"Cereal Killer" grain mill

[theck]

yes speed of flow has a large impact.... in case you didnt know also when starting the pump be sure to restrict the flow before turning the pump on. Then slowly increase speed.

No pump I batch, couple guys on here just open the valve and let it go... I alway just open a little and let it drain slowly. Tried the open and let it rip, going back to slow.

 

[augiedoggy]

No pump I batch, couple guys on here just open the valve and let it go... I alway just open a little and let it drain slowly. Tried the open and let it rip, going back to slow.

the type of false bottom or bazooka tube will have the biggest effect here as you probably already know.

sorry

 

[theck]

the type of false bottom or bazooka tube will have the biggest effect here as you probably already know.

sorry

Ya using bazooka tube, previously worked very well. I up'd my mill to .037, local shop has .039 and default setting on the mill is .038

 

[Epimetheus]

I got a stuck sparge (toilet screen in a cooler

It may be jargon, but could someone explain what is a
"toilet screen in a cooler"
so I can scrub this unfortunate image out of my brain?

 

[theck]

It may be jargon, but could someone explain what is a
"toilet screen in a cooler"
so I can scrub this unfortunate image out of my brain?

Some people make a bazooka out of a toilet supply line. Remove the innards and keep the screen.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[reefriot]

So i use a water supply line(not toilet screen). All it is is a stainless braided outer sheath. Crimp one end and it works better than the bazooka screen IMO. I just goto a thrift store and buy the line for .50 cents. Much cheaper that way.
For the post about sparging. I have tried it several ways and the brewery next door to me told me to slow it down as much as possible. Now a 10g batch takes 75 mins to collect enough wort and ive seen my numbers go up.
I just ordered a Cereal Killer mill. Hope i dont have any problems.

 

[boydster]

Mine is supposed to arrive on Friday, and I'm grabbing a 55lb sack of Maris Otter to break it in.

 

[reefriot]

Must have ordered same day!

 

[augiedoggy]

So i use a water supply line(not toilet screen). All it is is a stainless braided outer sheath. Crimp one end and it works better than the bazooka screen IMO. I just goto a thrift store and buy the line for .50 cents. Much cheaper that way.
For the post about sparging. I have tried it several ways and the brewery next door to me told me to slow it down as much as possible. Now a 10g batch takes 75 mins to collect enough wort and ive seen my numbers go up.
I just ordered a Cereal Killer mill. Hope i dont have any problems.

actually the ideal setup would be to put the water supply line inside of the bazooka tube as a double filter...I use a fine copper mesh tube inside of the bazooka tube and I have never had even the slightest amount of a stuck sparge in 6 brews...

 

[RichBenn]

I just used mine for the first time. I was using a motorized corona mill before and getting about 80 to 82% into the kettle on IPAs and IIPAs. Did a lower gravity brew this time, and there were some other lautering variables, but the efficiency was more like 90%. May need to check the final runnings pH and possibly open up the gap to avoid tannin extraction.

We used the handle, which was so quick I may not bother with hooking up a drill. Crush appears better than the Corona mill - no tearing.

Those whose non-driven roller sticks should send it back or disassemble it to see what's wrong and fix the binding, if possible. (IMHO) these aren't monster mills and probably won't last a lifetime of heavy use, but you ought to get value from them.

On a side note, I noticed another vendor selling what appears to be the same BC Chinese knockoff. Whether it has ball bearings or not, I can't say. But it looks identical and sells for the same price.

 

[atoughram]

I pulled the trigger on one of these tonight - fingers crossed it's a good one.

At half the price of a MM2, they're hard to ignore.

 

[boydster]

I did my first brew with it yesterday, ran 12 lbs of Maris Otter through it. No complaints so far.

 

[NFryan]

I have about 1000+ lbs of grain through it so far. No issues at all so far.

 

[brew_ny]

got mine last August just ran 29 pounds thru it for my brew on Thursday, I have crushed 1400 pounds with it as of today and not had a problem

blow it out with air when I am done milling, put it back in the box it came in then up on the shelf

for the 100 bucks it costs it has worked well

S_M

 

[Garou24]

I have had no issues with this mill. Run close to 1000 lbs of grain through mine and keeps on grinding. Clean the dust after your done and stick it in the box and store in a dry place and you should be good. I got mine for $90 free shipping so it was hard to beat that deal.

 

[atoughram]

All good to hear.... Looks like they've got their issues worked out.

 

[augiedoggy]

In case this hasnt been mentioned before. I discovered why so many complain of having a stuck roller a couple days ago...I adjusted my gap a couple days ago and found its very easy to bind the roller when adjusting it even slightly without using correct feeler gauges or reference... it would turn like a half turn then get hard to turn ... my guess is if many take a good look at the gap adustment and try spinning the roller while doing it they will find the cams where out of parallel adjustment and this is whats causing the "sticky" roller...
after readjusting mine I ground the rest of the 19lbs of grain with no problems...

