Have you made good beer with a Corona mill?

I know many people have had bad experiences with Corona or Corona-style mills (e.g. Porkert), and even more are convinced that they are just bad without ever having used one. But I suspect that these mills have a worse reputation than they deserve. I also suspect that while they may not be ideal for brewers who fly sparge, they are probably just fine for those who batch sparge. And given that you can pick them up for $15 - $40, they could be a viable solution for many homebrewers, particularly those experimenting with PM or AG brewing.

I routinely hit efficiencies in mid 70's now with my Porkert mill, and I am quite pleased with that. I am also continually hearing about brewers who are doing better with this mill.

So, the question is, how many of you that are Corona-style mill users have had good success and what efficiencies are you reaching?

[A request: please try to base your response on your knowledge from experience, rather than reputation.]

I used to use a Corona and it worked fine. The husks got torn up more than my Crankandstein, and the crush wasn't as consistent, but I averaged around 75% efficiency. My main complaint was that it was so slow.

My experience was almost the same as alemonkey's.
The only differences are:
The husks got tore up more than with my JSP.
I don't know what my efficiency was, because I never used to measure it, but I would guess around 70%
In addition to being slow, it was very difficult to adjust.

I had no problems with it and fly sparging.

-a.

I use a Porkert mill and I both batch and fly sparge. When batch sparging I get mid to high 70's and when fly sparging I get low to mid 80's. It does shred the husk a bit much but I'm extremely satisfied with my results and haven't had a single stuck sparge (even with a 70/30 wheat beer).

I'm using an el cheapo ebay corona mill and been getting great results. I fly sparge and can hit high 70s efficiency easily. I motorized mine by putting a bolt in the back of the shaft and cutting the head off and attaching my drill. It is VERY fast, I can burn through 10 lbs of grain in a few minutes.

I get consistent mid eighties with my Porkert.When i adapted it to a drill i ended up with a tighter fit,hence way finer grind.Lots of flour but mostly intact hulls.No stuck mashes or sparges either.The thing works great,it grinds 1 lb per minute on my electric drill.
Cheers

I know this isn't exactly what you were asking for but...

I was listening to a Basic Brewing Radio interview of Charlie Papazian, he uses and has always used a Corona mill. Says he has always had excellent results.

Started low on my first batch, on my 4th batch hit 78%, batch sparge with mine.

I steep some grains, but recently I purchased a Victoria Molina.

I am very pleased with it because I can adjust the grind. I find most of the husks are intact while the grain is crushed into many bits.

Much easier than a rolling pin...

Thanks for chiming in everyone. This confirms my belief that the Corona really isn't that bad a mill.

FWIW, I also have my Porkert motorized now, and it is lightning fast. I can burn through 10 lbs of grain in 2 or 3 minutes. Provided you already have a drill, all one needs is bolt with the head cut off (i.e. $0.25 upgrade). Works great.

Maybe I will hold off on buying that BarleyCrusher for a while...

Great...now everyone on EBAY is going to jack up their prices on corona mills...thanks! JK

Are you guys adding a larger hopper or do you just do a few pounds at a time?


-sorry for not having any practicle knowldge but I thought it was still on topic..

Thanks

Here is my rig. I've actually added some aluminum flashing to direct the grains better but it's still essentially this.



Not pretty but it definitely works!

I don't know how to figure out what my efficiency is, but I've done two all grain batches with my Corona mill. They were both very decent Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clones, the last one being better than the first probably as a result of lessons learned from the previous attempt as well as some recipe tweaks. I like being able to take the Corona apart and put it in the dishwasher. It really does the trick for those of us with short arms and deep pockets.

I just made a rye pale ale today and got 81% efficiency with my Porkert. I had to run the rye through the mill twice, that is some small stuff.

good info to know, I have been thinking of buying one, since I really don't want to spend close to 200 on a mill.

My LHBS has a porkert mill which I have used, that is until I bought my own.
Not having anything to compare it too just yet ( a fellow brewer has a barley crusher sent for, so I'll have something to compare it to ) I have found it to be good enough for what I want.
I don't even use a motor, I hand crank.

I made a stand with a chute to funnel grain into my bucket as you can see in these pictures.
http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a357/nflder/?action=view&current=hops006.jpg
http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a357/nflder/?action=view&current=hops009.jpg
http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a357/nflder/?action=view&current=hops008.jpg

I generally get between 75 and 85% efficiency and detect no astringency in any of my brews.

