Crushing Grains

I went to our towns local Homebrew meeting and they have 2 Row for very cheap which was very exciting news. After I got home I got to thinking well if I buy this in bulk instead of at the LHBS how am I going to crush the grains? I looked online and read about the blender method or running them over with your car!?? Not really what I want to do either way. I was looking at the Grain Mills to figure out how they work to devise an alternative method. From what I can see is two rollers are adjustable and you roll the grains through. This is VERY similar to my pasta press, granted my pasta press is a big smaller. I am new to the all grain and have not been brewing too long in general so I am looking for some general feedback on if this would produce similar results?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/using-pasta-maker-mill-grain-75784/

I have used a pasta roller, but prefer a corona type mill for cheap crushing. Blender will also work for light duty.

If you do it in the blender, you have to do it like 1/2 lb at a time, so it can take a while. You can also just roll them with a rolling pin, though people seem to have better results with rolling pins made of stone instead of those made of wood. Again, this takes a long time.

People have also had pretty good results with Corona Mills, though AGAIN, it takes a long time. Corona Mills cost about $20-40.

The BEST way to do this is to save up $120.00 and get a real grain mill, like a Barley Crusher. You can hook up an electric drill and get a good crush on 10lbs of grain in about 5 minutes. This is kinda part of the package deal if you want to buy grains in bulk, IMO.

Cereal Killer is a nice option that's pretty new. They have a sale (or at least did) for $80. It's very similar to the Barley Crusher. See thread below with some pics I posted on page 4.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/cereal-killer-grain-mill-274722/index4.html

Yeah seriously, think about how much you get paid hourly and how much time it will take doing it with these other quirky methods like a blender - never heard of the car thingy. But when you look at it, a Cereal Killer is $99 typically and includes free shipping. I got my Barley Crusher for $135. It's a one time purchase and for future grain purchases you'll be set from then on and also won't have to worry about a poor crush from the place your order your grains from.

I've seen so many people waste far more time, effort, AND cash trying to do things the cheaper way.


Rev.

I paid $20 for my Corona mill & use a drill I already had. It takes about 10 minutes to crush the grain for a 5 gal batch. I have run about 70# of grain through it, works great & never had to readjust. There is a several page thread about people who have gotten them to work just fine. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/

TopherM said:

People have also had pretty good results with Corona Mills, though AGAIN, it takes a long time. Corona Mills cost about $20-40.

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I have a Corona Mill in a bucket setup with a water jug hopper and can crush 12 pounds of grain in about 5 minutes easily. Get an excellent crush.

So I think they are an excellent option to the more costly roller mills.

There are several threads on building a corona mill in a bucket, do a search. (Ugly Corona Mill) The mills are available online for pretty cheap but shipping can be high because they are cast iron. I went to the local HBS and bought was about the same as buying on line and shipping it.

+1 to the corona mill.

It takes very little to produce an excellent crush and can be picked up pretty cheap.

I have less than $30 wrapped up in mine, and will probably never "upgrade" to a roller mill.

I get very close to 80% efficiency with no stuck sparges. Bought mine brand new on ebay with free shipping.

I'm sure the roller mills are really nice but I also have to recommend a corona mill. I found mine on amazon for $20, mounted it in a home depot bucket, and I crush grain for 5 gallon batches with the hand crank. It takes up to 15 minutes to crush but it's not like it's heavy labor. I have a drill I could use to motorize it but I haven't even seen the need. If your wallet is too heavy, the barley crusher looks great, if not, the corona mill will get the job done for about 1/5 the cost.

I also have never heard of rolling over the grain with your car. Having used the blender, Corona and barley crusher mills, I would now recommend the barley crusher (or similar).
The blender works for extract with specialty grain. The Coronoa mill I bought was like $50 (i got hosed!) but the barley crusher has made my life much much easier. I don't even use a drill to power it.
I agrre with Topher that if you buy all grain it should be factored into the cost. You'll save at least half the cost of yoru first 55 lb sack.

While ugly/Corona mills are cheap, and can do a decent job once you've adjusted/modified them TO do a decent job, it's not the route I went.

