Any feedback on the Captain Crush Grain Mill?
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Schumed
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Just came out...no one has one yet...but what's up with Northern Brewers names for all these products lately
OP
OP
I dunno... But I kinda like it. Makes me think of the days of Cliff Harris with the Dallas Cowboys! 
(Though I think he was Captain Crash...)
(Though I think he was Captain Crash...)ChocolateMaltyBalls
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Schumed said:
I was thinking the same thing! I like the design, but I doubt it'll make me want to give up my barley crusher any time soon.
fuzzy2133
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I am surprised they did not use the Edelmetall name with their mill.
I like the gap adjustment knobs on the side that probably took a good amount of machining time to do. Good for those that change the gap frequently (I would rather set it and be done though).
Wonder how the slotted rollers do compared to the knurled design so many use.
I like the gap adjustment knobs on the side that probably took a good amount of machining time to do. Good for those that change the gap frequently (I would rather set it and be done though).
Wonder how the slotted rollers do compared to the knurled design so many use.
Those thumb screws are a BIG red flag for me after my experiences with my original MM 2 2.0. I'd never go back (MM took great care of me and sent me the new rails with their sweet new design free of charge!).
Yep, it's $280. 'nuff said for a pile of plastic. I'll get a Monster Mill or Barley Crusher and save $100.
The roller design is promising. All the structural bits that matter appear to be aluminum - I don't think "pile of plastic" is an accurate description at all. The thumbscrews could indeed be problematic. IMHO, wait for Captain Crush's promotion to Major before committing to one.
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I believe NB is just coming up with these new products to fill the many gaps in the homebrewer market. All of these products either did not exist (wide mouth carboy) or there was not much competition for that particular product, i.e. the bubbler (BB). I really like the design of this new mill and if my barley crusher ever gives out, I will probably have to pick one up. I will never go back to a barley crusher due to the terrible customer service. I have always have more than good things to say about norther brewer and their customer service and continue to support them because of that.
OP
OP
Agreed that "pile of plastic" doesn't seem fitting. It claims to be polycarbonate (a.k.a. lexan) which is pretty tough. When properly laminated it can stop a bullet! The hopper looks to actually metal on the inside of the poly wrapping. I also doubt the rollers are aluminum. The main housing may be aluminum but I think the same is true for other mills...
Someone should buy it and put it through it's paces.... If NB sent me one, I'd gladly try it out and report my findings!
Someone should buy it and put it through it's paces.... If NB sent me one, I'd gladly try it out and report my findings!
My apologies if I insinuated that the rollers are aluminum. I'm guessing they are steel, but that info isn't provided in the description.
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There does seem to be a lot that NB left for our imagination. Not even one mention on how many pounds the hopper will hold, not that its vital but it would be nice to know.
"Captain Crush is engineered using premium materials; aluminum and stainless steel thwart corrosion, oil impregnated sintered bronze bushings require no maintenance, and smoked acrylic provides durability, easy cleanup, and dashing good looks."
It's cheap acrylic like you get at your hardware store. Not industrial grade, period.
I stand by my comment. The only thing premium about it is the marketing speak. This coming from someone who has ordered a couple thousand dollars worth of product from them this year and is not meant to be blanket critical of them. But call a spade a spade.
It's cheap acrylic like you get at your hardware store. Not industrial grade, period.
I stand by my comment. The only thing premium about it is the marketing speak. This coming from someone who has ordered a couple thousand dollars worth of product from them this year and is not meant to be blanket critical of them. But call a spade a spade.
OP
OP
OMG... Smoked Acrylic??? I'd sware I read polycarbonate somewhere... Maybe I need to get my readers out! Yeah.... That's a little bunk!
They did, on their Facebook post. But the actual product description on their product page refutes that. Plus there is all manners of grades of Polycarbonate, it's highly doubtful they used anything near Lexan grade, or else it would be a $1000. Basically their marketing department went crazy on this one to get spur of the moment Christmas shoppers. Their customer service team is top notch, as well as their website and the information they provide to home brewers. But their prices and marketing spam leave a lot to be desired.
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The website ad as well as the email says poly-carbonate, but the description says smoked acrylic
Bluehavana
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I just looked at the page I had pulled up from this morning and it say polycarbonate, I refreshed the page and now it says acrylic. Bummer
OP
OP
Man... Glad to hear I haven't lost my mind just yet... I hadn't even been drinking when I read it! 
