Simphoto02
WoodyBlue
Not talking the "For the money you can't beat it" Grain mill. For a home brewer, what is the best grain mill, at any price, and Why?
Nice setup...Beats a drill on a bucket on the floorI have the Monster Mill 3 powered by the American Aleworks motor. While there are cheaper options, I doubt there is any alternative that will mill the grain faster or more conveniently.
Is it the best? It's impossible to say. Do you have room for it? The money? Need the convenience? Ultimately you have to decide what elements are important to you.
You ask what the best is for any price. I don't know, all I know is when I bought this I figured I'd never have to buy another. Further, there is no grain mill on the market that even tempts me, even if it were free. Take that for what it's worth.
Here's mine. I just dump in the grain, and in 2 minutes I have crushed grain.
View attachment 594360 View attachment 594361
It's also a lot slower than roller mills and way more prone to tearing the husks, which is not generally a big deal for a BIAB brewer but less desirable in a traditional bottom-draining mash tun, and then there's the bogeyman of increased astringency from shredded husks, which I've never noticed, but I also never mashout which is supposedly where the problem occurs.For longevity, a Corona mill would probably be best. Wear is almost nonexistent. The rollers in roller mills may be hardened steel, (various types may be available), but they are more prone to wear because they are knurled, as opposed to grooved. If you can find a grooved roller mill, and have the change to spare, buy that. If not, buy a Corona. It is by far the most cost efficient, and will last forever-ish.
Nice setup...Beats a drill on a bucket on the floor
This is the first I've heard of Oxygen in malt. Seems a bit extreme but everyone is always looking for the next best thing in brewing. I cant see how an extra 2 minutes of air exposure to milled grain would make a difference but to each their own Not that a drill would be any different than a motor as far as air exposure and timing. I drill it mill it and stick it in my pre heated strike water.Yeah....I'm fortunate in that I'm an empty-nester so it's easier to afford some things that I'd had no chance to buy 15 years ago.
When I started a few years ago I had the drill and the bucket arrangement....
Part of the reason I bought this was that I was working on LODO techniques at the time...still am. One tenet is to crush the grain as close to dough-in as you can to limit oxidation of the crushed malt....and this arrangement was as fast a setup as I could find. And it is. I weigh out the grain, toss in the hopper, get the strike water ready, run downstairs and turn on the mill, then in 2 minutes I'm heading back up stairs with crushed grain....
Interesting. Ya hear something new everyday in the homebrew world. I wonder how many homebrewers are milling in a Nitrogen purged environment...Me thinks not many.@JONNYROTTEN Malt oxidizes just like a cut apple gets brown. Here's a recent short writeup from Ron Smith of Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI) brew club. Check out the pic of the 3 worts at the bottom. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FoamBlowersofIndiana/permalink/1776569752453894/
This is the first I've heard of Oxygen in malt. Seems a bit extreme but everyone is always looking for the next best thing in brewing. I cant see how an extra 2 minutes of air exposure to milled grain would make a difference but to each their own Not that a drill would be any different than a motor as far as air exposure and timing. I drill it mill it and stick it in my pre heated strike water.
Interesting. Ya hear something new everyday in the homebrew world. I wonder how many homebrewers are milling in a Nitrogen purged environment...Me thinks not many.
Shredded husks have never been an issue for my beer either, but it's something some people are concerned about. As for speed, I use a Corona and my drill doesn't have enough torque to turn it, so I hand crank that sucker. Halving my crush time would be a significant time saver whenever I brew. If it's motorized, I imagine it's not as big a deal unless you're using a drill that can't be locked so you have to hold the trigger down until it's finished, but if we're talking about the absolute best mill as OP asked, being faster is a distinct upgrade.Corona mill a lot slower? Not my experience exactly....say a corona mill takes 5-6 minutes on a 30 lb grain bill vs 3 minutes on a 3 roller? If set up on a stand that’s 3 minutes that you are doing something else anyway....
I have a kegco 3 roller aka mm exact copy and a corona....they both produce a very nice crush.
Yes, the 3 roll leaves the husk slightly more intact, but I have yet to actually meet the bogeyman of torn husk fearmongering lol, they both work darn well
Not talking the "For the money you can't beat it" Grain mill. For a home brewer, what is the best grain mill, at any price, and Why?
What gap are you using for most of your grinds?I have the Millar's Pilot Mill and love it. It breaks down easily to store in it's own bucket, it mills smoothly and easily enough to hand grind. And it's very pretty.
I'll sell you mine for $999.99. Free shipping.
J/K, if this thing every stops working I'll replace with MM3. But unfortunately Jack Schmidling made this MaltMill to last my lifetime.
#metoo. I only wish Jack had offered the adjustable Maltmill 20 years ago when I bought mine, or if he did offer it then I wish I'd had the foresight to buy it as this thing will surely outlive me and I am too cheap to buy another while this mill works so well. The only reason I want an adjustable is sometimes I do BIAB and I want a fine crush but for non-BIAB the crush from this is about perfect for me.
@NGD It's legit. Scroll down the page and it's at the bottom. https://www.ssbrewtech.com/pages/the-workshop
Thanks, it is definitely ghetto but also compact.Ghetto and I like it. I have been meaning to do what you did there with the bin. One of these days...
Holy cow! Props to brewtech for making killer equipment and making it look good.
What gap are you using for most of your grinds?
That's a 3D CAD drawing.
The barley crusher IS the one to stay away from due to the rollers wearing out very quickly.Years ago I bought a Barley Crusher Malt Mill. It's the only one I've purchased so I don't have a comparison. Still works perfectly.
I've read that the gap will slip on some of the cheaper ones.
I did eventually motorize it because I could never get a consistent RPM with the drill. (I'm puzzled why they still come with a hand crank)
The barley crusher IS the one to stay away from due to the rollers wearing out very quickly.
I'm sorry to inform you of this but be prepared to have this issue if you have one and use it on a regular basis.
OP its the one brand of mill I would avoid.
google it also do a search here for "mill rollers stopped turning" or "mill issues" you will find 99% of the many many threads and reviews complaining of this as well as the horrible execution of the lifetime warranty are from the barley crusher mill.. sorry. the rollers are very soft and the bushings get contaminated with grain dust wearing them out.Where did you find this information? I have not been able to find any reviews or data indicating the rollers "wear out very quickly".
As mentioned, mine has worked well for several years. Consistent gap. No slippage.
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