I started off with a Barley Crusher mill (7# hopper) and ran the grain for many batches through it. I then sold it (still works just fine I'm sure) and went for a Monster Mill MM2-2.0 (hardened rollers) with their base, hopper, and hopper extension setup. Let me tell you, it IS a MONSTER of a mill. The hardened rollers means it's going to run many thousands of pounds without issue. It has a 1/2" shaft (with flats for better gripping of the drill chuck) which mates quite well to my 18v DeWalt cordless drill.

I went with the hopper extension to be able to mill more than 11# of grain at one filling. I can now put 39# into the hopper at one shot. :rockin: It helps to have the higher capacity when most of your batches use 15+ pounds of grain. No more refilling the hopper for me now. :rockin: The 2" diameter rollers also make for a REALLY nice crush. The hopper designed by Monster is also a step above others I've seen.

Bottom line, you get what you pay for IMO... While you can get away with a cheap [ugly] mill, going with a roller mill (especially a well designed/built one) makes a huge difference. The way I see it, I'll be able to use my Monster Mill to easily crush grains for 10 gallon batches without refilling the hopper (except for high OG batches). I could even get away with it for 15-20 gallon batches (when I get to that point, but 10 gallon batches are more likely to happen fairly soon)... I have a recipe on deck for a high OG wee heavy that's going to use almost 27# of grain. I could only imagine trying to use a Corona, or Barley Crusher, mill for that.

BTW, I hear that the Corona mills tend to spit out some grains from the sides (between the plates). I've not used one, nor do I personally know anyone that uses one, so I can't say for certain. I did see it posted on these forums though.

Golddiggie said:

While ugly/Corona mills are cheap, and can do a decent job once you've adjusted/modified them TO do a decent job, it's not the route I went.

Bottom line, you get what you pay for IMO... While you can get away with a cheap [ugly] mill, going with a roller mill (especially a well designed/built one) makes a huge difference. The way I see it, I'll be able to use my Monster Mill to easily crush grains for 10 gallon batches without refilling the hopper (except for high OG batches). I could even get away with it for 15-20 gallon batches (when I get to that point, but 10 gallon batches are more likely to happen fairly soon)... I have a recipe on deck for a high OG wee heavy that's going to use almost 27# of grain. I could only imagine trying to use a Corona, or Barley Crusher, mill for that.

BTW, I hear that the Corona mills tend to spit out some grains from the sides (between the plates). I've not used one, nor do I personally know anyone that uses one, so I can't say for certain. I did see it posted on these forums though.

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What is the "huge" difference that you get out of a fancy mill besides the cost? The end result is the same in that the grain gets crushed. I get consistent results of around 75% efficiency. I also made a larger hopper with about $15 worth of HVAC ducting in which I can fit just shy of 13 pounds of grain. My solution was extravagant compared to many others in the "ugly junk" thread. Add in the cost of the bucket and I'm into the corona mill for $40. Don't get me wrong, if money were no object I'd get a fancy mill, but for me and many folks these days, money is an object. If your going to make a statement about getting what you pay for, let's here what that is. Hopper capacity can be easily addressed for short money as can motorization. When/if my Corona mill wears out I can replace it for $20, reuse the rest of my parts and then still only be $60 into it.

True, grains can spit out all over the place with the corona mill, but they're crushed, and can be directed where they need to go with a bag, piece of foil or flashing, or just by mounting the mill inside a bucket.

Awesome! Thanks for all the feedback. I had never heard of the Corona Mill before. After pricing it on amazon/ebay it seems to be the perfect solution to my grain milling issue without having to spend so much for the real grain mill. Brewing on a budget is always on the mind!

SNIP

CamelToeBrewing said:

... Brewing on a budget is always on the mind!

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I don't really see it as a "budget" concern for everyone. Truly, you can buy the tools for success (sp?) in as many ways as possible. A $20 corona mill + basic engineering skills can easily turn into a $200 crusher. It just depends on how capable you are, and the time it takes to do something.