BTW, I thought Lexan was just a brand name for polycarbonate...
BTW, I thought Lexan was just a brand name for polycarbonate...
This is very much the same situation when the megapot 1.2 came out. The information was scare on the site to begin with and eventually they posted specification information.
While I am a proud megapot 1.2 owner I do not like this shoot first approach.
A mill investing is coming in the next month or so information like capacity, dimensions and clear materials information would be helpful for first time purchasers.
While I am a proud megapot 1.2 owner I do not like this shoot first approach.
A mill investing is coming in the next month or so information like capacity, dimensions and clear materials information would be helpful for first time purchasers.
Bluehavana
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Yes it is, Lexan is made about ten miles from my house.
FWIW, here is a little more info on the mill...
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/Captain_Crush_Grain_Mill_Instructions.pdf
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/Captain_Crush_Grain_Mill_Instructions.pdf
fuzzy2133
Well-Known Member
I love how they do updates as they go through the day. I know the instructions were not there at 9am PST!
rico567
Well-Known Member
Wow. $280 and "smoked acrylic," too. I'll stick with my $23 Corona mill from eBay. Been using it for going on 5 years, and I always hit my numbers when I mash, and never a stuck sparge. I've got all I need.
Yes, and super-secret submarines are made 10 miles from mine, but I am not an expert in them.
Here is a good page that describes the different grades of Polycarbonate. But again that point is moot, this thing is acrylic - you wouldn't use the terms interchangeably because they are completely different product materials.
http://www.aetnaplastics.com/products/d/makrolon
Here is a good page that describes the different grades of Polycarbonate. But again that point is moot, this thing is acrylic - you wouldn't use the terms interchangeably because they are completely different product materials.
http://www.aetnaplastics.com/products/d/makrolon
That's a whole bunch of cash for anything made with that much acrylic. I think I'll pass.
Agree with others. A Monster Mills MM3 v2.0 is the way to go for a top-of-the-line 3-roller mill. Or the 3-roller Crankandstein.
Wanna spend the full $280 or more on an MM3? Here's some ways:
- Buy the stainless roller upgrade.
- Buy the hopper extensions.
- Buy an electric motor and gear it down.
- Buy a cabinet and mount it inside. Buy wheels for portability if you feel so inclined.
I guarantee if you were to do any of these options you'd get a superior mill to NB one.
Comparisons to a Corona Mill aren't exactly fair. Just like it wouldn't be fair to compare this to a Cereal Killer or Barley Crusher or whatever your favorite $100 house brand hand-crank mill is.
Edit: The marked detents on the rollers is a nice touch. Wish my MM2-2.0 had that. Looks like maybe the newer 2.0 models seem to have gotten it after-the-fact.
Wanna spend the full $280 or more on an MM3? Here's some ways:
- Buy the stainless roller upgrade.
- Buy the hopper extensions.
- Buy an electric motor and gear it down.
- Buy a cabinet and mount it inside. Buy wheels for portability if you feel so inclined.
I guarantee if you were to do any of these options you'd get a superior mill to NB one.
Comparisons to a Corona Mill aren't exactly fair. Just like it wouldn't be fair to compare this to a Cereal Killer or Barley Crusher or whatever your favorite $100 house brand hand-crank mill is.
Edit: The marked detents on the rollers is a nice touch. Wish my MM2-2.0 had that. Looks like maybe the newer 2.0 models seem to have gotten it after-the-fact.
biertourist
Well-Known Member
All the discussion on the hopper for a mill with a distinctly different roller design seems to really be missing the point.
A single piece acrylic hopper isn't a bad thing, IMHO, lighter weight and as they said EASY to clean; being able to watch the grain flow give it extra coolness points; several home made multi piece lexan hoppers have received tons of great feedback here but you're going to get grain particles trapped in between the pieces; not so with the NB design.
What is super important is what's going on with these rollers and are they better or worse than knurled designs in any way and if so, how? -I agree with the discussions on the thumbscrews. This is a 3 roller mill design and with that definitely comes a premium price. The pre-assembled one piece hoppper IS going to be more expensive to ship.