Overall I'm happy with my mill. But they do say ignorance is bliss.

I hate the corona mill and I tossed mine out and bought a Barley crusher.

If you have the corona with the small hopper a large quaker oats container with the bottom cut out fits into it perfectly and you can JUST get 5 lbs of grain in there.

FlyGuy said:

And given that you can pick them up for $15 - $40, they could be a viable solution for many homebrewers, particularly those experimenting with PM or AG brewing.

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Since I started brewing in the 1980s I have only used a corona mill, and get about 75% efficiencies even with 33-50% unmalted wheat adjunct. I like the corona grind I get better than the shop grinds of either northern brewer or morebeer, both of which appeared to be nearly uncrushed. I assume that one can get better crush with a good roller mill but would it be $150 better? Not for me, unless I end up with a lot of extra cash.

I think this would be a good scenario for Corona success:

1. Buy the corona cheap locally, like $10-$20 at a garage sale or flea market. No shipping; sucker is heavy
2. Smaller grain bills, like 10# or less. Large grain bills can be tiring to do by hand.
3. batch sparging rather than fly sparging; less likely for the shredded husks to cause a stuck sparge or tannin overextraction
4. willing to fiddle/tinker.

I have started putting together a page about using a corona mill for homebrewing. Rough but might be useful to newcomers who have inherited a corona.

I use a Victoria Corona mill, and I'm pleased with the results for the price. When I crush, the husks are at least 75% intact, and I get a noticable amount of flour.

I've never had a stuck sparge with it, and the 12 batches I've done with it have been between 85% and 90%. I also do a long slow fly sparge, which I think keeps the efficiency up there in my case.

I feel like such a turn-coat having purchased a monster mill. I'll miss my Porkert, it chewed through a ton of grain without a single complaint or re-adjustment and made me a whole lot of good quality beer.

Cheers to the corona-style!

bradsul said:

I feel like such a turn-coat having purchased a monster mill. I'll miss my Porkert, it chewed through a ton of grain without a single complaint or re-adjustment and made me a whole lot of good quality beer.

Cheers to the corona-style!

Click to expand...

Can I have yours? <kidding>

I asked about the corona style mills a couple of times on here. Every time, folks told me to get a Barley Crusher. So I spent the extra $100 and did just that.

With my trusted cordless drill the thing tore through 10.33 lbs of grain in just over a minute.

And with my very first AG batch, I MISSED MY TARGET GRAVITY...by 0.001... :rockin: worth every penny!

chemist308 said:

I asked about the corona style mills a couple of times on here. Every time, folks told me to get a Barley Crusher. So I spent the extra $100 and did just that.

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I don't remember your thread, but the Barley Crusher is a very popular mill -- so much so that people will recommend it over a Corona-style mill even if they have never tried a Corona.

I have no doubt that the BC is a better mill (and I still have my eye on one), but be careful of unknowledgeable people out there who blindly recommend nothing but their own mill. When comparing mills, best to solicit opinions from people who have tried both of the types you are considering (there tend to be fewer of them).

P.S. On my last batch I did a 25 lb grain bill on my Porkert (Corona-style) mill in 4 minutes, and I probably could have done it faster if I had a hopper. Speed isn't really a difference between mills once you have them motorized.

I have a Corona and I'm happy with it. I have nothing to compare it to, though, since I'm new in the game and have only seven batches under my belt.

I batch sparge in a cooler with a bazooka screen.

On my last three batches I've had 83, 81 and 81% efficiency into the boiler.
It was less in the first brews but I can't blame that on the crush. I crush fine, lots of flour, and no stuck sparges or bad taste.

I tried to attach the drill last time I brewed, but I couldn't find the right size bolt in the garage. Anyone know the tread size?

beefeater

I always get over 80% with my corona. It adjusts easily to different size grains, makes lots of flour and leaves plenty of husks for filtering. Plenty of people turn this mill thing into a huge debate... but the reality is that both tools are effective when used properly. Still I won't get a roller mill till someone figures out how to make one for a reasonable price.

An update:

I found the right bolt today (5/16" treads) and attached the drill.
I just went through 5kg of Pale malt and 1/3kg Crystal and it was a breeze!