I wouldn't look at it as a budget problem. Challenge yourself. Make it work. Then, it makes every bottle/pour/brew that much more special.

[/touchy feely stuff]

Sounds like you have already made up your mind and since you don't want to spend a lot of money I agree with the corona mill. The hopper looks tiny for an all grain brewer but that can be easily fixed with a little DIY mod. My mom had one of those things, back in the 70's and (at least back then) they were built like a brick sh#t house.

Having said that, save up your money and buy a Barley Crusher. It's a long term investment. Some things, pumps, CFCs, refractometers, SS brew stands, etc., are a luxury. I don't think a grain mill falls into that category

Just my two pennies.

There is something to be said for buying a quality tool to do the job... Just my .02

heyjaffy said:

What is the "huge" difference that you get out of a fancy mill besides the cost? The end result is the same in that the grain gets crushed. I get consistent results of around 75% efficiency. I also made a larger hopper with about $15 worth of HVAC ducting in which I can fit just shy of 13 pounds of grain. My solution was extravagant compared to many others in the "ugly junk" thread. Add in the cost of the bucket and I'm into the corona mill for $40. Don't get me wrong, if money were no object I'd get a fancy mill, but for me and many folks these days, money is an object. If your going to make a statement about getting what you pay for, let's here what that is. Hopper capacity can be easily addressed for short money as can motorization. When/if my Corona mill wears out I can replace it for $20, reuse the rest of my parts and then still only be $60 into it.

True, grains can spit out all over the place with the corona mill, but they're crushed, and can be directed where they need to go with a bag, piece of foil or flashing, or just by mounting the mill inside a bucket.

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Your post pretty much directed me away from ever wanting a corona mill, sounds like a lot of hassle, too bad the OP missed out on the deal for a roller mill just a week ago.

I use a corona in a bucket and crush 20 lbs in about 7 mins - and get 75% ... I can't imagine needing it to go any faster

Dan said:

Having said that, save up your money and buy a Barley Crusher. It's a long term investment. Some things, pumps, CFCs, refractometers, SS brew stands, etc., are a luxury. I don't think a grain mill falls into that category

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This!

It's really not that expensive, and provides a crush that is far superior to anything you'll get from a corona mill. Not to mention other benefits (all secondary, IMO) such as less time required to prepare a batch, simple to operate mess-free (and thus even less time spent cleaning up!), and greater durability/reliability.

But I've used a Corona mill, and I would never recommend it. Seems that the only people that do are just trying to justify their purchase/not spending the money for some decent equipment.

Seriously, it's such a key piece of equipment for the AG brewer, and won't break the bank. If you CAN afford a proper roller mill, just do it. No reason to hesitate and buy something inferior that you will, in all likelihood, soon want to replace anyways - in the end, an attempt to "save" money will likely just end up costing you more. And if you CAN'T afford a proper mill, then save up for one, and do what you have to in the meantime - use a buddy's mill, use a store's mill, buy grain precrushed, or just do whatever you've been doing up until now! Heck, the difference in price is just a batch or two of beer (for someone that doesn't buy bulk grain/hops), so it really shouldn't be out of reach for ANY brewer. Brew one batch less, if you really must... if it's really so financially beyond someone, they surely have more important things to be focusing on than brewing equipment OR ingredients, anyways.

My .01 (too poor to spare a second penny!)

Good feeback from everyone. It seems the Corona Mill is either loved or hated- no middle ground. My thing is that I have only been brewing for about 6 months and just recently and transitioning into AG. I have only done two AG batches and still have a lot of things on my "wish" list. I want to pimp out my brew kettle with the fancy ball valve system and the thermomoter installed. There are a lot of things to buy to convert to AG so I was looking for an easy way to save some money on all of that. I am not the worlds most handy person but able to handle small DIY challanges. I did make my own wort chiller- a lot of my DIY issues is also a lack of tools- those however I can borrow. Hopefully after the holiday season is done taking all my money I can focus more on the brewing purchases

I use one of the cheap Corona mill knock offs. I slip a gallon ziplock bag over the grinding end and zip it shut as much as possible so it contains the grain. When I put the kettle on the burner to bring it up to strike temperature I start grinding grains. I find that I always have time after the grains are ground to do other chores associated with brewing, including a quick check in with HomeBrewTalk. I don't find it particularly tedious even cranking by hand.

