2 and 3 roller grain mills

[Dr_Deathweed]

I have started looking at adding a grain mill to my brewing family and came up with one question:

Is there really a difference between 2 and 3 roller grain mills?

I understand the concept that a 3 roller mill crushes the grain twice, once at a larger gap to flatten it, and another at a smaller gap to crush and separate husk and starch, while a 2 roller mill jumps straight to the smaller gap. Just wondering if anyone out there had compared the two and noticed any real difference between the two crushes.

If not, I will probably get the barley crusher, I have used one a few times and love it.

If there is a HUGE positive difference in crushes, I will probably shell out the extra for a monster mill....

Thanks in advance for y'alls help!

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

bumpity bump?

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

ok, one last bump, then I will give up on this question

 

[John Beere]

Come on man - you are from Texas... bigger is ALWAYS better!

I just purchased the new Monster Mill M3-20 after running into trouble with my JSP maltmill. I haven't had a chance to use it though but can report back in the coming weeks after giving it a go...

 

[BrianP]

I think this is along the lines of aluminum vs stainless kettles, glass vs plastic carboys, and comparing the merits of various sanitizers. There are lots of opinions out there.

The 2-roller Barley Crusher was the right solution for me (right price, good quality, comes with a hopper and ready to go right out of the box). A 3-roller may or may not make a better crush, but I'm really happy with my BC. I saw a big improvement in efficiency by crushing my own grain, and I still use the factory settings.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

Come on man - you are from Texas... bigger is ALWAYS better!

Bigger may be better when it comes to ****s and guns, but prices is where I start to draw the line....

I know that the 3 roller mills are supposedly better, but is it worth the price tag? If it is only 3-4 points in efficiency for an extra $60 - I'll pass. But if there is a huge improvement it may be worth the investment.

if you could do the comparison, I would VERY much appreciate it.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

I think this is along the lines of aluminum vs stainless kettles, glass vs plastic carboys, and comparing the merits of various sanitizers. There are lots of opinions out there.

The 2-roller Barley Crusher was the right solution for me (right price, good quality, comes with a hopper and ready to go right out of the box). A 3-roller may or may not make a better crush, but I'm really happy with my BC. I saw a big improvement in efficiency by crushing my own grain, and I still use the factory settings.

I've used the barley crusher several times and was just about to order one, but if I am going to be shelling out the dough, I want to make sure I get my $$ worth ya know?

I guess this thread is more to assuage the buyers remorse that I may get between the time I order and my first crush

 

[Alamo_Beer]

FWIW I got the JSP Malt Mill from AHB and so far like it quite a bit.....

In homebrewing I'm not sure if there is a HUGE reason for the 3rollers but you know...to each his own.

Also, someone said in one of these threads...."no ones going to bash their own mill" which I think is true....

 

[wildwest450]

You can get over 80% with a barley crusher, how efficient do you need to be? Save the dough, you can't go wrong with the barley crusher, I love mine.

 

[Bytor1100]

woot +1 on the barley crusher, no regrets

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I think the real problem with getting responses to this thread is that so few people have used more than one mill. Maybe people have a had a Corona and upgraded, but the fact of the matter is that all the malt mills available to homebrewers are sufficient and probably somewhat overkill. They are all huge chunks of steel and aluminum that under normal HBing conditions will likely last for 30 years or more with no maintenance, so no-one needs to buy more than one. That said, my LHBS produces a nice crush that gets me good efficiency so I have not yet purchased a mill.

Technically, a 3-roller will leave more husks in tact, which may not help your efficiency a ton but should make your grain bed more light and workable (i.e., an easier sparge). This may amount to a minor bump in efficiency, but I have not heard that is the real advantage.

If I were you, I would get this.

He often has the same mill for sale, and it is the best deal on the net, bar none.

Cheers, and happy crushing you lucky dog

 

[Glibbidy]

Three rollers are better then two for several reasons, however two roller mills are a more cost effective solution then a three roller. I'll just leave it at that.
With that said I have a barley crusher, and it does a fantastic job.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I won't tell my Barley Crusher that you're even thinking about another model. After all the time you've spent together, I think its feelings would be crushed (pardon the pun).

 

[WeHeavy]

I used a Corona for years before breaking down and buying a 2 roll mill and to tell you the truth I wish I would of kept my money.

I've played with the gap and the speed at witch I mill and it's really no better than my Corona. I'm not going to say the name of the 2 roll other than to say it's a very popular $100+ brand.

I did make a few modes to my Corona, one thing I did was file down the sharp edges of the grind plates, that made a big diffrences in not tearing the husks.

I now have a back up mill should one go kaput.

 

[jdoiv]

I had a two roller fermentap? roller that B3 sells and now have a Monster mill 3 roller mill. As far as the difference in efficiency is concerned, I would say that it is negligible.

As BK pointed out above, the main difference is how the husk is left intact. The two roller mill would shred the husk when it was set to a fine crush and was also rather hard to feed the grain through. This can lead to stuck/slow sparges and increases the chance for tannin extraction.

With the 3 roller, I opened up the gap to get not quite as fine of a crush since it does a better job of separating the endosperm from the husk. The husks are more intact and create a very light filter bed. It's like adding rice hulls to the mash without actually adding any rice hulls. The wort comes out a little clearer and the efficiency is about the same (I average 85-91%). I've also noticed that it doesn't absorb as much water as the previous crush, allowing me to get more liquid out of the MLT, or use less for sparging.

That being said, I don't think it makes that much of a difference and is only worth the extra money if you are wanting to push the limits of efficiency and want to minimize the chance of tannin extraction. Also, the BC comes ready to go out of the box, the MM requires you to build a base and hopper.

All in all, you can't go wrong with either one as both will help you make good beer.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

I won't tell my Barley Crusher that you're even thinking about another model. After all the time you've spent together, I think its feelings would be crushed (pardon the pun).

Yeah, but when you spend that much time with a grain mill you just can't help but to look around and think of something else before you settle down, no matter how awesome the one you have is....

I had a two roller fermentap? roller that B3 sells and now have a Monster mill 3 roller mill. As far as the difference in efficiency is concerned, I would say that it is negligible.

Thats pretty much what I was waiting to hear. After all the positive experiance with Lil' Sparky's mill, I will most likley get the BC sometime in the near future.

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[tnlandsailor]

Why not set your 2 roller mill to a slightly larger gap and run the grain through twice? I have my gap set at about 0.048" (feeler gage) and run every batch through twice on that same setting. This will accomplish pretty much what the three roller is designed to do, the 3 roller just saves a little time. Since you have to wait on the HLT water to heat anyway, there is no real rush and there is plenty of time to mill twice. Just a thought.....

Prosit!