 

[sweetcell]

other than turning the wooden base around, what else do i need to do to break in my Cereal Killer and get it ready for its first brew?

just got mine in the mail today.

have folks noticed any oil on the rollers that needs to be washed off? does anything need to be oiled? etc...

danke!

 

[icebob]

charge the battery on your drill and you're good to go.... only after a couple brew you would be ale to tell if you need to adjust the roller....

 

[nckellys]

Well, I made the mistake of keeping mine. I've run probably 40 batches thru it. The biggest problem I have is getting the idler roller to turn. It's a major source of frustration. I end up reaching underneath and giving it a spin with my fingers to get it started. The roller spins freely wo grain but fill the hopper with grain and engage the drill and only the driven roller turns. Reaching underneath and giving it a spin with my fingertips will get it turning for anywhere from a brief second to maybe a half a minute or so. I was ready to throw it up against the wall this weekend. The slop in the bushings has only gotten worse. Ive blown compressed air into the bushings in an attempt to clear them out and this helps sometimes. I've regapped the gap all over the map and .055 seems to be the point where if cracks the grain but doesn't turn it into flower. I notice a name and number branded into the bottom of the base so i called the poor guy Sunday morning to share my frustration only to find out he only makes the wood bases not the mill. He told me he no longer puts his name on them due to all the complaint calls he's received.
I really enjoy the time i spend brewing beer. It's my oasis... It's my time to do something i enjoy. This mill has been a source of frustration since day one. I thought it was due to my inexperience. I've booked 64 brew days to date so I think we can rule out the experience factor. My mill is truly a POS. Maybe the quality is better now? IDK, I've had mine for a few years. This last brew day was the worst. I actually have a blister on the end of my finger from trying to get the idler roller to spin by reaching underneath and spinning it with my finger tips. I'm done with it.
I will email the place I bought it and ask them if they want it back on trade for a different mill. if they do anything I'll report back.
My advice to anyone looking to buy one of these is talk to some one that has bought one recently and has run 5 or 10 batches thru it....
There you have it....
Happy brewing....

Problem solved. I contacted Adventures in Home brewing and they sent me a replacement. The new one is a much better machine. The bearings are a major improvement over the brass bushings. The knurl on the rollers is much more aggressive. I was told that I had originally received the early design. This new design is much better. I've run a few batches thru it and am very pleased. I fully endorse this mill. It works great.
Cheers!

 

[tellyho]

I've now run probably 400lbs through mine with no issues whatsoever. Consistent crush, have had no problem with idle roller binding up. Basically, I can count on the killer to make reliable fast work of any amount of grain I throw at it.


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[sweetcell]

use my CK for the first time on saturday. worked great, save for one jam that caused the mill to seize and the drill to slightly blemished the axel (or whatever you call the shaft that the drill connects to). it didn't strip it, but did leave a small indented "skid mark". probably because there was a stone in the malt. i reversed the drill manually and the milling proceeded as if nothing happened. i inspected the rollers after i finished milling and didn't see any damage.

really happy with this purchase, based on this first use.

 

[BigJack]

Mine just got hear Friday- a gift from the wife. I have a couple of BIAB kits that were pre-milled so it will be awhile before I try it out.

 

[joshrosborne]

I bought one of these a couple months ago when I got into AG brewing and absolutely love it. It was affordable and it does exactly what I need it to: crush grain. It fits easily on top of a Homer bucket, which is where it stays when it's not in use. Outside of a chest freezer I use as a fermentation chamber, this is the best brewing purchase I've made so far. I now buy 55lb sacks of base malt and my per batch price is dirt cheap now.

 

[Jupapabear]

I've used mine for about 15 batches now. I highly recommend this mill.

 

[MrSnacks]

So it sounds like people are pretty happy with this mill--is there any reason to not buy it?

 

[sweetcell]

So it sounds like people are pretty happy with this mill--is there any reason to not buy it?

not any more. the first incarnations were pretty weak but it seems that they've fixed those problems. order away.

 

[Rambuck]

Just got mine on Friday. My local brew shop uses the CK to grush their grains. It's a new brew shop, just celebrated their 1 yr anniversary. He told me that he's run thousands of lbs thru it and he loves it. Seems to crush good and fast. I've not seen them clean it or check the setting, doesn't mean that they don't.
I am now wanting to get a better handle on my brew efficiency, I decided to get one and start crushing my own. I set it to .037, but am wondering what other's use? I read the one post about .035.
Looking forward to running lots of grain thru it.

 

[tellyho]

I'm at 0.024, as I recall. Different systems can handle widely different crush sizes, it seems. My mash setup is old school: cooler with slotted copper manifold. I think most now use the wire mesh tube. Denny Conn always says crush til you're scared.


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[Grannyknot]

I am usually at .025 on mine, using conditioned grain, & get 83% efficiency every time.
Using a circular cooler & false bottom. Never had a stuck sparge.
Did have a slow sparge once when I used 30% rye.