I have never personally used a barley crusher, however that's what my LHBS uses, and the crush is nice albeit too coarse(their settings, to sell more grain I'm sure).

I would personally put up my grains against any from a fancy roller mill, and I'm betting one couldn't tell the difference. I make very good beer, with no astringency from 'ripped husks' and I get great effeciency.

As stated before, my knock-off corona milling station was less than $30. Its ugly. I use an oatmeal can to extend my hopper. I direct the grains into a rubbermaid tub via garbage bag(unused, of course!).

I motorized my mill with a cordless drill, and plow through a #13 grain bill in less than 10 minutes. I have absolutely no need to go faster than that.

I know everyone has their preferences, and that's awesome that people seem so passionate about their set ups.

However, many of these negative ideas about corona mills are, IMO purely rumors. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with the way they mill grain if properly adjusted, as I'm quite sure the same goes for the roller mills.

I'm personally in the camp that believes the ugly mills get an undeserved bad reputation.

To the OP, if you can build your own wort chiller, you can adjust a corona mill.

crusher is nice corona mill is cheap i got this one for $28 with shipping (make an offer):
eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices
Homedepo bucket with lid for $4, $1 for screw to use drill and 5gal water bottle for $6 (big hopper). $39 for crushing your own grain anytime you want, 75% efficience, fast no mess i dont have a reason to buy crusher. Maybe one day id my mill dies and i have extra $150 i dont know what to do with i will get a crusher but i dont see this happening right now

Found an old one at a garage sale. Spent about $3 on it. I bought it to use as a meat grinder. I just realized it has a nut/corn attachment. I don't think there is a way of attaching a drill though. I'll test it on a batch before I get a few sacks of grain.

For some people, an extra $100 on equipment is too much when there is a much cheaper alternative. My labor is free since this is a hobby, so I don't mind working a bit harder to save some money. When money isn't so tight, I'll definitely invest in a good crusher, but it will be on one that I will never replace.

Thanks to the last few posters on some positive notes on the Corona Mill. This conversation makes me think: why buy a lexus when a kia will serve the same purpose for a fraction of the cost? As long as the Corona Mill will get the job done- why not. And a few extra minutes- big whoop when the whole brew day takes quite a bit of time. And if it needs small mods, then I can claim some pride in helping it work better myself. Personally I would rather have the money to make more batches of beer (that is after all my goal) and also a 40 dollar machine will be easily justified after I show SWMBO the nice expensive versions!

Corona mill will work out just fine I'm sure. I justified the $100 cereal killer since I'm saving so much by buying my 2 Row in 50lb sacks. Most of my batches are now $13-20, with some big gravities for the $20 end. Well worth the money and investment.

I look into all of my hobbies these days as, "buy once, cry once."
If I find myself debating between 2 items due to price I usually end up saving to buy the bigger/better item. Yes the corona probably has a fine crush but seems like too much of a hassle over my lifetime. A cereal killer should last a lifetime, so lets say 40 years of brewing, an extra $1.50 a year for less hassle certainly seems like a good investment.

I really don't understand what the hassle is over a lifetime. You set up a corona once and you're golden. Same as a barley crusher, or any other mill. There is no fuss after its set up. Especially if the bucket system is employed. Dump your grains in the hopper and pull the trigger on your drill. Its the same process either way. I will be utterly shocked if the corona doesn't last my lifetime, and I'm planning on 50+ more years. When is the last time you heard of an item made of cast iron wear out?

And for the record, I'm in no way bashing roller mills. I'm certain they are great! The biggest drawback for me is their price. That said, I'm simply trying to point out that not only is a corona mill an option for many, it is a very good, economical choice offering desireable results. And that many of the negative points surrounding the corona are either false or hearsay. My experience has been wonderful with mine, I know many others share the same experience.