Looking into grain mills...suggestions?

Going to be purchasing a grain mill within the next two weeks. Have a few questions:

1) which is better the 7lb or 15lb capacity? Is it kind of like mash tun, get the larger size now instead of upgrading later?

2) do you usually crush your grains twice? What's the advantages/disadvantages?

3) what's the difference between the two rollers versus three rollers setup?

4) how do you know which setting the rollers should be set to? Does it vary depending on the grains?

Thanks for your input!

 

4) yea it will depend on grain size.

That's all I got.

 

I have also been shopping around for a mill this is what I have come up with

Barley Crusher from Midwest is $130 plus 13 shipping to NC which is $143

Monster Mill is $117 for the basic + $40 Base + 19.40 ship = 176.40 tot

Crankenstein is 109 for 2 A + 45 base+ 12.35 ship to NC = 166.35

A few notes being that the Barley crusher has a 7 lb capacity but the 15 lb capasity is just the same mill with an extension so I figured I could upgrade that if needed, Also the monster mill and Crankenstein I could make a mill base and hopper but probably by the time I bought a piece of good plywood and took the time I would have over $40 invested. I think I am going to go with the 2 roller monster mill becasue i have heard really good things so far.

Also from reading up the difference between a 2 and 3 roller, I dont think it will make that much of a difference in my efficiency but I only shoot for 70 to 80% and anything over that is gravy. The difference in Grain purchased is small in my opinion.

All of this is simply my opinion I am interested to see what everyone else thinks as well

 

1) which is better the 7lb or 15lb capacity? Is it kind of like mash tun, get the larger size now instead of upgrading later?
A) My mill has a 7lb hopper which meaqns if I'm doing a batch with a larger grain bill I pour in the first 7lb wait for the mill to empty it then pour in the next 7lb. I see no reason to upgrade. I could mill 100lb of grain in 7lb increments.

2) do you usually crush your grains twice? What's the advantages/disadvantages?
A) I have never crushed the grains twice.

3) what's the difference between the two rollers versus three rollers setup?
A) My mill is 2 roller and works fine for me. I'm not sure as to the advantages of a 3 roller mill.

4) how do you know which setting the rollers should be set to? Does it vary depending on the grains?
A) my mill is set to around .040 and I do not change it. some will change the setting, but I find it a PITA and have just left it there. It works fine for me.

 

Having had a JSP Maltmill, Barley Crusher, and now a MM 2 2.0, I'd highly recommend the MM 2 2.0 over the others. A bit more expensive, but the larger rollers make a TON of difference IMHO. Even if my knurls get worn, the larger rollers will have a much easier time pulling grain through and the crush will always theoretically be better. I had a problem with my BC for a long time where it would intermittently stop pulling grain through due to the smaller rollers & wear. I'm not worried about that at all with the MM.

 

If your budget is tight, Jamal uses a Corona mill and gets 80+% efficiency. For the money the Corona design works well and you can add the money you saved into the first bag of grain. I think all told with the 2 homer buckets, wood, grinder and 5 gallon water bottle/hopper I may have a total of 50 bucks invested. The difference in cost pays for two sacks of 2 row or Marris Otter. I for one am into the economical way of doing as much of this as possible. That enables me to buy lots of grain and experiment with different grain bills at will, with very little expense. I have my grain and processing cost down to around 1.25 a pound so a 10 pound grain bill and yeast costs me anout 18 bucks for a 5 gallon batch. And that is using wyeast activator packs. I can add a little dark or wheat or any other specialty grains for a very reasonable cost and experiment with that pretty cheaply too. Jamal and several of the "Master" Brewers use a corona, so it is good enough for me. Your mileage may vary, but beauty is less important than results when I whip up a batch.

Wheelchair Bob

 

You should probably check out the suggested threads that I assume showed up at the bottom of this page. All of the mills you mentioned have their fans. Have the barley crusher myself and like it. Find in most of the threads the monster mill owners tend to be a little more passionate about their crushers, but most tend to spend substantially more by the time the transaction is done and may drive that need to justify the purchase. Think maybe the monster mill guy offers quite personal customer service which clearly helps loyalty.

Check out the similar threads below for previous discussions.

I do think the bigger difference is between roller mills and corona mills. While there are plenty of brewers that make good all grain beer using a hand crank corona mill, I believe a roller mill driven by a motor or drill is easier, faster and delivers a more consistent and reproducible crush. After you choose to take that step you are looking at features that may provide incremental performance improvements in throughput, crush and durability.

The drill/motor you use is pretty important. You want a low speed, high torque, preferably corded drill unless you are going to mount it in a stand with a dedicated motor. Expect that to add $40-$50 to your mill cost.

 

I have a crankenstien 2 roller mill

1) My hopper is 10lbs. My grain bills are usually 20-30lbs. I just keep crushing and filling till it's done.
2)No
3)I don't know.perhaps with 3 rollers you can get a finer crush without shredding the husks.
4)It depends on your mill and lauder tun. If you crush finer it could increase your efficiency. If you crush too fine you will get a stuck sparge. I'd start with the factory setting and go from there. It will probably take some trial and error but once you find the sweet spot I would set it and forget it.

 

http://www.homebrewing.org/Cereal-Killer-Grain-Mill_p_2310.html
Can't beat this thing for the price! Best investment I have made to date! $109 free shipping

 

I'm going with the barley crusher from the beersmith website. $109 w/7lb hopper plus shipping which is around $17 for me. All in all, it's not too bad. Plus, I like to support Brad and all he's done for the brewing community.

http://beersmith.com/barley-crusher/

 

I cannot recommend the adjustable JSP malt mill enough (http://www.williamsbrewing.com/REGULATOR-PAINTBALL-ADAPTER-P3250.aspx). I would recommend tweaking it out, extra large hopper, etc. I always thought I'd get around to it but I never did it would have been easier to order upfront.

Total cost 155 (adjustable mill - both ends) + 29 (hopper) + 25 (delivery)

-John

 

Whoops - wrong link, http://schmidling.com/maltmill.htm.