Ran the drill at the slowest speed and it just chewed through it in no time!

A very fine crush as usual. I have just doughed in, hit my temperature on the mark and life is good!

Time for a homebrew,
Cheers!

Edit: Got 80.5&#37; eff. into boiler on this last brew. Calculated the recipe at 80. Ain't gonna change anything but the recipes from now!

Any more details or pics of the bolt in place on the mill? I'd like to work up some documentation on this.

fratermus said:

Any more details or pics of the bolt in place on the mill? I'd like to work up some documentation on this.

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It's pretty simple -- take the handle off the mill, pull out the bolt from the handle, take it to Home Depot or Lowes, match it to a similar thread, use a hacksaw to cut the head off the new bolt, insert into mill.

FlyGuy said:

It's pretty simple -- take the handle off the mill, pull out the bolt from the handle, take it to Home Depot or Lowes, match it to a similar thread, use a hacksaw to cut the head off the new bolt, insert into mill.

Click to expand...

Which is what I did this past week also.

Haven't tried it yet but perhaps I'll brew this weekend.

So, any one got any fancy stands for the Corona Mill. Right now that is my biggest problem with it.

Well and a sore arm.

Tim

I used a corona mill for over a year ran by an ice cream motor with a 35# stainless hopper on top. Took about an hour & a half for 30#'s
Always made great beer but was very slow. My Barley Crusher is 100 times faster.
But the corona i paid $35 for & abused it for a long time & it is still 100%.

I use a corona knock-off I bought for $16 brand new. Hook up with a drill motor for sure. After adjusting down, I get 73 to 78% eff. Because there is a fair amount of flour I recently started adding 1/8 to 1/4 lb of rice hulls. Batch Sparge run-off is much quicker.

I had 1 stuck sparge in 25 batches - easily rectified with a shot of compressed air in the copper manifold.

I will find other ways to spend $150 on beer candy.

We used a motorized Corona to gring specialties for a little while at the micro when we first were getting started!

I have the background, tools and supplies to make a motorized setup for my corona mill, but I haven't done it (I even have the cut off bolt to put a drill on). Why? Because I'm a sick bastard and for some reason I take pleasure in hand cranking each batch of grain and making sure I'm happy with each 2lb hopper full that gets ground (I adjust as I go along).

I'm in the electronics field and I have an extensive automotive background, but I LOVE to take a hand-on approach to my brewing and automate as little as possible.

I hand cranked mine for about 30 seconds when i got it. Then i went in a cut about half of the handle out & welded it back together. It was alot harder to crank but way faster.
The drill sucked because when they drilled the bolt hole its at an angle. My drill would flop around violently.
Thats when i welded a nut to a bolt & attached an ice cream moter.
Slow but steady.

FlyGuy said:

It's pretty simple -- take the handle off the mill, pull out the bolt from the handle, take it to Home Depot or Lowes, match it to a similar thread, use a hacksaw to cut the head off the new bolt, insert into mill.

Click to expand...

.....or don't even bother to cut off the bolt head. Just chuck the correct size socket into the drill, and rock n' roll......

rico567 said:

.....or don't even bother to cut off the bolt head. Just chuck the correct size socket into the drill, and rock n' roll......

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+1, thats what I do

and...

another +1 for your thread necromancy skills.


Note to the admins, we need a special zombie smilie for situations like this. Just a thought.

what is the capacity of corona mill? how many pounds/minute can I get if I run it manually?

400d said:

what is the capacity of corona mill? how many pounds/minute can I get if I run it manually?

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Depends on how many kids you have that want to take turns cranking the mill. With one 11 year daughter old I can to a middle size mash bill in 25 min. Maybe twenty if I throw in ice cream after. However I'm afraid the novelty is starting to wear off and I'm not sure I could get my younger son to step up yet.

Seriously though, depends on how fast you want to crank it. With the tall hopper by itself it only holds 2-3 pounds. I took an infant formula can and cut the bottom out and crimped it to make an even taller hopper by shoving it into the existing hopper. Then put one of those large 12" funnels in the top of that, all together about 12 pounds capacity.

Eventually I'll be going this route:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/

specifically like post 144 by wilserbrewer https://www.homebrewtalk.com/1308996-post144.html