These appear to be "fluted" rollers which you see in the high-end industrial settings; I'm not sure whether they're appropriate for use with malted barley, though and what the up/down sides are; I think with too small of a gap setting you end up cutting grains but I'm really interested in the rollers.
The stats on the rollers are important, though. -Length, diameter, material?
We might have a decent step up in terms of the rollers in this thing vs. many home brew mills, we're also dealing with a 3 roller design and a one piece, pre-assembled hopper that makes assembly and cleaning easy and has a high coolness factor; but it probably costs more to ship.
There's room for this product on the market, IMHO. I really want to see more about these rollers, though...
Adam
A single piece acrylic hopper isn't a bad thing, IMHO, lighter weight and as they said EASY to clean; being able to watch the grain flow give it extra coolness points; several home made multi piece lexan hoppers have received tons of great feedback here but you're going to get grain particles trapped in between the pieces; not so with the NB design.
What is super important is what's going on with these rollers and are they better or worse than knurled designs in any way and if so, how? -I agree with the discussions on the thumbscrews. This is a 3 roller mill design and with that definitely comes a premium price. The pre-assembled one piece hoppper IS going to be more expensive to ship.
These appear to be "fluted" rollers which you see in the high-end industrial settings; I'm not sure whether they're appropriate for use with malted barley, though and what the up/down sides are; I think with too small of a gap setting you end up cutting grains but I'm really interested in the rollers.
The stats on the rollers are important, though. -Length, diameter, material?
We might have a decent step up in terms of the rollers in this thing vs. many home brew mills, we're also dealing with a 3 roller design and a one piece, pre-assembled hopper that makes assembly and cleaning easy and has a high coolness factor; but it probably costs more to ship.
There's room for this product on the market, IMHO. I really want to see more about these rollers, though...
Adam
biertourist
Well-Known Member
These are their claims; I think they're generic claims focused on the difference between knurled vs. fluted rollers.
" The horizontally ribbed rollers facilitate feeding while being gentler on the delicate grain husks. Slotted rollers don’t perforate the husks the same way knurling does, and the dual gap adjustment allows you to fine tune your mill for a perfect crush, with uniform particle size to deliver consistent lauter performance. "
From the dimensions of the mill body (7" long) I'd say we're dealing with 6" length rollers; they state 40mm roller diamter which is SLIGHTLY bigger than a 1.5" diameter.
So it's comparable to an MM3 but with very slightly bigger diameter rollers; it's the fluted rollers that make a difference, IMO. If the purpose of moving to a 3 roller mill is to leave the husk more intact a fluted design will do that better than a knurled design.
NB has thrown down the gauntlet and hopefully Monster follows suit with a fluted roller design of their own in a 2"x6" 3 roller version. -If we're going for an increase in crush quality and really focusing on treating the husks well we'd get a 3 roller design with a geared drive for the first two rollers (fixed gap) and then an adjustable gap for the 3rd roller.
-These would make great homebrew shop mills if they had hardened rollers and if they'd make a 12" version you'd have a great mill body for large nanos / small micros. (Geared designs reduce sheer on the grain husk and fluted designs reduce perforation so a great 1-2 punch for treating those husks nicely without resorting to malt conditioning or wet milling.)
Adam
" The horizontally ribbed rollers facilitate feeding while being gentler on the delicate grain husks. Slotted rollers don’t perforate the husks the same way knurling does, and the dual gap adjustment allows you to fine tune your mill for a perfect crush, with uniform particle size to deliver consistent lauter performance. "
From the dimensions of the mill body (7" long) I'd say we're dealing with 6" length rollers; they state 40mm roller diamter which is SLIGHTLY bigger than a 1.5" diameter.
So it's comparable to an MM3 but with very slightly bigger diameter rollers; it's the fluted rollers that make a difference, IMO. If the purpose of moving to a 3 roller mill is to leave the husk more intact a fluted design will do that better than a knurled design.
NB has thrown down the gauntlet and hopefully Monster follows suit with a fluted roller design of their own in a 2"x6" 3 roller version. -If we're going for an increase in crush quality and really focusing on treating the husks well we'd get a 3 roller design with a geared drive for the first two rollers (fixed gap) and then an adjustable gap for the 3rd roller.
