Porkert grain mill

[Onescalerguy]

I know there's a hundred threads about grinders,but.........I want to know if the porkert grinder will do the trick.I read all about the JSP,Corona,BarleyGrinder,etc. but I'm much better able to afford the $50 instead of the $150.One guy said he liked his and i was hoping for another opinion or twelve.I'm gonna try my first AG this weekend and might experiment with my hand-crank meat grinder which has an assortment of different sized cutting plates.If that won't work(and i seriously doubt it will)i'll have to use the old rolling pin.Ugh,10 lbs of 2-row with a rolling pin,what fun!!Anyhow,thanks in advance and any comments would be welcome.
Cheers


Pri.1-NB Trad Wheat
Pri.2-NB Dunkelweisen
Sec.1-Atmosphere
Sec.2-More Atmosphere
Bottled/Aging-3B Stout
THB NutBrownAle
THB YellowDogAle
THB Oktoberfest
All gone -THB Trad.Wheat
OnDeck-1stAG LongBlondeAle

 

[homebrewer_99]

Be careful using the rolling pin...ESPECIALLY if it's your wife's favorite or it's been handed down in her family...I "accidentally" broke the handle off of my wife's rolling pin...oops!

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

Don't be surprised if your efficiency sucks if you use the rolling pin method, crush has a huge effect on it. You'd better have some DME on hand to bolster your numbers.

Also, you better sleep well the night before and keep those arms rested, 10lbs!

 

[Onescalerguy]

Just finished grinding 10# of 2-row with a 5lb rolling pin.It reallly sucked!!1 cup at a time it took 90min.I ordered a Porkert grinder online(Priority Mail!)after the 2nd cup!!A little foresight would of been nice.Duh! Gotta hit the hay now,a few Widmer Hefes under the belt and fatigue and needing rest for my 1st AG in the AM.Thanks all.Cheers

 

[Monster Mash]

I checked the specs on that mill and this is what is says...


-Produce flour from grain or grind all types of spices, seeds, coffee or nuts.
-Two sets of identical 3" diameter grinder plates are natural cast iron, machined and sharpened.
-Tin coated cast iron.
-11" high.
-Made in Czech Republic

You really don't want to turn your grain into flour. If it is like the corona mill you can put spacers in it to seperate the plates but you still won't get an optimum crush.

 

[boo boo]

Not having "seen" an optimum crush, all I can say is that I own a Porkert mill and am satisified with the crush I get and also the effieiency I get out of my mash. I look at pictures of other peoples crushed grain using a roller mill and have to say my crush isn't all that much diferent looking.
I agree that the prinicipal of the roller has to be better by not shredding the husk as much, but for a cheapskate like me, lol, my Porkert is tops.

Some pictures of my ghetto setup mill.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a357/nflder/hops009.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a357/nflder/hops006.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a357/nflder/hops008.jpg

Don't know if you can see the washers I use as spacers between the housing and the main body of the mill, but they are there. I crush by hand and it isn't too bad. Only a little exercise the night before I brew.

Cheers

 

[Onescalerguy]

A follow-up on the Porkert grain mill.I used the new grain mill last weekend to grind 12# of grain.I thought it worked well.You gotta kinda keep an eye on your grind though,making occasional adjustments(very simple).It probably took about 30-40 mins of cranking.The crank turned with very little effort,1 finger would work.I don't think this particular set-up can be adapted to a drill,though.All in all,I think it's a fine product for the money.No regrets.
Happy Thanksgiving! Cheers

 

[bradsul]

I have that mill (christmas present so I'm not one to complain). As has been mentioned you need to keep an eye on the adjustment screw because it has a habit of loosening on you. I use my cordless drill to run the feeder screw and a large funnel to increase the hopper. I started holding the set screw with my other hand while it was grinding through a full hopper and never had a problem again. For the price my gf paid at the time ($49 CDN) it's been a great tool.