm then switch. Takes me around 30 min for 10 pounds give or take. FWIW, I'm glad I ignored the advice to go with an expensive model but I also realize most people don't enjoy that kind of thing.

Editing this post to say that I timed myself tonight and it actually only took 12 min. for 10 pounds.
 
Larso said:
Hi, I'm considering getting a crankandstein 2S. Just wondering if any of you guys mill grain by hand and how long it takes. My drill is crap and I dont want to buy a new one just yet.

Thanks

L

I did 2 batches by hand with a corona. Luckily my friend had an ancient craftsman drill laying around that took up the job. The corona has been upgraded to a Cereal killer, which is used for the big batches. The corona is now used for the 1 gallon batches and I still don't look forward to hand cranking even 3 pounds in it. Do yourself a favor, I know a lot of people recommend the cheap harbor freight drill.
 
mattd2 said:
Yeah sounds very different from the normal BC/MM/C&S mills... and very very awesome!
Do you start cranking that thing to get the rollers going and then drop the grain in?

The fly wheel effect is not that strong.



ForumRunner_20121120_092917.jpg
 
I did the handcrank on my Barley Crusher for 2 brews and they were 5G session beers. After milling 15# of grain for a larger beer, I ordered a drill before next brew day. Just too much work.
 
+1 for doing it by hand. Just feels right. But do what you like. If you like the drill, go for it.
 
I feel like I do more for the beer by handcranking the crush with my Corona. I also like the control of the grind I get since every grain is a little bit different. It's also a nice initiation for the new brewers that come over.
 
All I hear is blah blah blah, I'm a *****! :) Just teasin' folks, but I do like the exercise of the handcranking myself.
 
I'll go against the grain on the above thoughts.. (pun intended)

I don't have the same grain mill as you, I have a Barley Crusher. I truly enjoy hand grinding the grain. When I first got the BC I used a drill. Later I started grinding by hand. In my experience the crush is better, my effeciency better and I've ground 17lbs in maybe 15-20 minutes. I didn't time it. To each their own, I enjoy manually hand grinding. It really is not hard to do, usually do the night before I brew. It's like foreplay to brewing.

I'm with you on this Dan. I enjoy doing double decoctions too and I'm going to do a triple decoction for a Boh Pils just as soon as I can get the ingredients. I also condition the malt with a spray bottle and about 4 or 5 oz of water beforehand and the crush is that much better because all the husks have gotten rubbery and not pulverized. I just enjoy the whole process and it never been a chore to me.
 
I'll go against the grain on the above thoughts.. (pun intended)

I don't have the same grain mill as you, I have a Barley Crusher. I truly enjoy hand grinding the grain. When I first got the BC I used a drill. Later I started grinding by hand. In my experience the crush is better, my effeciency better and I've ground 17lbs in maybe 15-20 minutes. I didn't time it. To each their own, I enjoy manually hand grinding. It really is not hard to do, usually do the night before I brew. It's like foreplay to brewing.

I picture Dan standing there at his mill, turning the crank with one hand and smoking a pipe with the other, probably in a smoking jacket, staring into the distance and serenely contemplating the beauty of life. Probably his zen moment for the evening.

Actually, I've been planning forever to get a corona mill and crank by hand too, just been too lazy to order it. I really need to do so...
 
My very first time using my Barley Crusher I used the hand crank. (Of course, the hand crank came with the mill and was not an extra cost item.) After having tried that, I decided to use the drill. I know many people use cordless drills. I use a corded drill. What I find to be more important is that you use a drill with a keyless chuck. This way you can easily attach and detach the drill from the mill. Having said this, I must admit that I purchased two drills so that I could set one up to drill holes, and the other to drive the screws when I am doing woodworking projects. Makr
 
I must admit that I purchased two drills so that I could set one up to drill holes, and the other to drive the screws when I am doing woodworking projects. Makr

I did the same thing, I got tired of changing from bit to driver over and over...

My minimum grain bill is 50lbs, there is no way in hell I would hand crank my mill so I bought a geared motor....
 
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