-These would make great homebrew shop mills if they had hardened rollers and if they'd make a 12" version you'd have a great mill body for large nanos / small micros. (Geared designs reduce sheer on the grain husk and fluted designs reduce perforation so a great 1-2 punch for treating those husks nicely without resorting to malt conditioning or wet milling.)
Adam
Pilgarlic
Well-Known Member
Is anyone aware of any evidence (or experience, or anecdote) that fluting either a) yields a more consistent particle size, which, I think, is counterintuitive, or b) does less damage to the husk at any given particle size? Since this is the only real innovation here I'd like to know if they're just doing some product differentiation here for marketing purposes or if there's some evidence that it's actually in some way superior to knurled rollers.
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So they're using crappy plastic for the stand instead of crappy wood. Who cares?!?!?! I'm not going to order one, but I wouldn't rag on it because of the material the base is made of. The base is the least important, most easily replaceable/up-gradable piece of a mill.
Fluted cracks the grain. Knurled crushes it. Breweries are going to use fluted or smooth.
If it hasn't been said yet the northern brewer mill is using stainless steel rollers. I'd like to know if that 3rd roller is powered.
If it hasn't been said yet the northern brewer mill is using stainless steel rollers. I'd like to know if that 3rd roller is powered.
OP
OP
Again, I'd sure be willing to test it... Hello NB???? Send me a PM and I'll give shipping info!
the_wickster
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I have one of these mills. I won it at a raffle at our club's Christmas party. I have been using a barley crusher for many years. Its powered on a cart from a direct drive low speed high torque gear motor. 177RPM The timing works well for me as the knurls on the BC seem to be wearing down and every so often the mill would slip on the grain. I mounted the new mill onto my cart and relocated the motor to line it up with the higher drive roller. I have only used the CC once but I can give you my impressions so far.
The machine work is well done, and tolerances seem tight. The mill parts are definitely heavy duty. I believe this should have a very long life. There are detents in the adjustment knobs for the set screws to lock in making it easy to set the gaps. No need for feeler gauges. The fluted or slotted rollers are sharp and grab the grain well. They are also larger in diameter than the BC and it went through the grain much faster at the same RPM. Only the one roller is powered the other two spin with the grain. Crush was great. With the adjustability of two gaps I think people could fine tune for whatever they want. I'm a set it and forget it type. The clear "plastic" is nice for viewing the grain. I don't use the base but I would think that would be nice if you were using it on a bucket to see how full it was. My only complaint is the hopper has flat "ledges" right at the rollers where the last bit of your grain sits and won't go down into the mill. Its only maybe an ounce or two but you need to either brush it in or shake the mill to get it down. Oh and the plastic builds up some static and dust from the grain has coated the inside of the hopper.
I would not have bought it out right, but was a great raffle prize win for a few bucks! For me its definitely a step up from the BC.
The machine work is well done, and tolerances seem tight. The mill parts are definitely heavy duty. I believe this should have a very long life. There are detents in the adjustment knobs for the set screws to lock in making it easy to set the gaps. No need for feeler gauges. The fluted or slotted rollers are sharp and grab the grain well. They are also larger in diameter than the BC and it went through the grain much faster at the same RPM. Only the one roller is powered the other two spin with the grain. Crush was great. With the adjustability of two gaps I think people could fine tune for whatever they want. I'm a set it and forget it type. The clear "plastic" is nice for viewing the grain. I don't use the base but I would think that would be nice if you were using it on a bucket to see how full it was. My only complaint is the hopper has flat "ledges" right at the rollers where the last bit of your grain sits and won't go down into the mill. Its only maybe an ounce or two but you need to either brush it in or shake the mill to get it down. Oh and the plastic builds up some static and dust from the grain has coated the inside of the hopper.
I would not have bought it out right, but was a great raffle prize win for a few bucks! For me its definitely a step up from the BC.
Hmmm... static and grain dust not a good thing... hope a static discharge doesn't happen to someone some day. Can you say boom?! Probably a similar effect to filling gas on a plastic truck bedliner.
the_wickster
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That's a rather silly fear. Slight dust clinging to an item from a slight static attraction. Not "charged" like rubbing your feet on carpet. If you get that much dust in the air you probably have other concerns. A variable speed electric drill that uses a universal motor would blow it up first.
