Moving on to all grain brewing.

ok I am planning on moving to all grain brewing and I have a few questions. I have a vacuum sealer and I was going to buy 50 pound bag of grain and vacuum seal it into 5 lb pages.
The problem is I do not have a mill and was wondering if I can get the 50 lbs milled already?
What is a good base malt grain to get? I like Pale ales and IPA's?
I live fairly close to a HBS Maltose in CT. so I can always pick up my specially malts I need when brewing so i do not need those on hand.
any help would be great

If you are getting the grain pre-milled I would definitely recommend vacuum sealing the bags of grain. Look at getting a mill soon. Grain will store much better if it is left whole.
Figure out how much the vacuum bags will cost and the cost for the HBS to crush the grains for you. Over time you will save enough to pay for the crusher.

Well I just left my local brewer Captain Lawrence and he is going to hook me up with a 55 lb bag of the pale malt he uses for $30.. so I have to buy a mill... can someone recommend a good mill that will not break the bank...
thanks guys and gals

You should be able to find a corona style mill for 25-30USD I would think. They aren't great but they definitely work. I use one and routinely hit mid to high 70's for efficiency. You will definitely want to use a drill to power it though, hand cranking through enough grain for a batch would NOT be fun.

I second the suggestion. They are a cheap, interim solution. The grind isn't very consistent, but once I hit 85%. I got mine on eBay for $20. Then I found a Corona knock-off locally for $15. You will more than pay for that with your fist sack of grain.

Midwest charges $3.00 to crush a 50lb bag.

Well worth it.

BierMuncher said:

Midwest charges $3.00 to crush a 50lb bag.

Well worth it.

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And about $30 to ship it.

If at all possible, try and get your grains at the LHBS. It should come out much cheaper.

I can get 25 kg Maris Otter from the LHBS for just $35

-a.

bradsul said:

You should be able to find a corona style mill for 25-30USD I would think. They aren't great but they definitely work. I use one and routinely hit mid to high 70's for efficiency. You will definitely want to use a drill to power it though, hand cranking through enough grain for a batch would NOT be fun.

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Nah. I still hand crank mine. A little exercise and you don't have to knock yourself out doing it. I take my time and relax when doing all my brew related activities.